Introduction to Digital Analytics (Google Analytics 4)

Evolution of analytics: from sessions to events

Web analytics has undergone a radical transformation to adapt to the complexity of modern behavior.

Historically, measurement platforms focused on the "sessions" model, which grouped a user's interactions over a given period of time on a single website.

However, this one-size-fits-all approach became obsolete in the face of diversifying customer journeys.

The most recent version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), has shifted the fundamental logic to an "event" based model.

In this new paradigm, any interaction-whether it's watching a video, downloading a file or scrolling through a screen-is recorded as a separate event.

This allows much greater flexibility to track specific actions that are relevant to each unique business model, rather than relying on generic metrics that do not reflect actual engagement.

Basic configuration of properties and data flows

To begin collecting market intelligence, you need to set up a "property," which acts as the container for the project to be measured.

Unlike previous versions, GA4 uses the concept of "data streams" to feed this property.

A data stream can come from an iOS app, an Android app or a website, consolidating everything in one place.

During setup, business objectives, such as lead generation or driving online sales, should be defined, which will adjust the default reports to the needs of the business.

It is vital to obtain and correctly implement the "measurement ID" in the digital platform code or via content managers, as this is the technical link that allows the transmission of user data to the analytics dashboard.

Importance of cross-device tracking

The need for new analytics arose in part due to the fragmentation of user attention across multiple devices and new privacy regulations.

A customer may discover a product on mobile while traveling, research it on a tablet, and finally purchase it on a desktop computer.

Modern tools are designed to unify these dispersed touchpoints into a single coherent user journey, something that older cookie-based metrics had difficulty achieving.

In addition, in the face of data loss due to cookie restrictions an