A Comprehensive Comparison
If you’re like most professionals in the digital marketing sector, you’re likely already aware that, in just a few months, Google’s iconic Universal Analytics tool will officially be no more. Instead, it’s being thoroughly replaced by the newer Google Analytics 4, but what does that really mean for you as a marketer?
Here we’ll go over all the details regarding what you need to know about Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics.
For example, how do the two really stack up against one another?
We’ll also cover everything you need to know to determine whether you should switch to GA4 or explore other alternatives.
What Is the Difference Between Google Analytics 4
Since the data model is entirely different in Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Ws Database sense that you’ll lose a lot of very familiar metrics you may have relied on heavily in the past.
For example, GA4’s data model no longer contains data related to average session duration. The loss of the session duration metric is really a given, as Google Analytics 4 does not categorize and organize data according to sessions at all anymore.
And for a while, GA4 did not include the bounce rate metric, either. This has since been added back to the mix. However, it is understandably very different from the metric long-time Universal Analytics users will be used to.
It’s also worth noting that GA4 introduced many new metrics designed to replace, add to, and improve upon any that were lost when switching over. Ultimately, all the necessary metrics are present and accounted for in one form or another. It will simply take time and ongoing use to get acquainted with them.
Wrap-Up
The pending move to Google Analytics4 vs Universal Analytics is just one of the ways we’re collectively moving forward into an exciting new future when it comes to digital marketing. But content will still be king no matter what, so a skilled content production team you can count on is a must.
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Can I Use Both Universal Analytics and Google
Support for Universal Analytics will officially become a thing of the past in July of 2023, so the day will eventually come when you’ll need to switch entirely from one platform to the other. But in the meantime, it’s possible to start fleshing out your future GA4 implementation while continuing with Universal Analytics.
For example, you can send events to both platforms using Google’s double-tagging approach. This will allow you to start building a data history in GA4 that will EU Phone Number be ready and waiting for you whenever you are ready to switch over permanently.
