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Analytics

Google Analytics 4

The absolute standard for web analytics, free and ultra-powerful for tracking everything happening on your site. Native integration with the Google ecosystem and free BigQuery export are game-changers. Essential for any serious website.

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Who's it for?GrowthMarketerOps

Review by a Growth Engineer

My verdict: the absolute essential for any website.

GA4 is free, powerful, and represents the industry standard. Its interface requires learning — sometimes frustrating — but the richness of data and Google ecosystem make it a must-have. Don't expect to be productive on day one.

What I like less: the GA4 interface is really different from the old Universal Analytics, and the learning curve is real. Custom event setup can quickly become technical. And default reports don't always answer the questions you're asking.

My advice: install GA4 from day 1, even if you don't use it immediately. Historical data is precious. Invest time to learn the interface and configure GTM correctly from the start. For qualitative insights (understanding the "why"), complement with Hotjar or PostHog.

Why add it to your stack?

It's THE standard. Free, powerful, and essential for understanding what's happening on your site. Free BigQuery export is a game-changer for data teams. Integration with the Google ecosystem (Ads, Search Console, Looker Studio) makes it the obvious choice for most teams.

What you can do with it

  • 1Understand how users navigate your site, where they convert, where they drop off
  • 2Identify which channels and campaigns truly generate conversions with multi-touch attribution
  • 3Create audience segments to push to Google Ads for remarketing
  • 4Export your raw data to BigQuery for free for advanced analyses

What it does

  • Flexible event tracking
  • Acquisition, engagement, conversion reports
  • Native Google Ads, Search Console integration
  • Custom audiences and segments
  • BigQuery export (free)

How much?

Starting at 0

Free for the standard version. GA4 360 for very high-volume enterprises.

The detailed verdict

Do I really need this?

It's THE standard. Impossible to do serious digital without analytics. GA4 is the default choice and gets the job done. Not having it is like driving blind.

Does it play nice with my stack?

Perfect integration with the entire Google ecosystem: Ads, Search Console, BigQuery, Looker Studio. That's its huge advantage vs alternatives. Everything communicates natively.

Is it easy to pick up?

Basic setup is simple (one tag to install). But as soon as you want custom events, it requires work. GTM is almost mandatory for clean tracking. Expect several hours of configuration and documentation before being truly operational.

Is the UX any good?

The GA4 interface is... peculiar. Different from the old Universal Analytics, it requires adaptation time. Custom reports and explorations are powerful but not intuitive. It's dense and sometimes frustrating to the point of wasting your time.

Is it worth it?

It's free and does everything 99% of sites need. The value for money is unbeatable. Free BigQuery export alone saves thousands of dollars compared to paid solutions.

What I like

  • Essential for anyone with a website
  • Perfect for exhaustive user journey tracking
  • Google ecosystem integration and free BigQuery export are unbeatable

What I like less

  • The interface learning curve is real as it differs from Universal Analytics
  • Custom event setup is sometimes complex
  • Not suitable if you want a simple plug-and-play solution

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