Partner With Jive Marketing Solutions For Your Migration

It has been a fast year since Google announced in March 2022 that it will be replacing its well-known Universal Analytics (UA) reporting platform, with the new and improved Google Analytics 4 (GA4). As part of this change, Google will be ceasing all tracking and support for UA, which has been in existence for over 10 years. Whilst the real time tracking will officially cease from 01 July 2023, it is believed that all historical data will be accessible for a further 6-12 months whilst businesses make the transition.

This means that although businesses have not needed to rush the switch over of platforms, we are now less that 2 months away from the switch off, so if you’ve not already set up your GA4 property, you need to address it in the next few weeks if you want some time to check the data is flowing correctly and to give yourself time to re-configure your custom reports and conversion tracking.

Here are some of the key things you need to know about transitioning to GA4 and how it can impact your business:

Different user interface:
Although GA4’s reporting interface is more simple and efficient than its predecessor, users who are accustomed to UA may struggle to navigate the new layout. It is important to have someone who is knowledgeable in how to read and manipulate the data reports in order to track success and targets effectively.

Limited access to historical data:
GA4 only captures data from the point of implementation onwards, so you won't have access to historical data from your classic Google Analytics account. This means you may need to keep both accounts running in parallel for a period of time to ensure you have access to all the data you need. This also means that transitioning as soon as possible will give your business the most amount of time possible to run both platforms alongside each other for comparisons of data.

New Measurement Models & Terminology:
The vast changes in conversion measurement and terminology can lead to confusion and the need to reacquaint your employees with new reports and tracking. Universal Analytics stands on a page view and session-based data model, while GA4 relies on an event-based model, meaning that all tracking needs to be reimagined to suit the new interface. This differs greatly from UA because all interactions can be registered as an event rather than by different types and actions.

Enhanced tracking capabilities:
GA4's enhanced tracking capabilities allow you to track user behaviour across multiple touch points and devices. This provides you with a more comprehensive understanding of your audience and how they interact with your website or app. GA4's machine learning algorithms can provide you with deeper insights into user behaviour and performance trends. This can help you identify new opportunities for growth and optimise your marketing campaigns more effectively. It is important to understand all these new capabilities correctly in order to benefit from GA4 completely.

Need for technical expertise: Transitioning to GA4 requires updating your tracking code, which may require technical expertise. You may need to work with a developer or digital marketing agency to ensure a smooth transition. Often additional website plugins and Google Tag Manager may be required in order to ensure correct tracking and APIs between all of your online platforms.

What does this mean for your business?

Ultimately, all businesses that rely heavily on measuring their website data, or even use it to measure marketing performance, will need to know how to make the transition to Google Analytics 4. There are a lot of technical changes, new tracking codes and transitions from how conversions are measured that need to be considered when making the move.

Navigating from one platform to another can be daunting and technically challenging, but the team at Jive Marketing Solutions are here to help your business make a smooth and efficient transition between the platforms ahead of the 1^st July 2023 launch date. Contact us to beat the clock and get a smooth migration from Universal Analytics to GA4 by arranging a FREE 30-minute no obligation consultation, to find out how we can help you.