GA4 vs GA3: What’s Changed and Why It Matters

Introduction Still trying to make sense of the switch from Universal Analytics (GA3) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)? You’re not alone. When Google officially sunset GA3 in July 2023, it wasn’t just a platform upgrade—it was a total rethink of how digital analytics works. GA4 brings a fresh approach to tracking, reporting, and user insights. In this post, we’ll break down what’s different, why it matters, and what you need to know to stay ahead.

1. Sessions Are Out, Events Are In

• GA3: Was all about sessions and pageviews.

• GA4: Tracks everything as an event—whether it’s a pageview, a button click, or a video play.

• Why it matters: You get more detailed insights and flexibility, making it easier to understand how people really interact with your site or app.

2. One View for All Devices

• GA3: Mostly tracked website activity.

• GA4: Combines data from websites and apps in one place.

• Why it matters: You get a clearer picture of your users, no matter where they’re interacting with your brand.

3. Built for a Privacy-First World

• GA3: Relied heavily on cookies and had limited privacy tools.

• GA4: Comes with better privacy features like consent mode, cookieless tracking, and compliance support.

• Why it matters: It’s built to meet today’s privacy standards like GDPR and CCPA—so you can track responsibly.

4. Smarter, Predictive Insights

• GA3: Showed you what already happened.

• GA4: Helps predict what might happen next—like potential churn or top-performing audiences.

• Why it matters: You can make smarter marketing moves based on trends and forecasts, not just past data.

5. Flexible, Custom Reporting

• GA3: Had a fixed set of reports.

• GA4: Lets you create your own custom funnels, user paths, and deep-dive explorations.

• Why it matters: You get reporting that actually fits your business and goals—not just generic metrics.

6. Data Retention and Exporting

• GA3: Held onto data longer and had easy exports.

• GA4: Defaults to 2-month data retention (you can extend to 14), and leans more on BigQuery for data storage.

• Why it matters: You’ll want to get familiar with exporting and storing your own data externally to maintain control.

Wrapping Up GA4 isn’t just a new version—it’s a whole new mindset for analytics. With event-based tracking, cross-platform capabilities, and smarter insights, it’s designed for how people actually use the internet today. The quicker your business adapts, the better positioned you’ll be to make data-driven decisions that actually move the needle.

Need Help Making the Switch? At Webytics, we help businesses get the most out of GA4—from setup and tagging to custom dashboards and insights that lead to real growth. Let’s chat.