Google Analytics UA Versus GA4: Why You Should Be Making the Switch

For small business owners who want to leverage the benefits of social media, Google Ads, and search engine optimisation, Google Analytics is an ideal solution to inform decisions for targeting, relevance, and continuous improvement. 

However, knowing which data, metrics, and data analysis tools to use for superior and sustainable insights and when to update or upgrade can be daunting.

For example, it can be intimidating to decide whether to update from Google Universal Analytics (UA or GA3) to Google Analytics Four (GA4). 

GA4 Versus UA

Google Analytics Four represents next-generation web analytics, thanks to Google’s upgraded event tracking, automated insights, and more. 

But how are UA and GA4 different? 

To start with, Universal Analytics (UA, or GA3) and GA4 use different measurement models, the former relying on pageviews and sessions and the latter using parameters and events.

This switch means GA4 incorporates User ID natively in analysis, reporting, and insights, creating a single user journey and obviating the need for a separate User-ID view in reporting.

Additional benefits of moving to GA4 include:

• Increased flexibility.
• Increased user focus.
• Website and App support.
• Built-in roll-up reporting.
• More robust and accurate tracking and reporting, including easier set-up and automatic tracking.
• Report interface debugging.
• Improved privacy control.
• Facilitates complex conversions.
• Better aligned with contemporary browsing behaviour.
• More custom metrics and dimensions.
• Superior analysis, predictive, and data visualisation capabilities.
• Free connection to BigQuery.

As a further incentive, note that Google won’t create any more UA updates. 

When Moving to GA4, Is There Anything to Keep in Mind?

Fundamental model differences mean UA and GA4 analytics are not necessarily comparable across metrics, although some overlap exists. 

Hence, moving from UA to GA4 could mean resetting many of your metrics. 

For example: 

• Universal Analytics (UA) offers two User metrics: Total and New Users, while Google Analytics Four (GA4) offers three: Total, New, and Active Users. In addition, while Total and Active Users metrics are similar, UA highlights Total Users, while GA4 highlights Active Users. 
• Pageviews compare well. However, while UA tracks screen views separately, GA4 combines app and web data. Hence, if tracking both, remember also to consider the additional app traffic when comparing pageview metrics
• Web purchase metrics, too, are highly comparable and should match closely. However, ensure you collect a unique translation ID value in both versions.
• Sessions counts vary depending on location, statistical estimation, and Own site Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) tagging and conversions comparison can be challenging, with UA focusing on goal definition while GA4 species conversion events. 
• Bounce rates in UA indicate the proportion of single-page sessions where there was no interaction – with a duration of zero seconds, while GA4 measure the percentage of unengaged sessions – sessions of less than ten seconds with no events triggered. The latter, the inverse of Engagement Rates, is the more valuable metric. 
• Events metrics reflect a fundamental model variance. For example, in UA, an event incorporates an Action, a Label, a Category, and a unique hit type. In contrast, in GA4, all actions are events without category or label.

In addition, consider that UA reports may exclude filtered data, and filtered runs may impact counts, while GA4 does not support this feature. 

Ready to Make the Change? Still unsure? 

Then instead, rely on an experienced digital agency such as RankingCo to provide relevant Google Analytics insights to ensure you spend every digital marketing cent wisely, yielding high-performance campaigns and a superior return on investment.

Book your analytics consultation today.