What is Google Analytics (GA)?

Google Analytics (GA) is a service from Google for collecting and analyzing data about user behavior on a website or in an application.

#What it does:

• Counts visits - how many people came, from where, from which devices, and when.
• Shows behavior - which pages people view, how much time they spend, where they leave.
• Analyzes conversions - how many people completed the target action: a purchase, a registration, a button click.
• Lets you build audiences - by geography, device, traffic channel, interests, and other traits.
• Integrates with advertising - it can be linked to Google Ads to see how ads convert into actions on the site.

#The current version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4):

• Is event-based, rather than session-based.
• Works better with mobile applications and cross-platform analytics.
• Supports machine learning for forecasts and anomalies.

Summary: GA is the foundation for understanding how people interact with a product. Without it, there are only guesses.