Google Analytics has been advancing since its launching in 2005. Version 4 is the latest; it allows users to merge both their online and offline activities into one single report. Google bought the Urchin software, which was the analytics software in April 2005.

Later in the year, Google rebranded Urchin to Google Analytics, which is used to take records and track the conversion rate of public websites.

The internet has greatly evolved, which has led to an increase in the demand for metrics that take the record of a user’s activities both online and offline. Google Analytics which has both a web and app version could meet that demand; it records the user progress anywhere it happens.

The Google Analytics tool is used by many business owners around the world; they use it to keep track of the amount of traffic they get to their website, measure their KPIs, and the important marketing channels.

Now Google just introduced the 4th version and differs from what has existed before now. The new version has a lot of amazing features that make it different from the old versions. One of the biggest differences between the old analytics and this new one is the data modeling feature.

It uses artificial intelligence to fill in data where the cookie consent rule might have blocked other analytics. Its user-friendly interface also differentiates it.

Highlights of the New Google Analytics

• The main form of data measurement is the in-built machine learning; it uses “modeling” that can make assumptions using data available about user behavior and traffic. The new artificial intelligence feature is designed to help marketers get useful information automatically
• The app focuses more on not just giving the marketer metrics about the site and pages but to measure the shopper’s journey and give the marketer a better understanding of the buyer’s feature
• The app is designed to still perform its function in the absence of identifying data or cookies
• The version has the new “data stream” feature rather than the view and segment present in the older versions
• The new version doesn’t have the view segment, whereas old analytic tools have 3 levels (Property, Account, and View)
• The event tracking feature in the old analytic tools uses analytics code or tag.js script. The GA4 allows tracking and editing of events.