Overview of Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Google Analytics 4 is Google’s analytics platform that gives you a clearer, more flexible view of how people interact with your website, app, or any other digital space. 

Instead of focusing on sessions, GA4 captures user actions (like page views, clicks, or purchases) as events. This shift makes it easier to see exactly how your audience is moving through your site, especially if they’re hopping between devices or aren’t signed in to Google services.

GA4 also delivers stronger privacy features and can be set up with server-side tracking, so you have more control over what data gets collected and how. An example of a possible advanced use case is connecting GA4 to BigQuery to store and analyze your data in one place.

Google Analytics 4 and server-side tracking

One of GA4’s most powerful capabilities is its server-side tracking, which collects data via a secure server environment rather than relying solely on a user’s browser or device. This approach can overcome common challenges such as ad blockers and browser restrictions.

Server-side GA4 uses a dedicated tagging server, often set up using Google Tag Manager and Stape, to process and forward events to GA4. By keeping most of the data handling off the client side (i.e., away from the end user’s browser), you can significantly improve tracking reliability and better adhere to data protection and privacy requirements.

Benefits of Google Analytics 4

• Better compliance with data regulations - with server-side collection, you control how data is handled and stored before it ever reaches GA4. This extra control helps ensure your analytics stay on the right side of GDPR, CCPA, or any other relevant laws.
• Improved data accuracy & quality - client-side tracking can be blocked or altered by ad blockers, browser settings, or user actions. In server-side mode, your data is far more reliable because events are processed on the server and less likely to be filtered out.
• Enhanced attribution & conversion tracking - Google Analytics 4 server-side provides more reliable attribution models and more accurate conversion data, as client-side scripts may miss some server-side events.
• Data anonymization & protection - you can strip or anonymize sensitive information within your server environment before sending it to Google, meeting privacy rules while preserving data insights. Additionally, traffic from your server to GA4 is encrypted, reducing the risk of interception.
• Future-proofing your analytics - with privacy and tracking restrictions changing rapidly, server-side data collection offers a more adaptable approach. As new browser policies or ad-block lists emerge, your tagging architecture remains reliable by design.