If you have Google Analytics on your website, GA4 will change how you analyze your website traffic. Are you ready for it?

Google Analytics 4 To Fully Replace Universal Analytics July 1, 2023

Google will be sunsetting Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. After this date, all UA properties will stop processing data. They will update all Universal Analytics accounts to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

What does this mean for you and your business site?

Google announced in February 2023 that they will set up & configure a GA4 property for any Google Analytics accounts that don't have one already. If Google does create the GA4 property, it will also transfer as much as it can from the original UA (Universal Property).

Examples of what would be transferred: Goals, Google Ads links, Property Users, Audiences, and other settings.

If possible, they will also try to reuse the existing pixel placed on your site, but it is unclear if you would be notified in the event that the existing pixel cannot be placed.

And if you have E-Commerce on your site, e-comm tracking will likely not be transferred and will require additional setup.

With all of this in mind, it's important to log into and make sure your site has been migrated and set up properly - and best to do that this month, if you haven't already.

Until July 1, 2023, you can continue to use and collect new data in your Universal Analytics properties.

After July 1, 2023, you'll be able to access your previously processed data in your Universal Analytics property for at least six months. Google strongly encourages you to export your historical reports during this time.

January 1, 2024, is the current deadline to access previously processed data in your Universal Analytics property.

**In the coming months, Google will provide a future date for when existing Universal Analytics properties will no longer be available. After this future date, you'll no longer be able to see your Universal Analytics reports in the Analytics interface or access your Universal Analytics data via the API.

What else do you need to know about GA4?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Universal Analytics (UA) are both analytics platforms that help you track and measure website traffic. If you have Google Analytics on your site, you are likely familiar with UA, but there are some key differences between the two platforms.

What Are The Main Differences Between GA4 and UA?

Data Models:

The main difference between the two is GA4 uses an event-based data model, while UA uses a session-based data model. This means that in GA4, each interaction with your website is tracked as an event, while previously in UA, each user session is tracked.

Attribution Models:

GA4 uses a machine learning-based attribution model, while UA uses a last-click attribution model. This means that GA4 will assign credit for conversions to all of the touchpoints that led up to the conversion, while UA will only assign credit to the last touchpoint before the conversion.

Reporting:

GA4 offers a more flexible and customizable reporting system than UA. This makes it easier to create reports that are tailored to your specific needs.

Future Support:

Google will end support for Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. This means that you should start migrating to GA4 as soon as possible.

This article dives in a bit deeper on comparing UA metrics to GA4 metrics.

And this video is a good GA4 interface overview from Google.

So now is the time! Make the switch to Google Analytics 4! Here's how.