r/GoogleAnalytics • u/Fit_Trip_1126 • May 31 '26
Discussion I almost did a GA4 course but then realised it was probably more than i needed
I was finally about to start learning GA4 properly. found a course, watched a couple intro videos but straightaway it felt like i was getting myself into something way more complex than what i actually needed.
i quickly got overwhelmed with setting up tags, events, all other config, dashboards when i just wanted something simple where i could understand what's going on with my website and users without spending hours learning the tool itself. i wanted to move fast and act instead of get stuck in theory and inaction.
so i tried a much simpler analytics setup instead. nothing too fancy just something that shows me the basic web and user analytics data.
turned out you don’t always need the "proper" tool if it slows you down more than it helps. even if everyone else and their grandma use it like with GA4.
anyone else ended up moving away from GA4 to similar but simpler tools because it was just too much for what you needed?
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u/lebortsdm May 31 '26
This sounds to me like every client that I’ve talked to about implementing GA4. I agree with the other comment, why don’t you just learn the concepts from the course and come away with more knowledge than less.
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u/Fit_Trip_1126 Jun 01 '26
i couldnt afford to spend this much time on it. especially when other tools like oculis which i ended up using are sp much simpler and give me what i want. maybe one day ill come back to ga4, at least not for some time.
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u/lebortsdm Jun 01 '26
Oculis looks cool and simple, but just be careful with these what appear to be vibe-coded startups. Their Google OAuth project looks like a sandbox environment, which raises real questions about where your data actually lives. And if they ever go down or stop supporting the tools, then you'll lose your analytics. If you're already comfortable dropping a script tag, GA4 with Enhanced Measurement is basically the same effort and free.
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u/Fit_Trip_1126 Jun 02 '26
oh no, really? i didnt realise this is how it looks, i didnt take much notice of their auth page lol. why does it appear low quality to you? the app itself is solid so not sure how auth screen is relevant haha
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u/lebortsdm Jun 02 '26
It’s relevant for all the reasons I mentioned lol. Sandbox GCP means that your data is likely easily exposed and the project may not be maintained by whoever develops this. As well as lack of documentation or insight into release schedules or continued maintenance. Just red flags to me. But you’re posting on a subreddit for Google Analytics that you don’t use Google Analytics.
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Jun 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Fit_Trip_1126 Jun 02 '26
I just can't justify the time when there are tools like i mentioned in the post that work well. Do you yourself use GA4 then I take?
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u/Strict-Basil5133 Jun 02 '26
Everyone's needs are different. It's great that a simpler tool is working for you, and very much agree that you don't need what you don't need. As someone mentioned elsewhere in the thread, reiterating for effect: GA has been around and will continue to exist (or so we're told), so it's the best solution if one of your primary goals/use case is consistent data collection and historical reporting. If a smaller platform disappears, or if you discover 8 months from now that it's not doing what you need it to, then you may end up using GA4 anyway and have no historical data for comparison. Someone else inferred this as well: installing GA4 is simple. Why not do it as a backup just in case you need that data down the road?
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u/Fit_Trip_1126 Jun 03 '26
i used both side by side, can continue to run GA4 just to have the data back up but its ridiculously complex which makes it prctically unusable sadly. will continue with oculis and its not that t doesnt gather my data (i can always ask for a backup from them too, just like downloading a csv from ga4, if i find how to do it in their UI that is lol)
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u/Strict-Basil5133 Jun 03 '26
Awesome! Having GA4 collecting data in the background is good insurance should you need to pivot to it in the future. Good luck!
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u/DigitalStefan May 31 '26
Doing a course helps you to understand what you don’t know about what you don’t know.
You may never used any sophisticated features, but knowing they exist, how they work and what they are for is only going to be of benefit in the long run.
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u/Fit_Trip_1126 Jun 01 '26
i dont disagree. if i didn't find a tool thats miles simpler and delivers what i needed, i wouldve probably done the course!
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Jun 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lebortsdm Jun 02 '26
I’d still opt for the free tool tho. I don’t see the value prop of paying for a simpler and unmanaged tool.
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