GA4 Setup & Migration
From July 1st 2023, Google Universal Analytics (UA) will stop collecting data and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will become the default platform for collecting website data.
Here’s how Loom can help you successfully migrate to GA4 and future proof your website.
What’s happening?
From July 1st 2023, Google Universal Analytics (UA) will stop collecting data. Until then, you can continue to use and collect new data in your UA properties.
After July 1 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will become the default platform for collecting website data. You’ll still be able to access your previously processed data in your UA property for at least six months. After this point, your historic data will need to be housed elsewhere.
This means that as of July 2023, GA4 will become the go to analytics solution for websites. This will therefore require setting up profiles, accounts, events, conversions, audiences and more in advance of the switch over.
There is no getting away from it, GA4 is the new standard.
Why is this happening?
“Universal Analytics was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions and more easily observable data from cookies. This measurement methodology is quickly becoming obsolete.“ – Google, March 2022
As the internet evolves and user awareness increases around issues like privacy, Google have needed to develop a platform that is not fully reliant of cookies, and accurately measures a user’s interaction between your desktop and mobile sites, apps and more.
GA4 operates across platforms, does not rely exclusively on cookies and uses an event-based data model to deliver user-centric measurement. One major development, for example, is that unlike UA, GA4 will not store IP addresses, allowing users more anonymity while browsing.
What’s changing?
UA and GA4 use different metrics to measure traffic to your website. Where UA splits activity up into user sessions, with limitations on how users viewed your website across different platforms and devices. GA4 offers a much wider scope, tracking the entirety of the user journey by linking users across devices.
This means that GA4 has an entirely different data collection model, and many of the metrics you’re used to may no longer be available e.g Bounce rate is being replaced by engagement rate.
The change will offer a number of benefits, including:
- First-party cookie focused, and less reliance on cookies overall
- User ID tracking means cross device interactions can be unified
- Machine learning for predictive analysis
- New reports and dashboard functionality
- Expanded integrations into Google Ads and Looker (DataStudio)
How Loom can help
With time ticking before the July 2023 switch over, Loom are ready to manage this process for you.
We have developed a 7 step setup that will get your UA account migrated to GA4. Not at all steps may be required for your business needs, but all websites should now be running GA4 as using it as their main source of website analytics.
Please get in touch with us below so we can understand which changes are most necessary, and work with your in-house team to complete the migration. Remember, without these changes, your website will not be in a position to collect data as it has been to date.