Google Analytics is an online web analytics tools that provides your website stats and reports for search engine optimization (SEO), better understand your customer and online promotion purposes. It is freely available and can access via your Google Gmail address
The first version of Google Analytics (GA1): It is the classic Google Analytics that makes use of the ga.js JavaScript library.
The second version of Google Analytics (GA2): This version is the Universal Analytics that makes use of the analytics.js JavaScript library.
The third version of Google Analytics (GA3): This third version of Google Analytics is also the Universal Analytics. But this version makes use of the gtag.js JavaScript library.
What are Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
Google Analytics 4 or GA4 is the latest version of the majorly popular Google Analytics. It is known as GA4 because of being the fourth version. Given below are the other three versions:
Note: GA4 also makes use of the gtag.js library, but it is based on a new measurement model known as the ‘Event+Parameter’ model.
In the past, when you desired to measure your website usage data, then you would be required to make use of the GA property meant for tracking website data.
On the other hand, when you wanted to measure your mobile app usage data, then at that time you were required to make use of Google Analytics APP view or Google Analytics for Firebase (created through separate GA property).
It was not at all easy to combine website usage and mobile app usage data for unified reporting and analysis. However, all this has changed with the advent of GA4 which was formerly popular as an ‘App+Web’ property).
Google Analytics facilitates you in integrating website and mobile app usage data into a single GA Property. This new property is majorly popular as ‘Google Analytics 4 (or GA4). The GA4 Property will be available for you in your GA account when you create a new property.
Google recommends you create and make use of the GA4 property and run in parallel with your GA3 property even if you are not having a mobile app. The reason behind this is that Google will eventually discontinue support for GA3 and other older GA versions.
If you are not having a mobile app, you can use your GA4 property to measure your website performance. However, GA4 is still not a 100% replacement for GA3 property.
GA4 also lacks robust attribution modeling and eCommerce reporting features. So, you will be required to keep your GA3 tracking intact for as long as it would be possible.
The reporting view that you can create in the GA4 property is known as the GA4 reporting view.
Note: You have to keep this thing in your mind you can create only one reporting view in a GA4 property.
The user interface of the GA4 will appear similar to that of Firebase or Google Analytics as GA4 is built on Firebase Analytics. But, it is a bit different from any GA3 reporting view.
The GA4 may appear intimidating to you at first glance, because there are numerous metrics and reports with which you were familiar will not be there. The reason is that they might have either been replaced or removed from there.
You will come to see diverse sets of reports in your GA4 view, and you will also not see various reports. GA helps you in website speed optimization, analysis visitor behavior, and etc.
Why GA4 Doesn’t Have Many Reports?
Google is intended at making you make use of Google Data Studio for reporting purposes or for creating your own reports from scratch by making use of Explorations report templates. This is the reason that GA4 doesn’t come with many reports.
