If you’re tracking visitors on your website (and you probably should be), it’s highly likely you’re using Google’s Universal Analytics, which will cease mid-2023.
Why is Universal Analytics to be laid to rest?
Universal Analytics has been around since 2012, with the new and improved version landing in 2020. From 1st July 2023, Universal Analytics will no longer track visitors to your website, so if you want to keep doing so, you’ll need to switch to GA4. The way Google Analytics works is changing, so a new platform has been developed to deliver that.
What’s new in GA4?
Its quite a fundamental shift in that it doesn’t rely on storing cookies on the computer of your users, and offers better privacy. The focus of the new dashboard has also changed in that Universal Analytics was session-based, whilst GA4 is event–based.
This is good news, as you’ll now be able to get more practical insights that you can use to inform decisions around user research, marketing, conversion optimisation and user experience. For example, with GA4, it will be easier to see where you’re losing customers when try to make a purchase on your site.
In additional, you’ll see a better view of traffic across all devices and get insights from machine learning to help you make sense of the data.
How to get the new Google Analytics 4
If you already have Universal Analytics, you can log into your existing Google account and add a new property. This will run along side your current Analytics until June 2023.
Here are step by step instructions on how to add a Google Analytics 4 property if you are already using Universal Analytics. Google provide a set up wizard to help you through the process. Be sure to follow the instruction to transfer any conversion tracking items in your existing setup.
If we currently support you via a Website Maintenance & Security Plan, we may have already managed some or all of this process for you as part of your plan. Please log into your Google account and take a look around, then let us know if you have any questions.