Google Analytics Universal Is Going Away

It will no longer be accessible at the end of this year.

• Google Analytics Universal will no longer function starting on July 1st, 2023.
• If you want to have time to get used to the Google Analytics 4 interface while still running Google Analytics universal in parallel, you should get setup now.
• If your business makes use of annual comparison reporting you need Google Analytics 4 up and running as soon as possible. We already have less than a year until Google Analytics Universal is shut down.

As early adopters, we’ve completed 100’s of GA4 upgrades. We’re happy to relieve some stress and take it off your plate.

• Packages start at $2,250
• Or get your GA4 property set up for free when you sign up for a year of digital marketing services

What needs to happen for your organization to have a smooth transition from Google Analytics Universal to Google Analytics 4?

Installation

• Install Google Analytics 4 code on your website

Event Tracking Plan

• Organizations need to develop a strategy for transitioning from a goal based tracking approach to an event based tracking approach.
• Some considerations need to be made around capabilities and limitations of tech stack to code for track events and associated properties.

Goal Tracking

• Rebuild Goal Tracking from an events perspective.
• This will require integration of Google Tag Manager into your website if you are not already using it.
• If you are running any kind of paid advertising campaigns, your conversion actions will need to be rebuilt and linked to new GA4 script inside of Google Tag Manager

Organizational Knowledge Development

• Who on your team will be responsible for managing the new analytics system. Will there be sufficient time to learn Google Analytics 4 while Google Analytics Universal is still running?

Reporting

• New custom reports will need to be built reflecting KPIs

So What’s Different With Google Analytics 4?

Basically we are going through a kind of data renaissance on the internet, where everyone is moving to a different way of collecting and reporting on data.

This is actually a good thing, because its much more flexible.

But as you know, growing pains can be difficult.

Keep in mind, GA4 isn’t just a rebrand of the old platform; it was completely rebuilt from the ground up.

What are the cool new features you can explore with GA4?

Discover What’s New About Google Analytics 4

GA4 is ridiculously customizable, which means you can choose what shows up in your main dashboard.

• Universal Analytics allows for some customization: you can create custom dimensions, metrics, and events and create a limited number of custom reports. GA4 goes a lot further.

GA4 tracks events, not sessions or page views.

• This event-based model tracks more useful information. In plain terms, this means you can tell Google exactly what you want to track. By tracking additional attributes outside of pageviews, GA4 can provide a clearer view of the entire customer journey.

• GA4 supports full cross-device and cross-platform reporting
• GA4 leverages automation and AI to provide predictive analytics
• Universal Analytics only tracks past data. With GA4, Google allows businesses to see into the future by using machine learning to predict future behavior. For example, it can predict how likely a customer is to make a purchase in your app or churn, or it can predict revenue over the next 28 days.

The GA4 search bar provides detailed insights fast

• For example, say you want to know how many more visitors you got this week than last. Just…ask.
• It tells you right in the search results; you don’t even have to click to see the data.