In 2023 Google retired the previous version of Google Analytics called Universal Analytics - which had been around since 2012 and required all websites using Analytics to move to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
The new version of Google Analytics ushered in major changes to the way that the data is collected and presented. The new version of Analytics uses an Event model for tracking visitors on the website, whereas the previous version used a Session model. This change seems to have been at least partly driven by developments in the legal environment of some of the markets in which Google operates (i.e. GDPR legislation in the EU).
Some of the metrics in Analytics have changed quite a bit. A key difference is the change in approach to calculating users. Where previously UA showed All users along with a bounce rate, indicating how many visitors left the site from the first page they landed on... the new Analytics model presents Users - based on a different metric, Users with an “engaged session”.
The definition from Google is as follows:
An engaged session is a session that lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or has at least 2 pageviews or screenviews.
This is probably a more meaningful/useful metric than the old user figure and it simplifies the data somewhat.
In this report, we will focus on the GA4 Analytics for screenshots, though in some instances we don’t have complete data for the year in GA4, as the data was captured in Universal Analytics in the first half of the year.
Please note: the Bounce Rate metric is gone completely and instead the focus now is on engagement metrics.
From my experience with GA4 so far, it initially did not appear to be nearly as well developed as UA. But new screens and reports are showing up regularly and I hope it will continue to improve over time.
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Google analytics changes