Migrating to Google Analytics 4 properties (GA4) gives you an opportunity to review your business' macro and micro key events.
Macro key event generally refers to a significant success action. For an ecommerce website, a macro key event is typically a purchase; for a lead generation website, a macro key event is a lead submission.
Micro key event generally refers to a smaller success, particularly one that may indicate a high probability of a macro key event at a later time. Examples of micro key events for an ecommerce or lead generation site may be a newsletter signup or a general contact us submission.
Google Analytics provides funnel visualizations for tracking progress through the steps leading to a key event. The funnel steps generally represent micro key events, since each step indicates that the user is approaching a key event completion.
Funnels in Universal Analytics
In Universal Analytics, you can build a funnel leading to a destination goal. This funnel can be visualized in both the funnel visualization and Goal Flow reports that demonstrate drop-off and continuation at each funnel step, as well as the Funnel Conversion Rate and Funnel Abandonment Rate metrics.
Universal Analytics 360 also offers the funnel exploration and a similar custom funnel.
Funnel exploration in GA4
All users of GA4 have access to the funnel exploration technique. GA4 funnel explorations offer a number of advantages over goal funnels in Universal Analytics:
| Universal Analytics goal funnels | Google Analytics 4 funnel explorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Rights required to configure | Editor role | Viewer role |
| Apply to historical data | No | Yes |
| Step customization | Based on Page dimension only | Based broadly on events, with filtering by other dimensions |
| Sequence | Steps don't need to follow each other immediately. | You can indicate if steps need to follow each other directly or anywhere later in the the sequence of user interactions |
| Scope | Session | User |
The Universal Analytics goal funnels appear in the funnel visualization and goal flow report.
In GA4, the funnel exploration visualizes data that's already been collected. In Universal Analytics, you first must define the funnel as part of defining the goal and the funnel will only show data collected going forward from that point.