Universal Analytics (UA) is 10 years old. It is a version of Google Analytics (GA) that was built for desktop device online measurement & stand alone sessions, and depends heavily on data stored in cookies. With Google’s announcement that GA UA will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023 (UA GA360 hit processing ends on October 1, 2023), this measurement methodology is headed the way of the dodo bird.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4), is basically 2 years old. It has morphed over those 2 years, and will continue to do so until it is feature complete (see GA4 release notes). We get asked frequently how GA4 addresses UA shortcomings. Below are three high level points to answer that question.
How does GA4 address UA deficiencies?
- GA4 allows for integrated tracking across platforms (web & app), and works with or without cookies.
- GA4 addresses current privacy concerns in ways that GA UA does not, and can’t.
- GA4’s event-based data model is better suited for tracking single page applications (SPA) & mobile apps, for driving data modeling (modeled conversions, predictive metrics & predictive audiences), and has a cleaner BigQuery integration.
NOTE: Previously processed data in GA UA will be stored for at least six months after the deprecation dates listed above.
Related: (i) Is your GA4 property ready to replace Universal Analytics?, (ii) License renewal considerations when transitioning from GA360 UA to GA360 GA4