What is Google Analytics 4 and why should I upgrade from Universal Analytics?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's latest analytics platform, built on an event-based data model that gives you far more flexibility than the session-based Universal Analytics. Universal Analytics was officially sunset in July 2023 and stopped processing new hits. GA4 provides cross-device tracking, predictive audiences, deeper funnel analysis, native BigQuery export, and a privacy-first architecture built for a cookieless future.
How long does a GA4 setup take?
A standard GA4 setup for a website without complex ecommerce typically takes 3–5 business days. This includes property creation, GTM implementation, conversion configuration, Google Ads linking, and validation testing. Ecommerce setups or those requiring a custom data layer can take 5–10 business days depending on complexity.
Will GA4 break my existing Universal Analytics data?
No. GA4 and Universal Analytics are completely separate properties. Setting up GA4 alongside your existing Universal Analytics runs both in parallel — your UA data is preserved and GA4 begins collecting its own fresh dataset. We recommend running both simultaneously for at least 3–6 months before relying solely on GA4.
Do I need Google Tag Manager for GA4?
GTM is not strictly required but is strongly recommended. It makes implementing GA4 events, updating configurations, and adding future tracking changes far easier — without requiring developer involvement every time. Almost all professional GA4 implementations use GTM.
What are custom dimensions in GA4 and do I need them?
Custom dimensions let you capture additional attributes about users, sessions, and events that GA4 does not track by default — things like subscription plan, logged-in status, product category, or customer type. If you want to segment your GA4 reports by these attributes, custom dimensions are essential. We register and configure them as part of our setup service.
How do I know if my current GA4 data is accurate?
Common signs of inaccurate GA4 data include: session counts far below your server access logs, all conversions attributed to "direct" traffic, duplicate purchase events, revenue figures that do not match your order management system, or key pages missing from your top-pages report. Our GA4 audit identifies and fixes all of these issues.
Can GA4 track ecommerce purchases?
Yes. GA4 has a built-in Enhanced Ecommerce model that tracks product impressions, add-to-cart events, checkout steps, and purchases with full product detail arrays. This requires correct implementation via GTM and a properly structured data layer — which we handle as part of our ecommerce tracking service.
How does GA4 handle cookie consent and GDPR?
GA4 is designed to work with Google Consent Mode v2, which allows GA4 to use modelling to estimate conversion data for users who decline analytics cookies — preserving measurement accuracy while respecting user consent. We implement Consent Mode v2 alongside GA4 to ensure full compliance without sacrificing data quality.
What is the difference between GA4 sessions and engaged sessions?
GA4 defines an "engaged session" as one lasting longer than 10 seconds, containing a conversion event, or containing at least 2 pageviews. The engagement rate (engaged sessions divided by total sessions) replaces the old bounce rate metric and provides a more meaningful measure of session quality.
Do you provide ongoing GA4 support after the setup?
Yes. We offer ongoing support packages covering monthly data validation, new event implementation, custom report creation, GA4 updates, and regular health checks. Many clients use us as their on-call analytics team rather than maintaining in-house expertise.
