Migrating over to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Have you heard about Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and wondered what it is all about?

Google analytics is a great tool for marketers, website owners and?SEO experts?to help them track and analyse website data and user behaviour. However, the recent shift from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has left a lot of people scratching their heads and wondering about the benefits and challenges of migrating to the new platform.

The number one question is:

What are the benefits of GA4 and should I migrate over. The quick and easy answer is YES migrate over ASAP. From July 2023 the current incarnation of Analytics will stop working and stop receiving data. So, if you want to carry on capturing data from July 2023. Migrate over as soon as possible.

To add to this, all data in Universal Analytics will be lost by the end of the year. So, if you want to see your analytics data year on year you will have to pull the data out of Universal Analytics from the end of the year.

So, what is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Google Analytics 4, also known as GA4, is the latest iteration of the Google Analytics platform. GA4 offers new features and functionality designed to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of website tracking.

One of the key differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics is the shift from session-based tracking to event-based tracking. This means that rather than tracking sessions (i.e., visits to your website), GA4 tracks events (i.e., specific actions taken on your website, such as clicks, scrolls, and form submissions). This will help you understand your customer journey better.

What are the benefits of migrating to GA4?

Migrating to GA4 offers several benefits for marketers and website owners, there are:

1. Improved tracking accuracy: GA4 offers more accurate tracking of user behaviour by focusing on individual user events rather than sessions. This means you can gain a more detailed understanding of how users are interacting with your website.

2. Cross-device tracking: With GA4, you can track user behaviour across multiple devices and platforms, providing a more comprehensive view of your users’ journey.

3. Better data privacy compliance: This is actually the main reason GA4 is being pushed through so quickly. To comply with GDPR.

4. Improved integration with Google Ads: GA4 offers better integration with Google Ads, allowing you to create and optimize campaigns based on more detailed user behaviour data.

What are the challenges of migrating to GA4?

While there are several benefits to migrating to GA4, there are also some challenges to be aware of. These include:

1. If you are used to Universal Analytics, it will take some learning to get your head around the new interface and understand new data.

2. Data compatibility: GA4 uses a different data model than Universal Analytics, which means that data collected in Universal Analytics may not be compatible with GA4. This can result in gaps in your data history.

3. Limited third-party integration: As GA4 is still a relatively new platform, some third-party integrations may not be available yet.

How to migrate from Universal Analytics to GA4?

There are lots of plugins available on WordPress to add GA4 to your website. These will work fine, but Google advises us to use Google Tag Manager. You can add lots of custom events in Tag Manager which help you drill down into user behaviour and intent.

We can help with your Migration.

Give me a shout if you want more information on how to migrate over.