Why You Need to Switch from Google Universal Analytics to GA4

Around 55% of websites use Google Analytics, but not all of them have made the critical switch to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Google Universal Analytics stopped collecting data on July 1st, 2023, making GA4 the new standard for website analytics.

Google Universal Analytics was an invaluable tool for many businesses, helping them understand user behavior, track online traffic, and improve search engine optimization (SEO). The changes involve a migration to the GA4 system, which offers significant improvements for modern analytics needs.

What Is Google Analytics 4?

GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics, first introduced in 2020. It represents a fundamental shift in how analytics data is collected and processed. Unlike its predecessor, GA4 uses an event-based data model that provides more flexibility in tracking user interactions.

Why Is Google Analytics Changing?

The main reason for the Google Analytics update is evolving user behavior and privacy standards. Now more than ever, privacy is an important consideration for all technology users.

Plus, technology continues to advance rapidly, which GA4 is designed to manage. For example, it is designed to measure apps, uses artificial intelligence (AI), and is intended to be more flexible to meet changing digital marketing needs.

Google Analytics vs. Google Analytics 4

It's helpful to know the differences between Google Universal Analytics and GA4 to understand why the switch happened and what benefits you gain.

Google Analytics collected data based on page views, which it grouped into sessions and hits. It used first and third-party cookies to do this. If you wanted a measurement for a specific interaction, you needed to create event tracking. GA4 makes these processes more straightforward.

Key GA4 Differences

There are several differences with Google Analytics 4 that make marketing analytics more flexible for users and meet evolving technical needs. It addresses privacy requirements, no longer focusing on sessions.

Instead, GA4 can measure different types of interactions, known as events on the platform. You no longer have to worry about manually setting up these events, which makes the process of marketing analytics easier!

Measurements GA4 recognizes automatically include:

• In-site searches
• Video engagement
• Downloads
• Page views
• Clicks to external links

You no longer have to use Tag Manager or take extra steps to follow your site users' journeys. The GA4 platform also looks different from Google Universal Analytics.

GA4 combines all web data and is a fresh start; you cannot view historical Google Analytics data on it directly. Instead, you'll need to export old data and view it on a different platform if needed for comparison.

Some key features also changed, such as bounce rates. GA4 focuses on engagement rate instead, which measures sessions that have multiple views, a conversion, or last longer than ten seconds. GA4 no longer uses third-party cookies, instead focusing on first-party cookies.

GA4 Advantages

Change can be challenging, but the advantages of GA4 benefit your marketing analytics in a variety of ways:

• More precise reporting and advanced analytics: Analyze data in greater detail with customizable reports
• AI technology: Machine learning helps with accurate reporting and predictions
• Privacy and consent settings: Work with data protection regulations using consent mode
• Audience building: Create custom audiences based on interactions
• BigQuery data export: Free for all GA4 users
• Cross-device and platform measurements: Simpler tracking across different devices and platforms

Why Make the Switch?

If you've been putting off fully utilizing GA4, or are just learning about this change, don't wait. Here's why you should get comfortable with GA4 now:

• Get used to the platform: The interface is different from Universal Analytics
• Understand engagement rate: Learn how this differs from bounce rate
• Set up proper tracking: Configure the events and conversions you need
• Master new marketing analytics: Stay ahead of competitors

Key Setup Considerations

Be sure to consider the following when setting up GA4:

• Setting up properties for all domains, including apps
• Deciding what tracking and custom metrics you want to set up
• Setting up e-commerce tracking if required
• Connecting different external platforms

You can integrate platforms such as Google Search Console, Google Ads, and BigQuery, which all aid your digital marketing strategy. Take the time to set up the tracking you require on the GA4 platform.