After 2 and a half years of beta testing, GA4 becomes the new standard for Google Analytics for all properties. Universal Analytics will become obsolete from July 2023. This article explain why you should consider switching now !
For more than a decade, Universal Analytics (UA) has been marketeers’ right-hand-tech for web reporting within Google Analytics. The Web-based analytical tool served online reporting purposes by considering browser data, fixed measurement protocols, and cookie-based data points.
From our ever-changing digital environment, new legal restrictions, and the increasingly higher expectations from marketers, Universal Analytics was doomed to become obsolete and ultimately replaced by a newer version. Google will no longer process incoming data:
- From July 1st, 2023: for all Universal Analytics properties
- From October 1st, 2023: for all Universal Analytics 360 properties.
All Universal Analytics users will be affected. To ensure continuity and sustainable reporting, we recommend advertisers take steps into the transformation. Experts at Reprise AdTech are here to guide you through the process.
What is Google Analytics 4?
In 2019, Google addressed the evolving measurement landscape and business needs. Brands now can fully meet their new challenges and complex customer journeys while keeping privacy at its core. From Web-only and structured data models, Google introduced fully flexible, integrated event-based, and cookie-less models.
GA4 becomes the new standard
Google Analytics 4 represents a new way of tracking digital activities by unifying data sources both web, app, and other data sets. As cross-platform analytics, users gain more flexibilities, more insights, predictions, and experience while setting up the basis for a future-proof eco-system.
Advertisers can now shape Google Analytics as their business dictates with greater flexibility and a global approach. Indeed, through unification and event-based processing, GA users can measure visitors’ interactions more freely and adequately to their own needs.
What changes from UA to GA4?
Improvements are numerous. Indeed, GA4 provides a new framework for analytics. However, we can observe the most important changes as such:
Data Processing Unification
Introducing hybrid GA properties for both Web + App. Using “Steams” GA4 combines data from both data sources. Reports share consistent metrics and dimensions which ease the understanding of performance across platforms.
Flexible Event Measurements
The Event-based model helps advertisers reflect their business needs or specifications with greater flexibility. Not only does GA4 automate pre-defined event tracking but also allows users to push richer event data beyond the previous event category, label, action, and value.
Exploration Modules
The new Analysis module enables you to examine your data in ways that are not limited by pre-defined reports. From Adhoc analysis to funnel visualization, users can drill down freely into their data and plot any metrics and dimensions. GA4 improves the previously complex Behaviour Flow with additional features and a better experience.
New Measurement Protocols
GA4 enhances its features with new ways of sending data to your properties via its new measurement protocols. These HTTP requests are fully supported for both client and server-side tracking. Being the focus of Google Analytics’ development team, GA4 will benefit from frequent updates and increased support.
Why should you upgrade to GA4 now?
Although UA is scheduled to stop processing mid-2023, we recommend advertisers switch to GA4 as soon as possible.
As of April 2022, advertisers have less than 3 months to migrate all their UA trackings to GA4 so that you have enough data in your GA4 reports to do a year-to-year comparison of data. Furthermore, advertisers have around 15 months to start familiarizing themself with Google Analytics 4.
Approaching GA4 within your eco-system
GA4 introduces a new interface. Experienced users may feel overwhelmed by the change and might require training to find their references. Switching to GA4 may be a steep learning curve but its benefits over time are worth the effort.
The migration depends on your tech stack and current ways of tracking behaviors. For instance, UA properties before 2020 will need to set new GA4 properties, while for those later ones, GA proposes a GA4 migration assistant from the admin interface directly. Finally, for GTM or Gtag.js users, the migration is facilitated by “only” adapting the base scripts.
In order not to mess with the current setup or data collection, we highly recommend running both UA & GA4 alongside each other.
For more details about GA4 setup or Migration, please visit the official documentation.
In need of assistance or expertise?
Google’s latest announcement addresses current industry changes and upgrades its product which can be considered as obsolete. Although Google works towards smoothing the migration, Experienced GA users may need to review their analytical routines to include new GA4 landmarks.
My mission aims at solving advertisers’ digital marketing challenges through data, technology, and tracking. I thrive on creating use-cases and partner-up to make them come to life.
From GA4 setup to Server-Side tracking, Consent Mode, and other hot topics, I collaborated with brands and advertisers to successfully reach their goals with a lean and integrated approach. Both for standard and 360 customers, I worked with Google Products and their inner connectivity. To that end, I can assist you in any related projects to enrich data collection, reporting, enrichment, and personalization.
With close attention to your company’s requirements and specifications, we collaborate to create a clear and time-sensitive scope of work. Throughout the roadmap, we will pinpoint milestones and define in advance all deliverables from “turnkey” solutions to documentation and support.
Get started with GA4 now.
Google Analytics decided to move away from Universal Analytics to GA4 mid-2023. We recommend brands start the process today. From its many new features and enhanced tracking solutions, GA4 will answer the most recent challenges in our digital environment. Getting ahead would ultimately benefit you from year-to-year comparisons to sufficient learnings for this new platform.