Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s web analytics platform. GA4 can track both websites and apps in the same account. It also comes with several new reporting features and gives you more detailed insights into how people interact with your website.

Behind the scenes, the way data is stored and processed (data architecture) is completely different, which will provide all of us completely new ways to measure and analyze traffic usage for years to come.

The first thing you’ll probably notice after logging in is that the interface looks very different. If you’ve used Google Analytics before, it might take you a little time to find the reports you’re used to looking at.

Besides the redesign and navigational changes, the biggest difference between Universal Analytics and GA4 is the focus on events instead of pageviews. In fact, a pageview now counts as an event in GA4. Here’s what Google says:

In Google Analytics 4 properties, events are user interactions with a website or app that can be measured concurrently or independently from a webpage/screen load. Examples of events include page views, button clicks, user actions, and system events.

There are now some events that Google Analytics can automatically track. GA4’s new “Enhanced Measurement” options look like this, where you can track certain events by flipping a switch:

However, it’s important to remember that some of these options may not function like you would expect, and reports are difficult to find and read.

Here’s what GA4 looks like if you click on the click tracking event: