Reminder: Google Analytics Will Soon Shut Down. Here’s What You Need To Know

As the digital landscape evolves, so do the tools we use to measure and analyse website performance.

In case you missed it, Google has announced the end of Universal Analytics (UA) and the rise of its next-generation measurement solution, Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Love it or hate it, GA4 will soon be the only Google Analytics platform available for your business and website.

With UA properties ceasing data processing on July 1, 2023, switching to GA4 as soon as possible is crucial to avoid losing valuable website data. 

In this blog post, we'll outline why GA4 is promised as the future of web analytics and guide you through the transition process.

Why Make the Switch to Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is designed to provide a more holistic view of your website's performance across devices and platforms. It offers advanced features like AI-powered insights, better integration with Google Ads, and more granular data controls to help you optimise your marketing strategies. By switching to GA4, you'll access new insights, improve data privacy, and ensure continuity in your data once UA is no longer available.

While we find the user experience much less intuitive than UA, this will likely improve in time to cater to non-power users. 

Transition Timeline

To help users transition to GA4, Google has provided a clear timeline:

• March 2023: If you haven't created a GA4 property, Google will create one for you based on your UA property settings, unless you opt out. If you already have a GA4 property connected to a UA property, Google will copy any configurations not marked as complete in your GA4 property, unless you opt out.
• July 1, 2023: UA properties will stop processing data. You'll still have access to previously processed data for at least six months, but it's crucial to export historical reports during this time.
• Future Date (TBD): Google will announce a date when UA properties will no longer be available. You won't be able to see UA reports in the Analytics interface or access UA data via the API.

How to Make the Switch

Google has provided this handy guide here. While you may already have a GA4 property created by Google, it’s important to ensure it’s configured correctly, and installed on your website.

The switch can get quite technical when you factor in ad conversion tracking and Google Tag Manager, so If you’d like any help with the transition process, we’d be glad to help. Reach out to us here for a no-obligation chat.