You Don't Have to Replace GA4 — Make It Readable (2026)

TL;DR: GA4 has over 200 metrics and an interface built for data teams, not business owners. Most small businesses don't need to master GA4 or abandon it — they need a readable layer on top of it. Groupmail Analytics connects to your existing GA4 data in 30 seconds, shows 15 key metrics on one page, and keeps Google Ads and historical data intact. No code changes. No learning curve. No trade-offs.

Disclosure: This article is published by the team behind Groupmail Analytics. We'll recommend it where relevant and be upfront about alternatives.

Why Does GA4 Feel So Overwhelming for Small Businesses?

GA4 was designed for enterprise data teams, not small business owners who want to check their website traffic. The interface contains over 200 metrics across dozens of reports, according to DashThis's GA4 metrics guide, and that number grows further when you include GA4's 165 available dimensions. For a small business owner, opening GA4 feels like walking into an airplane cockpit when all you need is a speedometer.

The frustration is well documented. A MarketingProfs analysis found that marketers consistently describe GA4 as "tailored more toward enterprise-level users rather than smaller businesses." The user interface has been called "sluggish and unintuitive" across multiple industry surveys, and GA4 now offers only 2 acquisition reports compared to Universal Analytics' approximately 25, according to a Celebrus report on marketer frustrations.

As of 2025, over 30 million websites worldwide run GA4, according to WSI World. The vast majority of those sites belong to small businesses who had GA4 installed by a developer or agency — and now face an interface they never learned to use.

💡 Tip: If you've opened GA4, felt lost, and closed the tab — you're not the problem. The tool was built for a different audience.

What Do Small Businesses Actually Need from Analytics?

Small businesses need answers to five questions, not access to 200 metrics. Those five questions are: how many people visited, where they came from, which pages they viewed, whether traffic is going up or down, and whether specific efforts like email or ads are working.

A 2025 Analytify study on GA4 for small businesses confirmed this pattern — business owners achieve better results by tracking fewer, more meaningful metrics rather than monitoring everything GA4 offers. The study noted that "most small businesses don't lack data; they lack clarity."

Groupmail Analytics was built around this exact insight. Instead of showing 200+ metrics, Groupmail Analytics displays 15 key metrics on a single page — visitors, page views, traffic sources, top pages, and trends over time. Rob Martin, founder of Groupmail Analytics and operator of a 50,000-customer email business, built it after spending years frustrated by the gap between GA4's complexity and the simple answers he needed.

Key Takeaway: The analytics a small business needs can fit on one screen. GA4 spreads that same information across dozens of reports, menus, and sub-menus.

Why Is Replacing GA4 a Bad Idea for Most Small Businesses?

Replacing GA4 with a privacy-first tool like Plausible or Fathom means installing new tracking code, losing all historical data, and breaking Google Ads integration. For the 7.6 million businesses running Google Ads alongside GA4, according to Google's own economic impact reports, that's not an option.

The trade-offs of replacing GA4 are significant. You start from zero — no historical data, no year-over-year comparisons, no baseline to measure growth against. You lose the Google Ads connection that GA4 feeds automatically, which means your ad optimization stops working as intended. You typically need a developer to install new tracking scripts on every page. And if you later decide to come back to GA4, you've lost months or years of data permanently.

Privacy-first tools like Plausible and Fathom are excellent products for sites that don't run Google Ads and want to start fresh. But for the majority of small businesses already invested in the Google ecosystem, replacing GA4 creates more problems than it solves.

Groupmail Analytics takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of replacing GA4, Groupmail Analytics connects to existing GA4 data through Google's official read-only API. GA4 keeps running exactly as before. Google Ads keeps working. All historical data stays accessible. The only thing that changes is how you read the data.

What's the Difference Between Replacing GA4 and Using a Companion?

A replacement tool collects its own data using its own tracking script — GA4 stops being involved entirely. A companion tool reads existing GA4 data and presents it in a simpler format — GA4 stays running in the background.

This distinction matters because it determines what you keep and what you lose. According to a Celebrus analysis of GA4 migration challenges, migrating historical data from one analytics system to another is limited because different platforms use fundamentally different data collection models. Session-based data cannot cleanly transfer to event-based systems, and vice versa.

Groupmail Analytics is the only tool in this comparison that combines zero code changes, preserved data, and immediate simplicity without requiring hours of dashboard configuration or analytics training.

How Does Groupmail Analytics Make GA4 Readable?

Groupmail Analytics connects to any GA4 property in 30 seconds — sign in with Google, pick your website, done. No tracking code to install, no developer required, no configuration needed.

Once connected, Groupmail Analytics displays 15 key metrics on a single overview page. That includes total visitors, page views, traffic sources (organic, direct, social, referral, paid), top pages, and trend lines showing whether traffic is growing or declining. Every metric updates automatically from GA4's data through Google's official Analytics Data API.

