Google has made the announcement that Universal Analytics (UA) will stop collecting data on July 1st 2023. That means it is time to officially start saying goodbye to one of the most used digital marketing tools of all time.
And say hello to GA4
When one door closes another one opens as they say. You have probably already heard about Google’s new analytics platform GA4. It’s been around for a couple of years but now Google is officially making the switch. GA4 is the future of Google Analytics and it’s time to start using it.
What does this mean for you?
Well, the short answer is, that if you’re still using Universal Analytics, you need to switch to GA4. As of July 1st 2023 your Universal Analytics will not be collecting any data after that date.
Why should you worry about it already?
You may be thinking that July 2023 is a full year away so there is no rush. However, when it comes to data collection it’s always better to start sooner rather than later. With July being just around the corner, now is the time to get started with GA4 if you want to have a full year’s worth of data when the switch happens.
Having 12 months’ worth of data is really important as you always want to compare year on year rather than month by month (to allow for seasonality).
How is GA4 different?
That is a question with a very long answer, but in a nutshell, GA4 introduces a number of significant changes to UA, including a new data model, improved customer journey tracking and improved user engagement analysis.
New data model
One of the biggest changes in GA4 is the switch to an event-based data model. In the past, Google Analytics operated on a sessions and page view-based data model, where each pageview was tracked as a separate hit. The switch to the event-based model of GA4 means that there is a great focus on users rather than sessions.
Customer Journey Tracking
Another change in GA4 is the addition of multiple measurement IDs. In the past, each Google Analytics property could only have one tracking ID. This made it difficult to track multiple domains or subdomains, as well as to track users across devices.
Engagement Analysis
You will find that in GA4 metrics such as bounce rate and pages per view are now longer available. Instead, GA4 focuses on user engagement by measuring the time your website or app was in focus.
Get started – we’re here to help!
GA4 is very different to UA so it will take some time to get used to. At Strategy Plus we’re here to help make the switch to GA4. We can help you understand the new features and how to use them to your advantage. We can also help with the implementation to make sure you are off to a good start.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you make the switch to GA4.
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