Though Universal Analytics is set to sunset in July 2023, that doesn’t mean you have a whole year to upgrade to Google Analytics 4. In fact, waiting until the last minute can actually spell trouble for your company’s reporting and forecasting. Here’s why you shouldn’t wait to upgrade to GA4.
Solving B2C Privacy Issues
Let’s face it: digital marketing is always evolving. Moreover, privacy standards are rapidly changing as the world becomes more and more digitized. As internet users become increasingly aware of their digital movements being tracked, Google is committed to staying ahead of the curve. That’s why Google Analytics 4 is making the shift away from IP storage.
In a March blog from Russell Ketchum, Google Director of Product Management, he writes: “Though Universal Analytics offers a variety of privacy controls, GA4 is designed with privacy at its core to provide a better experience for both our customers and their users. It helps businesses meet evolving needs and user expectations, with more comprehensive and granular controls for data collection and usage. Importantly, GA4 will also no longer store IP addresses.”
He further adds that “These solutions and controls are especially necessary in today’s international data privacy landscape, where users are increasingly expecting more privacy protections and control over their data.”
Instead, GA4 will be moving toward an “event-based” modeling system, which follows a user’s journey from website entrance to final click.
Upgrading to Google Analytics 4 is Easy!
Making the jump from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 may be worrisome at first, but fear not! Migration to the new platform is easier than you think — and can be implemented over time.
You’ll want to first create a GA4 property (a blog, website, or anything that can be tracked. You’ll then want to begin tracking KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), e-commerce events, and other crucial metrics. Think of this as a template that’ll kickstart your foray into GA4.
As GA4 operates on a “data-driven attribution” model and will deliver predictive insights, you can begin “training” GA4 to better understand user behavior and ultimately forecast more accurate future actions.
Late Migration Could Mean Lost Analytics
It’s imperative to note that you cannot import Universal Analytics properties into Google Analytics 4.
Jumping on the GA4 bandwagon as soon as possible is crucial. If you wait until the last minute to upgrade to GA4, you run the risk of having a blind spot of metric tracking over the course of the year. This particularly can affect your Year-to-Year performance tracking — an essential metric for forecasting, especially as GA4 becomes increasingly integrated as part of your marketing stack over the next few years.
Upgrading to Google Analytics 4 with ONE18MEDIA
Here at ONE18MEDIA, our dedicated team of marketing specialists and web developers are here to help you along the way when transitioning to Google Analytics 4.
As Universal Analytics will sunset come July 2023, you need to get ahead of the curve and begin performance tracking with GA4 as soon as possible. Luckily, ONE18MEDIA can do the work for you. To learn more about how we can help, please visit our website and contact us for a free consultation today!