Google is sunsetting Universal Analytics on 1st July 2023. This means that businesses using Universal Analytics will need to migrate to the new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) platform before that date.
If you are using Universal Analytics, now is the time to start planning your migration. In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to know about Universal Analytics deprecation and how to prepare for it.
Universal Analytics: What You Need to Know
As of 1st July 2023, Google will no longer support Universal Analytics. Universal Analytics properties will no longer process new hits. Google has confirmed that the historical data in these properties will be available for at least six months. They have also said they will confirm a date in the coming months that this historical data will no longer be available.
As an agency, we rely heavily on data, especially historical data. So we would urge anyone who has not migrated to GA4 to do so as soon as possible while there is still 15 months left. The reason for this is we believe accurate year on year comparisons are vital to spot trends, changes and issues.
Many search marketers have been slow to take up GA4 despite it being released back in October 2020 due to the differences in how it measures data.
What Do I Need to Do Next?
First, check if you have a Universal Analytics property or a GA4 property. If you have already set up a GA4 property but just don’t use it much, now is the time to get practising.
If you have not set up your GA4 property, we highly recommend you do so.
Setting up GA4 (Google Analytics 4) property
When logging into your Google Analytics account, and clicking on, Admin > Account > Property, you will see an option for GA4 setup assistant.
Google has helpfully made it very easy to create a new property, just click on Setup assistant and then “Get Started” underneath “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 Property.”
The wizard will create the new GA4 property and copy your basic settings over.
You will then need to either install the new Google Tag Manager tag configuration and select GA4 configuration and input the measurement ID or add the global site tag to the <head> section of your HTML on your site.
You will also want to copy any event tags on your site to the GA4 event version, as well as manually configure any additional settings like conversions and goals. The way events are configured in GA4 is slightly different, so it will require a little bit of time to convert.
Why Has Google Made The Decision To Discontinue Universal Analytics?
“Universal Analytics was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions and more easily observable data from cookies. This measurement methodology is quickly becoming obsolete. Meanwhile, Google Analytics 4 operates across platforms, does not rely exclusively on cookies and uses an event-based data model to deliver user-centric measurement.
And though Universal Analytics offers a variety of privacy controls, Google Analytics 4 is designed with privacy at its core to provide a better experience for both our customers and their users.” – Russell Ketchum Director, Product Management, Google Analytics explained.
atomicboost is a multidisciplinary digital marketing agency that can help your business grow online. We offer SEO, PPC, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing and more. We eat, sleep, breathe Google Analytics, so feel free to give us a call and let us help you get back to what you do best.
If you need assistance setting-up your GA4 property or would like someone to take the heavy lifting of data analysis off your hands, contact atomicboost today!
Posted on 17th March 2022 by Jack Wilkinson
