Analytics

What Is GA4 (Google Analytics 4) (Google Analytics 4)?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's current web + app analytics platform. Everything is an event (no more page-view-centric model), it works across web and app in one property, and it uses machine learning for modelled conversions when cookies aren't available.

Setup essentials

You install GA4 via Google Tag Manager, mark 4–8 events as 'conversions' (purchase, sign_up, generate_lead, contact), enable enhanced measurement, connect Google Ads + Search Console, and enable Google signals for cross-device tracking. That's the foundation before any dashboards or funnels.

Benchmarks

GA4 data retention: 14 months on standard, 50 months on GA4 360.
Sampling threshold: 10 million events in a query on standard.
Modelled conversions typically fill 15–40% of consent-lost sessions.

Why it matters

GA4 is the free source of truth Google Ads pulls conversion signals from. Broken GA4 = broken smart bidding = wasted spend. It's also the most common place attribution gaps get discovered.

Common mistakes

1.Not marking the right events as conversions — smart bidding optimises to the wrong signal.
2.Ignoring cross-domain tracking. Traffic to a checkout subdomain shows up as (direct) / (none) referrer.
3.Skipping consent mode. Enabling it recovers modelled conversions Chrome would otherwise drop.

Put GA4 (Google Analytics 4) to work

Related services

Tracking & Analytics Setup

FAQs about GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

How is GA4 different from Universal Analytics?

Event-based (not pageview-based), cross-platform (web + app), no bounce rate (uses engagement instead), and 14-month retention default. Universal Analytics stopped processing data mid-2023.