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 one of the most widely used website analytics tools there is.

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 facts about that visit rather than about the person. 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, the current generation of the product. It replaced the previous version, Universal Analytics, which stopped processing data on 1 July 2023. If you have seen references to "UA" or "Universal Analytics," that is the old system. GA4 is the current one, and Google's own help centre now usually just calls it "Google Analytics."

Is it free?

Yes. Google Analytics is free to use. There is a paid edition called Google Analytics 360, sold through Google Marketing Platform, which offers higher limits on data collection, reporting, retention, and export — but a small business site almost certainly does 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."

Reports show combined totals rather than individual people's details, and Google's own policies prohibit passing Analytics anything it could recognise as personal information — email addresses, phone numbers and the like.

Privacy note

GA4 sets first-party cookies (small files stored in a browser) to tell one visitor from another and one session from the next. Depending on where your visitors are, that may mean you need 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 — Google calls it the Google tag — on every page of your site. When a visitor arrives, that code sends data about the visit to Google's servers, where it is processed and stored in your GA4 property.

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

Do I need a Google account to use GA4?

Yes. GA4 is tied to a Google account. You log in at analytics.google.com using your Gmail or Google Workspace email address.

How long does it take to see data?

The Realtime report usually shows activity within a few minutes. The standard reports take longer: Google says data processing can take 24 to 48 hours, and that your numbers may change during that time. So give a new setup a couple of days before you judge it.

What if my old website had Universal Analytics?

Universal Analytics is gone. Standard UA properties stopped processing data on 1 July 2023, and from the week of 1 July 2024 Google removed access to the interface and the API and deleted the data. If nobody exported your UA history before then, it is no longer available. Your GA4 property is where all your data lives now.

Can I see who exactly visited my site?

No. GA4 reports on groups and trends, not named people. You cannot identify individual visitors by name or contact details, and Google's policies forbid sending it that kind of information in the first place.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.