What is Google Analytics (GA4)?
A plain-English introduction to Google Analytics 4 — what it tracks, why it matters, and how it helps you understand your website visitors.
Google Analytics 4 — usually called GA4 — is a free tool from Google that tracks who visits your website and what they do while they are there. It is the most widely used website analytics tool in the world.
Quick summary
GA4 is a free Google tool that records visits to your website. It tells you how many people visited, where they came from, which pages they read, and whether they took actions like filling in a form or buying something. Chykalophia installs and configures it for you.
What does GA4 actually track?
Every time someone visits a page on your website, GA4 records a small set of anonymous facts about that visit. Over time, these facts add up to a clear picture of how your website is performing.
GA4 tracks things like:
- How many people visited your site (and whether that number is growing)
- Which pages they looked at
- How long they spent reading
- What device they used — phone, tablet, or computer
- Which country or city they are in
- How they found your site (Google search, social media, direct link, etc.)
- Whether they completed an important action — like filling in a contact form or making a purchase
Why is it called "GA4"?
Google has updated its analytics product several times. "GA4" stands for Google Analytics 4, which is the current version released in 2020 and made the default in 2023. The previous version (called Universal Analytics) is no longer active. If you have seen references to "UA" or "Universal Analytics," that is the old system. GA4 is the current one.
Is it free?
Yes. Google Analytics 4 is completely free for the vast majority of websites. There is a paid enterprise version (called GA4 360) for very large organisations, but you almost certainly do not need it.
Does GA4 track real people?
GA4 tracks visits — not individuals. It cannot tell you that "Jane Smith from London visited your pricing page." What it can tell you is that "47 people from London visited your pricing page this month."
All data is anonymised and aggregated (combined together). No personally identifiable information is collected by default.
Privacy note
GA4 uses cookies (small files stored in a browser) to recognise returning visitors. This is why your site needs a cookie consent banner. See our guide to cookie consent & banners for details.
What is the difference between GA4 and Google Search Console?
These are two different tools that answer different questions:
| Tool | What it answers |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 | What do people do once they are on my website? |
| Google Search Console | How does my site appear in Google search results? |
You need both. They work together beautifully. Read more in Search Console vs Analytics.
How does GA4 get onto my website?
GA4 works by running a small piece of code (called a "tracking tag") on every page of your site. When a visitor arrives, that code sends anonymous data to Google's servers, where it is processed and stored in your GA4 account.
Chykalophia installs this code for you — usually via Google Tag Manager, which keeps everything tidy. You do not need to touch any code yourself.
Read more in How GA4 gets set up on your site.
Where do I see my data?
You can log in to GA4 at analytics.google.com. You will need a Google account (Gmail works fine) that has been given access to your property.
If you have not been set up as a user yet, ask us to add you. Our guide on giving us access to Google Analytics explains the reverse process.
Common questions
Related guides
- A tour of the GA4 dashboard
- Key metrics, explained simply
- How GA4 gets set up on your site
- What is Google Search Console?
- Tracking, cookies & privacy
Need a hand?
Learn more
Why track your website?
A plain-English explanation of why website analytics matter and what you can learn from your data without being a tech expert.
A tour of the GA4 dashboard
A plain-English walkthrough of the Google Analytics 4 interface — what each section shows and where to find the numbers that matter most.