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Transitioning From Universal Analytics To Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

As many marketers might be aware of, Universal Analytics (UA), a platform offered by Google to monitor analytics, will no longer be accessible after July 1st 2023, meaning your data will be erased. To replace UA, Google has created another platform called Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which is a new and improved version of UA.

Written by

Eden Parker

January 2023

What Are The Differences Between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4?

One of the most noticeable differences between UA and GA4 is that GA4 is heavily event focused. While UA events have their own Category, Action and Label, and its own hit type, GA4 removes all of those and makes them singular events. Social, Page View, Transaction, User Timing, Exception, and App/Screen View are now captured in GA4 as events, as opposed to their own individual interactions.

Another huge change is how GA4 calculates sessions in comparison to UA. While UA would start a new campaign and a new session regardless of inactivity, GA4’s new campaigns do not always start a new session. This means you will notice a drop in sessions when you transition from UA to GA4, but it will likely be more accurate and true to how many actual sessions are taking place.

3 Reasons Why You Need To Transition From Universal Analytics To Google Analytics 4

1 – Compare Data Between UA and GA4

If you do not transition with plenty of time before the deadline, you will not be able to compare the data between UA and GA4, which could lead to future problems, such as data inaccuracies and event set up not being integrated correctly.

If you run any form of Google Ads, the platform may rely on conversion and audience data from Universal Analytics. If you do not transition, the performance of your campaigns will be negatively impacted as there will be no tracking in place after the 1st of July 2023.

2 – Google Analytics and GDPR

One major improvement that GA4 has made is to do with how personal data and IP addresses are processed. Unlike with UA, GA4 will no longer collect IP addresses, making your data more protected.

In addition to this, it is now easier to delete customer information. This means that if a user requests their data to be deleted, you can easily remove their data on GA4.

3 – Have More Control Over Tracking Events

GA4 focuses more on creating different events for every step of the way to help you understand your customers and your analytics better. With a new system on organising your events and tracking better, GA4 helps you feel more in control of the events you want to track.

There are plenty of reasons why you should start transitioning from UA to GA4 today, including comparing data, GDPR and having control over tracking events. As the July deadline is quickly approaching, make sure you transition to GA4 as soon as you can.

To support companies during this transitional period, Unbranded Digital are currently offering a one-off fee to support companies with their transition from UA to GA4. Please contact us today for more information!