Google Analytics 4

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google's current web and app analytics platform, replacing Universal Analytics (which was shut down in July 2023). It tracks website and app traffic — where users come from, what they do, and how they convert — using an event-based data model instead of the session-based model of older analytics tools.

For Indian product teams, GA4 is the mandatory baseline. It answers questions Mixpanel cannot: Which marketing channel is sending the most signups? Which Google Ads campaigns are driving real conversions? How does organic search traffic compare to paid across Indian cities? These acquisition-level questions require GA4's deep integration with Google Ads, Search Console, and the broader Google ecosystem.

GA4's weaknesses are well-known: the interface is genuinely confusing, custom reports require Looker Studio, user-level analysis is harder than Mixpanel, and mobile app analytics require Firebase integration. But these limitations don't change the core recommendation — GA4 is free, it's the standard, and every other analytics tool works better when you have GA4 data alongside it.

Key Features

GA4 vs Mixpanel — The Right Way to Think About This

Best For

• Every Indian web product — install GA4 on day one, no exceptions
• Teams running Google Ads who need closed-loop campaign attribution
• D2C and consumer apps needing Indian city-level geographic breakdowns
• Early-stage teams who can't afford Mixpanel yet and need basic funnel analysis
• Products with both web and mobile apps (GA4 + Firebase gives unified view)

Pricing

Pros and Cons

Alternatives to GA4

Getting Started with GA4

1. Install via Google Tag Manager, not hardcoded script — Set up Google Tag Manager (GTM) on your site first, then install the GA4 configuration tag through GTM. This takes 30 extra minutes now but saves hours later — every future analytics tag, conversion pixel, and event tracking change can be done through GTM without a code deploy. For Indian product teams where engineering cycles are precious, GTM is a multiplier.
2. Set up 5 key conversion events immediately — In GA4, mark these events as conversions from day one: sign_up, first_login, purchase, kyc_complete (for fintech), and your primary activation event. Conversion events appear in reports differently from regular events — they enable the attribution analysis that shows which channels drive real outcomes, not just traffic.
3. Connect Google Search Console — Link GA4 to Google Search Console in the admin settings. This adds organic search query data to GA4 — you'll see which search terms drive traffic and conversions to your site. For Indian product teams doing content marketing, this link makes your keyword data actionable inside GA4 without switching tools.
4. Create audience segments for remarketing — Build GA4 audiences for: users who started signup but didn't complete, users who completed signup but haven't made their first transaction, and your highest-value user cohort. These audiences sync automatically to Google Ads for remarketing campaigns. For Indian fintech and SaaS teams with Google Ads budgets, this audience sync is significant — remarketing to high-intent users is typically 3–5× more efficient than cold acquisition.
5. Set up Looker Studio for real reporting — GA4's native interface is confusing. Build a simple Looker Studio dashboard (free) connected to GA4 with: daily active users, signup conversion rate by channel, top acquisition sources, and geographic split (India cities). Share this dashboard with leadership as a weekly report. Most Indian teams that "can't read GA4" are actually fine with GA4 data — they just need a better interface for it.