Today, we talk about the Google Universal Analytics.
PRODUCT: The product category includes elements about Google Analytics itself (such as classic analytics, universal analytics) as well as those on the peripheral of Google Analytics (such as Google Analytics Certified Partners, Google Analytics Premium).
Under this category, there are also elements which are essential to the functioning of the analytics software. Elements such as Cookies, analytics.js and ga.js give a more comprehensive and behind-the-scenes understanding.
ANALYTICS.JS: The most current version of the Google Analytics code
Google Universal Analytics, or Analytics.js, is the latest JavaScript library of Google Analytics. It is pulled from Google's servers.
The previous version of Google Analytics is ga.js, and it is also called classic analytics.
For the end user, the two versions do not differ much.
However, as Google Universal Analytics is more modern, it relies less on cookies, and more on sending data to Google cloud servers. With the data stored in Google's cloud servers, users will have less data on their machine. This makes for a more efficient process, and it will speed up the web.
Another advantage of using Google Universal Analytics is that Google only adds and updates new features on it, and not on the older version of classic analytics. So to use these new features of Google Analytics, you'll need Google Universal Analytics.
- To check your version: You can check which version of Google Analytics the website is running by viewing the source code. You'll be able to search and find either “analytics.js” and “ga.js”, which indicates the version used. However, if you're using Google Tag Manager, you'll find neither.
- Google Tag Manager: If you're using this and would like to check for your version of Google Analytics, use tools like Google Tag Assistant or login directly to your Google Tag Manager account.
- Upgrade: I highly recommend upgrading to Google Universal Analytics sooner rather than later.
- Upgrade is not too straightforward: To upgrade from classic analytics to universal analytics is not as simple as pushing a button. If you're running custom events or e-commerce, you'll need to upgrade the functions as well. Here's a guide.
Want to know more about the Periodic Table of Google Analytics? Visit here for more information.