The world of web analytics is rapidly evolving. Just three years after the birth of the internet, the first analytics solutions appeared. By the 1990s, processing website data could take large companies up to 24 hours. Using web analytics, marketers began to create targeted advertising, optimize website copy, improve A/B testing, and more. As demand grew, new solutions to web analytics offered to track more than just page views.
Approximately 28 million active websites use Google Analytics. In late 2020, Google introduced Google Analytics 4, GA4, as a new product after their Universal Analytics which was launched in 2012. GA4 is designed to combine app and web analytics in a single platform, focusing on user privacy. GA4 differs from Universal Analytics in terms of tracking and engagement, counting time, cookies and privacy, and mobile and web operations. Google Analytics 4 also supports predictive analytics for customer behavior.
There is no direct upgrade path from Universal Analytics to GA4, but expert help from companies like InfoTrust can ease this analytics transition. Businesses must realign their data strategy to keep up with the changes GA4 provides. Transitional to GA4 allows businesses to clean up 3rd party tags, conduct data governance audits, shift to privacy-centric tracking, and future-proof their tech stack and implementation. Implementing an analytics partner can mitigate this transition and better prepare your business for the future.
Source: InfoTrust
