Title: Google Analytics
Author: Kriko
Published: Feb 17, 2021
Last modified: Jul 13, 2026

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# Google Analytics

**Google Analytics** is a Google analytics platform used to measure, analyse and
report user interactions on websites and mobile applications. Its standard version
can be used free of charge and provides businesses with comprehensive data to understand
the performance of their digital assets. With Google Analytics, it is possible to
analyse which channels users come from, which pages they interact with, which devices
they use, which campaigns drive traffic and which conversion actions they complete.

Today, when referring to Google Analytics, the main structure should be evaluated
through **Google Analytics 4**, also known as GA4. Unlike the previous Universal
Analytics structure, GA4 works with an event-based data model. In this model, user
behaviours such as page views, scrolls, clicks, form submissions, purchases, video
interactions or file downloads are measured as events. This structure enables website
and app data to be analysed more flexibly. According to Google, GA4 is the next-
generation Analytics structure designed to collect event-based data from websites
and apps.

The basic working logic of Google Analytics is based on data collection, processing
and reporting. During data collection, user interactions are measured through implementations
such as the Google tag, Google Tag Manager or Firebase SDK. With the default implementation,
data such as number of users, session statistics, approximate geographic location,
browser information and device information can be collected. This data is then processed
and made available for analysis in Google Analytics reports.

It should be remembered that processed data in Google Analytics generally cannot
be fully changed retroactively. Incorrect event names, missing parameters, incorrect
UTMs, wrong conversion definitions or incomplete e-commerce implementation may not
be fully fixed later inside the reporting interface. For this reason, the measurement
setup should be tested before going live, and event names, parameters, conversion
actions and consent settings should be configured correctly. Data collection quality
becomes strategically important, especially when measuring advertising investment,
e-commerce revenue or lead quality.

GA4 reports include different analysis areas. The Realtime report helps monitor 
how users are behaving on the website or app at that moment. Acquisition reports
are used to understand which channels users and sessions come from. Engagement reports
show which pages, screens and events users interact with. Monetization reports are
used to analyse revenue-focused data such as e-commerce, in-app purchases or advertising
revenue.

Google Analytics is also a critical tool for evaluating marketing campaign performance.
When UTM parameters are used correctly, traffic from email, social media, influencer,
display, affiliate or different campaign sources can be analysed in GA4 reports.
Acquisition reports help evaluate whether marketing activities are attracting new
users, whether re-engagement campaigns are bringing users back and whether the strategy
should be continued or adjusted.

In GA4, conversion measurement also works through the event structure. User behaviours
that are important for the business are measured as events, and these events can
be marked as key events. Form submissions, purchases, account registrations, quote
requests, phone clicks, newsletter sign-ups or in-app actions can be included in
this scope. On the Google Ads side, Google Ads conversions can be created based 
on Analytics key events. This structure helps measure advertising performance more
consistently.

For e-commerce websites, Google Analytics is highly valuable for understanding product
and revenue performance. When e-commerce tracking is implemented correctly, data
such as product views, add-to-cart actions, checkout starts, purchases, coupon usage,
product revenue and transaction count can be analysed. These insights help understand
which products attract more interest, at which stages users drop off and which campaigns
contribute to sales. However, for e-commerce measurement to work properly, the dataLayer,
event parameters and product information must be configured correctly.

Google Analytics users should analyse not only traffic volume but also traffic quality.
Metrics such as monthly users, sessions, page views, average engagement time, engagement
rate and conversion rate should be evaluated together. A channel that generates 
high traffic but no conversions should not always be considered successful. On the
other hand, a channel that brings lower traffic but has a higher conversion rate
may be more valuable for the business.

User attribute and technology reports in GA4 also provide important insights. User
reports can provide information about users’ demographics, locations and interests.
Tech reports show which devices, browsers, operating systems or app versions users
use to access the website or app. These insights can be used for mobile experience,
device compatibility, location-based performance and technical optimization decisions.

Privacy and data protection should also be considered when setting up Google Analytics.
User consent, cookie management, IP and location data settings, advertising features,
personalization preferences and data retention settings should be configured correctly.
Websites or applications using Google Analytics must disclose how Analytics collects
and processes data. Therefore, the measurement infrastructure should be evaluated
not only from a technical performance perspective but also from legal and user privacy
perspectives.

Google Analytics is also an important support tool for SEO work, but it is not sufficient
on its own. GA4 helps analyse the behaviour, engagement and conversions of users
coming from organic search. However, Google Search Console data is needed for search
queries, impressions, average position and indexing status in Google search results.
Therefore, Google Analytics and Google Search Console should be used together in
SEO analysis.

In summary, **Google Analytics** is one of the core analytics platforms used to 
measure user behaviour on websites and apps, analyse marketing performance, track
conversions and manage digital strategies based on data. With GA4, the measurement
structure has become event-based, making it possible to analyse website and app 
data in a more integrated way. A successful implementation requires more than adding
a tracking code; event planning, conversion setup, UTM standards, e-commerce data
structure, consent management, reporting needs and business goals should be handled
together.

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