In Google Analytics, a hit represents each unique interaction sent to the servers, capturing user actions such as page views, events and transactions.
A Google Analytics hit is a unique interaction sent to the servers when a user action takes place on your website. There are four main types: page views (page loading), events (clicks, downloads, videos), transactions (e-commerce data) and timing (technical performance).
Universal Analytics used this architecture of specific hits, while GA4 adopts a unified event model where all interactions become events.
This transition simplifies collection, but can create data gaps of up to 10% during migration.
Hits form the basis of all Analytics reports, and enable us to reconstruct the entire user journey via cookies.
A Google Analytics hit represents a unique interaction sent to Google Analytics servers every time a user performs an action on your website. This fundamental metric is the basic unit of data collection in Google Analytics.
Technically, each hit corresponds to an HTTP request transmitted to Google Analytics containing detailed information on the interaction. The system automatically collects this data via a tracking tag embedded in your site's pages. Unlike user or session metrics, which aggregate several interactions, a hit captures a specific event at a precise moment in time.
The mechanism relies on cookies to identify and link hits to a particular user. Each hit contains essential parameters: the user's unique identifier, timestamp, page URL, reference data and information on the browser used.
This structure enables Google Analytics to reconstruct the complete user journey on your site. Hits feed all Google Analytics reports, from page views to conversions. They form the basis for calculating more complex metrics such as bounce rate, session duration or number of pages per visit.
In GA4, the architecture evolves towards a unified event model where all interactions become events, simplifying data collection while retaining the wealth of information needed to understand user behavior on a website.
Google Analytics collects four main types of hits to measure activity on your website. Each type of hit corresponds to a specific interaction sent to the Google Analytics servers.
Page view hits represent the loading and viewing of pages on your site. Every time a user visits a page, Google Analytics automatically records this hit. This metric forms the basis of web traffic analysis, enabling us to understand user behavior on all pages.
Event hits capture user interactions beyond simple page views. These events include button clicks, file downloads, video playback or any custom action you wish to track. You need to configure these hits via Google Tag Manager or directly in the tracking code.
Transaction hits collect e-commerce and conversion data. They record information on purchases, revenues, products sold and other transaction-related metrics. These hits can be used to calculate conversion rates and analyze sales performance.
Timing hits measure technical performance such as page load times. This data helps optimize the user experience by identifying slow pages or performance problems.
In GA4, these different types of hits evolve into a unified event model where all interactions become events with specific parameters.
Universal Analytics structures its data around different types of hits. Each hit represents a specific interaction sent to the Google Analytics servers. This system includes page view, event, transaction and timing hits.
Google Analytics 4 abandons this architecture in favor of a unified event model. All user interactions become events, regardless of category. This transition simplifies data collection, but profoundly changes tracking.
The measurement of page views illustrates this evolution. Universal Analytics sends a specific hit for each page viewed. GA4 combines page views and screen views into a single "Views" metric. GA4's enhanced metrics automatically detect page changes on single-page applications.
User interactions also undergo significant changes. Universal Analytics categorizes each event with an action and a label. GA4 eliminates this hierarchical structure in favor of events with customized parameters.
This evolution has a direct impact on cross-platform migration. Differences can reach 10% for page views, depending on configuration. Universal Analytics filters create significant discrepancies if not reproduced in GA4.
Technical implementation requires a complete overhaul. Google Tag Manager facilitates this transition by managing both systems simultaneously. Tag coverage needs to be checked to maintain data consistency.
Understanding hits in Google Analytics enables you to transform raw data into strategic marketing insights. By mastering these tracking mechanisms, you'll optimize your understanding of user behavior, improve your digital performance, and make more accurate and effective data-driven decisions.
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