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Introduction to Google Analytics 4
Learn about the key differences between Universal Analytics and GA4 with helpful tutorials!
Please note that come July 2023, we will be switching from Universal Google Analytics to GA4. The reason is that, UA will cease to exist, and using GA4 is allowing us to use JENTIS, a sider server tracking method, that allows us to still track user sessions and comply with GDPR law.
Our Web Tech Specialists are working hard on migrating all the data. Most should be done by end of June. Please note the projected timeline of the migration for the remaining countries and sanctuaries (all other countries are either done or almost done):
BG, FR, All sanctuaries after countries, EPO straight after sanctuaries. We will notify you once everything has been migrated.
Helpful Tutorials to Check Out
We recommend watching this tutorial, where Chuck (FP Data Analyst) walks the Website Team through GA4. It is under 1 hour long, and can be done during Learning Wednesdays.
Another helpful and free tutorial you can try is this one by Google. As the migration is taken care of by Sunil, the “Create your own Google Analytics 4 Property” part is not relevant for you.
A few Key differences between GA4 and UA
- To protect user data, no IP addresses are collected or stored
- GA4 tracks event-based sessions - means everything that happens is an 'event'
- You can see the names of events on the reports home page (i.e. first_visit, page_scroll, neos_popup and so on)
- the 'Behaviour' section in UA has been replaced with 'Engagement' and tracks:
- Engaged sessions
- Engagement rate
- Engaged sessions per user
- Average engagement time
- GA4 Data Streams focuses more on the user journey, and user retention
- In GA4, user acquisition and traffic acquisition has been split into two different reports
- To learn more about the differences, please read this article
You can still see Bounce Rate & add Engagement Rate
To do so, click on Reports in left menu --> Customise reports --> in Report data --> click Metrics --> add Metric
Reporting can be done in the same way you have been reporting data within Universal Analytics.
Please note that the numbers in GA4 will not be identical to the numbers from UA due to the way the data is captured now.
UA primarily focuses on session-based reporting. It tracks user interactions within a session but does not emphasize individual user behavior across multiple sessions.
Google Analytics 4 provides a more user-centric approach. It introduces the concept of a "user ID" and tracks user behavior across multiple sessions, allowing for deeper analysis of individual user journeys.
When trying to comparing numbers, please use the following metrics:
| Metrics | UA | GA4 |
| Users | Users | Total Users |
| Page Views | Page Views | Views (standard metric) or through events |
| Sessions | Sessions | Sessions |
| Session/Traffic based Acquisition metrics | Acquisition –> Source/Medium | Acquisition –> Traffic Acquisition |
GA4 Explore is a powerful feature that enables in-depth analysis and exploration of our websites. It allows us to create customised reports and visualise data. With GA4 Explore, you can choose various dimensions and metrics, apply filters, and set date ranges to focus on specific data subsets. The interface offers different visualisation options like charts and tables. Unlike the Reports section, you won’t come acros the “Thresholding” error in Explore! Try it out – anything you do in Explore only affects your account.
If you need any specific support or have questions, please reach out to the Website Team during the Q&A calls, or we might ask you to reach out to Chuck or Sunil directly.
If you need any specific support or have questions, please reach out to the Website Team during the Q&A calls, or we might ask you to reach out to Chuck or Sunil directly.