Google Analytics

Google Analytics, now called GA4, counts who visits your website and what they do. It tells you how many people came, where they came from (Google, Instagram, an email, an ad), which pages they read, and whether they bought, booked or filled in a form. It's free, used by most websites, and links straight into Google Ads so you can see which ads lead to sales.

Analytics Advisor, Google's Gemini-powered assistant inside GA4, answers questions like "why did traffic drop last week?" with charts and links to reports, and generated insights explain changes automatically. Google also publishes an official, experimental MCP server, so Claude can run GA4 reports for you from a chat.

The catch is that GA4 is confusing. The reports moved around when Google replaced the old version, setting up conversions takes work, and numbers can differ from Shopify or your ad platforms because of cookie consent and ad blockers. Many people find it easier to ask Claude or Analytics Advisor than to click through the menus.

• Small businesses
• Marketers
• Agencies
• Online stores
• Large companies

Every business with a website that wants to know how many people visit, where they come from and what turns them into customers.

• Traffic reports

  See how many people visit, where they came from and which pages they view, by day, device and country.

• Conversions

  Count purchases, form fills, bookings and sign-ups, and see which channels drive them.

• Google Ads link

  Send conversions to Google Ads and see which campaigns bring buyers, not just clicks.

• Analytics Advisor

  Ask questions in your own words and get answers with charts, powered by Gemini.

• Explorations

  Build your own funnels, paths and segments when the standard reports aren't enough.

• Official MCP server

  An experimental, read-only connector from Google that lets Claude run GA4 reports for you.

• Our pick

  Google Analytics

  Free

  Almost every business.

  • Full GA4 reporting and explorations
  • Google Ads, Search Console and BigQuery links
  • Analytics Advisor
  • Up to 14 months of detailed data

• Analytics 360

  Custom

  Very large sites with huge traffic.

  • Higher data limits and longer retention
  • Service-level guarantees
  • Enterprise support

Prices in USD unless noted, checked 3 November 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.

Ways Google Analytics can slot into your week.

1. 1

   Find out which channel brings buyers

   Check the traffic acquisition report to see whether Instagram, Google or email brings people who actually buy.

2. 2

   Prove your ads work

   Link Google Ads and import conversions so Ads can optimise for sales, not clicks.

3. 3

   Ask Claude for a weekly summary

   Connect the GA4 MCP server and ask Claude what changed in traffic and sales this week.

4. 4

   Spot a broken page

   Look for pages where visits stay steady but conversions suddenly drop.

It's the visitor counter in most website stacks. Search Console shows how people find you on Google, Clarity or Contentsquare show what they do on the page, and GA4 ties it together with your ads.

The closest alternatives to Google Analytics in the library, best rated first.

• 

  Ahrefs

  4.4

  Best for keyword research

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• 

  Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar)

  4.3

  Best for seeing why visitors leave a page

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• 

  Microsoft Clarity

  4.3

  Best for finding checkout drop-offs

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• 

  PostHog

  4.2

  Best for seeing how people use your app

  Compare with Google Analytics