Google is quite up to the mark when it comes to delivering effective services to its users. And that’s the reason why we have seen the introduction of Bard, an AI tool which is going to enhance the search experience to the next level. There is something special for website owners or marketers as well.

Thanks to the invention of Google Analytics 4 or GA4 which makes it convenient for the website owners to measure their website’s performance comprehensively. But there are people who confuse the new analytic tool, GA4 with the previous one Universal Analytic, widely known as Google Analytics. 

But there are some key differences between GA4 and the Universal Analytics tools of the world’s most visited and popular search engine, Google. 

Let Us First Introduce the GA4!

The GA4 was officially launched back in 2020. At that time, the advanced web analytics tool created a lot of hype. But, we didn’t see that much response from the websites’ owners. Rather, they used to feel comfortable with the old version, Universal Analytics. 

Since then, new features have been added to GA4 and as the day progresses, it is enhancing its effectiveness to next levels. And in 2023, the website owners have to move to the GA4 whoever is using Google Analytics right now. 

One of the core features that we like most about the GA4 is, the tool can collect data not only from websites, but also android and iOS mobile apps. And that’s something very interesting. 

Popular Universal Analytics!

You might be quite familiar with this if you have been owning a website for a long time and attempt to measure its performance. Yes, the all important Google Analytics. This is the first generation of web analytics introduced by Google and needless to say, one of the most effective website analytics to use free of cost. 

From knowing the monthly website visitors to bounce rate of the web pages, the First version of Google Analytics is impressive and can attract a good number of websites’ owners. 

What Differentiates GA4 and Universal Analytics? 

Let’s face it! It is a simple question to ask, “Why should I move to GA4 and what is the difference it can create compared to universal analytics?” To be really honest, there is some debate over whether GA4 offers more sophisticated capabilities than Google Analytics. 

Data Model

One of the key differences between Google Analytic four and Universal analytic lies in the data model. To be more precise, you can differentiate the way the two analytics can collect data from websites and apps. You will see Google Analytics 4 collecting more data based on the event. On the other hand, we see the data collection by Google Analytics from the session. And both have some pros and cons as well.

Future Support

Yes, we believe you might have many reasons to support Google Universal Analytics because you have been using this for years. 

But the fact is that Google always thinks about improving their use behavior. And that’s the reason why Google is always up to the mark when it comes to inventing new technology. 

Regarding future support, you can no longer use Google Universal Analytics in July 2023. On the other hand, you will see that Google Analytics will be continued for a longer period of time. 

That’s the reason it is important for you to know a lot about good analytics and what you can do with the help of these tools to enhance your website performance.

Interface

Yes, Google Universal Analytics has an interactive interface. But Needless to say, the interface you will have of Google Analytics will be pretty much decent too. Moreover, there will be a huge difference between how Google Analytics loses and the look of Google Analytics 4. 

The design of the interface will be different and you will probably see a lot of features on the interface of the Google Analytic 4 that was missing in Universal analytic. 

According to many experts, this is the reason why a lot of website owners might fall into trouble at the initial stages of using the Galactic 4 because they have to spend some time getting used to the new interface of the particular website  analytic tool.

Advanced Insights

This is the reason website owners are waiting for Google Analytics4. Google Analytics 4 will be more advanced in providing you with a lot of analytics related to your website. 

And the advanced technology will be used in Google Analytics 4 to enhance your website performance and  can let you know what your website can expect in the future.  Audience forecasting is something that is not possible with Google Analytics. But with the help of Google Analytics 4, you can forecast your audience and what type of content will perform better.

User Entity Modeling

In the case of Universal Google Analytics, we have seen the cookie-based analytics performed by the tool. On the other hand, when it comes to Google Analytics the tool will be pretty much efficient when it comes to delivering everything from Google Signal plus cookies. 

And so this is another point where Google Analytics 4 will perform better compared to Google analytic. At the same time, you can have more precise data of your website with the help of Google Analytic 4 because it can provide you with engaging information about your audience when they visit your website.

Final Thoughts

Now you know the differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics. Today or tomorrow you need to shift to Google Analytics 4 from Google Universal Analytics. And you don’t need to worry about that at all. 

At the end of the day, you are getting good services from Google Analytics and the feature that the tool can allow you to have will be impressive. And you should get used to the tool in order to get the most out of data from your website and then you can use this data to enhance your website growth.