Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s web analytics platform that helps you measure and understand your website’s performance. GA4 offers several benefits over the previous Universal Analytics (UA) version, such as:
- A more user-centric approach that tracks users across devices and platforms
- A more flexible event-based model that allows you to measure any interaction on your website
- A more powerful analysis tool that lets you explore and visualise your data in various ways
- A more integrated experience with Google’s marketing products, such as Google Ads and Firebase
If you are currently using UA, you might be wondering how to migrate to GA4 and what steps you need to take. Here are some general guidelines to help you with the migration process:
- Create a new GA4 property in your Google Analytics account. You can do this by either upgrading an existing UA property or creating a new one from scratch.
- Install the GA4 tag on your website. You can use Google Tag Manager, a global site tag, or a plugin to do this. Make sure you keep your UA tag as well, so you can collect data in both properties.
- Configure your GA4 property settings, such as data streams, events, conversions, audiences, and user properties. You can use the GA4 Configuration API or the Google Analytics admin interface to do this.
- Verify that your GA4 property is collecting data correctly. You can use the Realtime report, the DebugView tool, or the Tag Assistant extension to do this.
- Explore and analyse your GA4 data. You can use the various reports and analysis tools available in GA4, such as the Life Cycle reports, the Analysis Hub, and the BigQuery export.
- Transition to GA4 gradually. You can use both UA and GA4 properties in parallel for some time, until you are comfortable with GA4 and its features. You can also use the UA-GA4 data import feature to import historical UA data into your GA4 property.
Migration Timeline
- Starting March 2023: If you didn’t opt out of an automatic property creation or manually migrate your active Universal Analytics property to a new Google Analytics 4 property, we created—or soon will create—a GA4 property on your behalf. Automatically created Google Analytics 4 properties reuse existing site tags whenever possible.
- Starting July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing data. You’ll be able to see your Universal Analytics reports for a period of time after July 1, 2023. However, new data will only flow into Google Analytics 4 properties.
- July 1, 2024: All users, including those accessing 360 properties, will lose access to the Universal Analytics user interface and API starting on July 1, 2024. We know your data is important to you, and we recommend that you export your historical reports before this date.
Migrating to GA4 might seem daunting at first, but it is worth it in the long run. GA4 will help you gain more insights into your website’s performance and optimise your marketing strategies. If you need more help with the migration process, you can check out Google’s official documentation or consult a Google Analytics expert. At LeadOn Design as a web development and digital marketing agency in Melbourne, we provide you with all you need to do to migrate to GA4 and all the necessary updates to keep your business on track with latest digital marketing updates.
