Google Analytics & Google Analytics 4 Cheat Sheet

Because I was having trouble keeping track of the changes, I created some quick cheat sheets for reference and future records.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the next generation of Google Analytics, offering a more event-based and user-centric model than its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).

Basic Concepts:

• Account: Highest level of organization, under which you can have multiple properties.
• Property: Represents a website or app. In GA4, you can have both web and app data under one property.
• Data Stream: In GA4, a source of data from either a website, iOS app, or Android app.

Data Collection:

• Tracking Code (Universal Analytics): A JavaScript code added to pages of a website to collect data.
• GTag (GA4): The global site tag is a web tracking code for GA4.
• Firebase SDK: Used to collect data from mobile apps in GA4.
• Event: In GA4, everything is tracked as an event, be it a pageview, button click, or any user interaction.

Reporting:

• Real-time Reports: Display user interactions as they happen.
• User: Unique visitors who have had at least one session.
• Session (Universal Analytics): A group of interactions that take place on your website/app within a given timeframe.
• Bounce Rate: Percentage of single-page visits (i.e., sessions in which the person left your site from the entrance page).
• Conversions: Actions you want users to take, like making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

Attribution Models:

• Last Click: Credits the final touchpoint before conversion.
• First Click: Credits the initial touchpoint.
• Linear: Distributes credit equally across all touchpoints.
• Time Decay: Gives more credit to touchpoints closer to the conversion.
• Data-driven: Uses machine learning to attribute credit based on past conversion data.

Audiences:

• Audiences: Groups of users with common attributes.
• Remarketing Audiences: Users who have visited your site/app and can be re-engaged using ads.

Integrations:

• Search Console: Links with GA to show organic search data.
• Google Ads: Linking allows for a more detailed view of campaign performance and better remarketing capabilities.
• BigQuery (GA4): For advanced analytics and raw data exports.

Enhancements & Controls:

• Enhanced Measurement: Automatic tracking of certain events in GA4 without manual tagging.
• Data Retention: Controls how long user-level and event-level data are kept before being automatically deleted.
• User Properties: Attributes that can be used to define, segment, and analyze users in GA4.
• Cross-domain Tracking: Allows you to track user navigation across different domains in a single session.

E-commerce:

• E-commerce Tracking: Tracks transactions and revenue on e-commerce platforms.
• Enhanced E-commerce: Provides deeper insights into the user's journey through the buying process.

GA4 Special Features:

• Predictive Metrics: Use machine learning to predict future user actions.
• Life Cycle Reports: Understand the user journey from acquisition to conversion and retention.
• User Explorer: Dive deep into the journey of individual users (anonymized).
• DebugView: Real-time debugging feature in GA4 to test and validate tracking setup.

While Universal Analytics (UA) is widely known and has been around longer, GA4 is the future of Google Analytics with more advanced features and a user-centric model. Transitioning to GA4 is recommended for businesses looking forward to the next era of web analytics.