Google’s Universal Analytics Is Becoming GA4: Here’s What You Need to Know (& Do)

Digital Marketing

Apr 18

Most anyone with a website uses Google Analytics to collect data on how people use your website and digital properties. If you do as well, you need to know Google Analytics is moving away from what we are currently using with Universal Analytics and into Google Analytics 4. You should also know you can’t sit out of this shift. There are a lot of positives though, including enough time to make the change and great new features.

Universal Analytics will stop working on July 1, 2023. (360 Universal Analytics will stop working on October 1, 2023.)

Here’s what you need to know about the change and the steps you must take if you want to continue tracking data about how users engage with your website and apps.

How We Got Here (From UA to GA4)

Google Analytics has long been the standard tool for collecting data on how people find and use websites. The free tool has been available to the public since 2005. Since its inception, Google Analytics has gone through multiple versions. Now, it’s going through another major shift.

Starting on July 1, 2023, the version Google Analytics 4 is replacing the version Universal Analytics. Starting on that day, Universal Analytics will no longer process data. If you want to continue to track data through Google Analytics, you must start using Google Analytics 4.

What Are Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

In October 2012, Google introduced a version of Google Analytics called Universal Analytics (UA). This was the default version of Google Analytics until 2020. In July 2019, Google introduced a new iteration of their data analytics tool called Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

What’s the Difference?

Universal Analytics was created when most web users were visiting websites through desktop computers. UA data focuses on independent sessions, and it uses cookies to collect data.

Google Analytics 4 was created for modern web use, where people navigate the internet through a variety of devices and apps, not just desktop versions of websites. GA4 data focuses on event-based data and user-centric measurements and is built with privacy concerns in mind, no longer storing IP addresses.

The Benefits of Using GA4

While some fans of Universal Analytics may not be excited about making the change to Google Analytics 4, there are multiple benefits of making the switch.

Understand users outside of your website. GA4 makes it easier to track customers across all of your platforms. You are no longer limited to tracking only what happens on your website.
Get better ROI attribution. Using GA4, you can attribute credit to each step of the customer journey (instead of only the last step which was trackable with UA). You can get a better idea of how well each step of your marketing funnel is working.
Meet new data standards. Privacy and compliance standards are changing, and they differ across states and countries. With GA4, you can set location-level privacy controls to more easily meet regulations and customer expectations.
Make better predictions about audience behaviors. GA4 offers sophisticated machine-learning features that can make predictions about user behavior and conversions. It allows you to create an audience of users likely to purchase and identify audiences less likely to convert.
Easily sync with Google products. If you use other Google products, such as Google Ads, you can better integrate your data with GA4. GA4 connects Google platforms so you can use data from multiple tools to gain insights and optimize campaigns.

Making the shift to GA4 may seem like work now, but it will pay off by offering better quality data and insights about your audience.

How To Migrate from UA to GA4?

Deciding whether or not to migrate from UA to GA4 isn’t really an option. If you want to continue to track data across your web platforms, you need to make the change since UA will be discontinued.

Google has detailed directions on how to make the switch to GA4.

There are varying levels of setup for GA4. You can keep it simple and track basic data from your online platforms. Or, you can get more detailed and set up events, connect to Google Ads, and migrate audiences and ecommerce measurements.

If you have a marketing partner or website manager, talk to them about how you can make the transition and what level setup you need to continue to collect the data you need and use.

What About Google Tag Manager?

If you are collecting detailed data from your digital properties, you are likely also using Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager is a Google product that allows you to add code (or tags) to your digital properties so you can collect information about events that happen on your website or apps. GA4 makes it easier to create reports based on data collected from Google Tags.

The better your Google Tags system is set up, the more useful your data will be.

You can start with simple tags, like HubSpot or any social platform tag, or work with a data professional to get the most out of connecting GA4 and Tag Manager. Connections between the two platforms can help you create in-depth reports on marketing ROI and user behavior and develop predictive models that guide future marketing initiatives.

There’s power in data, and the combination of Google Tag Manager and GA4 can help you unlock both marketing insights and opportunities.

Need Help Integrating GA4?

Google Analytics is changing, and you need to be ready for the shift from UA to GA4.

Don’t delay, and get ready to make your move before you lose important data about your digital properties. Talk to your marketing team about making the move today.

If you need help with migrating from UA to GA4 -- or if you don’t currently have data tracking and need help setting up systems -- SpotOn is here to help. Contact us to learn about our digital marketing solutions and see how we can help you start doing more with your digital data.

analytics

Robyn Spoto