Google Analytics

Google Analytics is one of the most widely-used website analytics solutions used by publishers. It provides key insights into your website or app traffic and performance, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that can grow your business. Some of the metrics Google Analytics tracks include the number of site visits, bounce rate, time on site, source of traffic, nature of engagement with the website’s content, etc.

The web analytics service is also capable of integrating with other Google solutions such as Google ads and Google Search Console, allowing publishers to get analytic insights across multiple Google tools.

What Is UA?

Google launched Google Analytics (GA) in 2005. In 2012, it launched a newer version of GA called Universal Analytics, which is also the version presently in use for most users. Any user who set up their GA account before October 2020 is most likely using Universal Analytics.

What Is GA4?

GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics which is set to replace Universal Analytics starting July 1, 2023.

GA4 is capable of tracking data from both websites and apps to provide publishers with richer insights into customer journeys. GA4 is also more compliant with the privacy-protected browsing of the future that is set to be the norm once Google kills the third-party cookie.

How Do UA and GA4 Differ?

The main difference between Google Analytics 4.0 and Universal Analytics is that Universal Analytics uses a cookie-based tracking model while Google Analytics 4.0 uses an IP address-based tracking model. The cookie-based model is more flexible and allows you to track more interactions with your users; however, it can be compromised if your users have cookies disabled or are using private browsing modes.