What changed from Universal Analytics
We read Google's own help pages on 9 October 2026. One of them was last updated on 16 July 2025.
- GA4 has replaced Universal Analytics, the older version.
- Standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing new data on 1 July 2023.
- Access to Universal Analytics reports and data ended in the week of 1 July 2024.
- GA4 uses event-based data, not session-based data. An event is one action, such as viewing a page or clicking a button. A session is one visit.
- GA4 collects data from both websites and apps.
Because Google ended access, old Universal Analytics reports are no longer there. Do not compare today's GA4 numbers with them.
What GA4 can tell you
- Where visitors come from, such as search, social media, ads or a direct visit.
- Which pages they view.
- Which actions they take, such as a form sent or a call button tapped. You must set these up first.
- Which device they use, and which city they are in.
A made-up example
Say a tile dealer spends ₹40,000 on ads in a month. This is a made-up example. GA4 shows 4,000 visits, 150 form events and 90 call-button taps. The dealer's own lead sheet shows 85 people who left a name and a number.
- Cost per lead using GA4 events: ₹40,000 ÷ 150 = about ₹267.
- Cost per lead using real people: ₹40,000 ÷ 85 = about ₹471.
The gap came from repeat tries, staff tests and people who tapped call but never called. The lead sheet is the truth for leads. GA4 shows where to look.
How GA4 works for an Indian business
- Create a property and place the tag on every page. Check it on a phone.
- Decide which actions matter: form sent, call tap, WhatsApp tap. Mark them in GA4.
- Add UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) labels to your ad links.
- Every week, match GA4 numbers against your lead sheet.
Keep names, phone numbers and emails out of your analytics. Keep them in your lead record. Google Tag Manager is a separate tool that helps you place tags.
Common mistakes
- Treating events as leads.
- The tag missing on some pages, such as the thank-you page.
- Counting your own team's visits.
- No UTM labels, so many visits show as direct.
- Using GA4 for search clicks and impressions. Google Search Console is the tool for those.
To give each source its fair credit, read about attribution.
Related terms
- UTM parameters: labels added to a link that show where a visit came from.
- Attribution: sharing credit for a sale between the steps that led to it.
- Server-side tracking: sending tracking data from your own server, not from the visitor's browser.
- Conversion rate: the share of visitors who take the action you want.
For set-up and weekly checks, see our analytics and tracking work.
Sources
- Google Analytics Help, "Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics" (support.google.com/analytics/answer/9973999), last updated 16 July 2025, read 9 October 2026.
- Google Analytics Help, page on the new Analytics property and its event-based data (support.google.com/analytics/answer/10089681), read 9 October 2026.
