Google Analytics (GA4)

Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics platform, tracking how people find and use your website. The current version, GA4 (Google Analytics 4), replaced the older Universal Analytics in 2023 and works differently under the hood — it's built around individual "events" (clicks, scrolls, form submissions, purchases) rather than the older session-and-pageview model.

GA4 can show you, among other things:

• How many people visited, and from where (traffic source, device, location)
• Which pages they viewed and how long they stayed
• Which specific actions ("events") led to conversions
• How different marketing channels compare in driving actual business results

Why it matters

GA4 tells you the "what" — how many visitors, from which channel, doing what — while Google Search Console tells you the "why," specifically for organic search (which query brought them). Used together, they give a complete picture of both traffic volume and search intent.

GA4 vs Google Search Console

Common Misconceptions

• Assuming GA4 works exactly like the older Universal Analytics — the data model changed fundamentally, from sessions/pageviews to an event-based system.
• Expecting GA4 to show the literal search terms people typed on Google — that data lives in Search Console, not GA4.

Use Cases

• Seeing which marketing channel (organic, paid, social, email) actually drives the most conversions, not just traffic.
• Tracking a specific on-site action, like a form submission or button click, as a custom event.
• Comparing how mobile versus desktop visitors behave differently on the same page.

Real-World Examples

Best Practices

• Set up key conversion events (form submits, calls, purchases) early, rather than relying only on pageview counts.
• Link GA4 with Google Search Console to see organic query data alongside on-site behavior in one place.
• Regularly review which channels drive conversions, not just traffic volume, before allocating budget.

Frequently Asked Questions