Google Analytics has come a long way since it launched in 2005. Version 4 is the latest iteration. It enables the blending of online and offline user activity into one reporting stream.
Google purchased Urchin, an early day analytics platform, in April 2005. Later that year, Google repurposed Urchin, calling it Google Analytics, to report traffic and conversion details on public websites.
As the internet has evolved, the demand for metrics that track user activity — online and offline — has increased. Google Analytics 4 (previously “App + Web”) supports that demand, reporting the customer journey wherever it occurs.
Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 will not immediately enhance the reporting of most online merchants. Version 4 does help companies that:
- Have an app;
- Have a software-as-a-service business model;
- Are interested in advanced remarketing.