Groupmail Analytics also includes features built specifically for small businesses that GA4 buries or doesn't offer at all. A dedicated Email tab shows traffic from email sends — something no competitor surfaces as a standalone view. AI traffic detection automatically categorizes visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI tools into their own group, rather than lumping them into "organic" or "direct" traffic as GA4 does by default.

Coming soon, Groupmail Analytics will add Google Search Console integration and uptime monitoring — combining three dashboards into one. Pricing starts at $15/month for the Starter plan (100,000 pageviews), with a 50% founding member discount currently available at analytics.groupmail.io.

What Are the Limitations of a Companion Approach?

Groupmail Analytics reads GA4 data — it doesn't collect its own. This means Groupmail Analytics is limited to what GA4 tracks. If GA4 doesn't have a specific data point, Groupmail Analytics won't have it either.

This also means Groupmail Analytics shares GA4's data processing delays. According to Google's own documentation, GA4 standard reports can take 4–8 hours to update, and some reports experience delays of 24–48 hours. Groupmail Analytics displays the same data on the same timeline — it makes the data easier to read, but it can't make it arrive faster.

Groupmail Analytics focuses on 15 metrics, not 200+. For business owners who need deep funnel analysis, custom event parameters, or advanced audience segmentation, GA4 itself (or a tool like Looker Studio) remains the right choice. Groupmail Analytics is an editorial dashboard — it shows the story of your traffic, not every data point behind it.

⚠️ Watch out: No companion tool can show data that GA4 hasn't collected. If your GA4 property is misconfigured or missing events, Groupmail Analytics will reflect those gaps. Make sure your GA4 setup is solid — or ask your developer to verify it.

What If You Want to Learn GA4 Instead?

Learning GA4 deeply is a legitimate choice. Google offers a free GA4 certification course through Skillshop, and resources like Measure School and Analytics Mates provide excellent tutorials. For business owners with the time and interest, understanding GA4's event-based model and Exploration reports can unlock genuinely useful insights.

The reality, however, is that most small business owners don't have 20–40 hours to invest in analytics training. A Search Engine Journal analysis documented how even seasoned search marketers describe GA4 as difficult to navigate — with one marketing expert noting that "commonly used features are buried within the user interface as if purposely making it difficult to access." If professional marketers struggle, expecting a bakery owner or plumber to master GA4 is unrealistic.

Groupmail Analytics exists for the gap between "I want to understand my website traffic" and "I want to become a data analyst." The tool gives business owners the 15 metrics they actually check, without requiring them to learn a platform designed for enterprise data teams.

FAQ

Can I use Groupmail Analytics and GA4 at the same time?

Yes. Groupmail Analytics reads data from your existing GA4 property through Google's official read-only API. GA4 continues running exactly as before — same tracking, same data collection, same Google Ads connection. Groupmail Analytics adds a simpler reading layer on top.

Does Groupmail Analytics require any code changes to my website?

No. Groupmail Analytics connects to GA4 via Google sign-in. There's no tracking script to install, no JavaScript to add, and no developer needed. Your website code stays untouched.

What happens to my historical GA4 data?

It stays exactly where it is. Because Groupmail Analytics reads existing GA4 data rather than collecting its own, all your historical data remains accessible in both GA4 and Groupmail Analytics.

How is Groupmail Analytics different from Looker Studio?

Looker Studio is a powerful dashboarding tool, but it requires significant configuration time — selecting metrics, building charts, connecting data sources, and maintaining the dashboard. Groupmail Analytics is pre-configured for small businesses with 15 key metrics ready immediately, no setup required beyond signing in with Google.

Will my Google Ads stop working if I use Groupmail Analytics?

No. Groupmail Analytics never touches your GA4 tracking or configuration. Google Ads integration with GA4 is completely unaffected. Groupmail Analytics uses a read-only API connection.

Is Groupmail Analytics a GA4 replacement?

No. Groupmail Analytics is a GA4 companion — it sits on top of existing GA4 data and makes it readable. GA4 continues collecting data, feeding Google Ads, and storing your history. Groupmail Analytics simply presents that data in a simpler format.

How much does Groupmail Analytics cost?

The Starter plan is $15/month for up to 100,000 pageviews. A 50% founding member discount is currently available at analytics.groupmail.io. Pro and Agency plans are coming soon.

What metrics does Groupmail Analytics show?

Groupmail Analytics displays 15 key metrics on a single page: total visitors, new vs. returning visitors, page views, top pages, traffic sources (broken down by channel), referral sources, a dedicated Email tab for email traffic, AI traffic detection for visits from ChatGPT and similar tools, and trend lines for growth tracking.

Conclusion

GA4 is a powerful tool built for the wrong audience. Small business owners don't need 200+ metrics — they need clear answers about their website traffic. You don't have to master GA4 to understand your data, and you don't have to replace it to escape the complexity. The companion approach gives you simplicity without sacrifice.

Groupmail Analytics connects to existing GA4 data in 30 seconds. No code changes. No lost history. No broken Google Ads. Start your free trial →