Google recently announced its plans to sunset Universal Analytics, the previous standard for Google Analytics reporting, and permanently move to GA4 by next year. Is your company ready?
On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics properties will stop collecting new data and GA4 will become the standard going forward. If your organization has a Universal Analytics 360 property, that deadline has been extended to October 1, 2023.
Google isn't simply cutting support to Universal Analytics, though. They are also planning to remove access to Universal Analytics Properties completely. This won't happen immediately, but by 2024 your historical Google Analytics data could no longer be accessible in the platform.
It's not time to panic yet, but it is the time to start taking action. 2023 may sound far away, but this isn't a situation you can leave until the last minute to address. Here are the three things you need to do now to make the transition as smooth as possible.
1. Create a GA4 Property Now (Seriously!)
The sooner you create your GA4 property, the better. The goal here is to start capturing data in that interface now so you have year-over-year data to work with later.
2. Duplicate Your Event/Goal Tracking
When you create your new GA4 property, your previous Events and Goals aren't automatically added. Take time to rebuild these with GA4's new tracking guidelines to make sure you're staying on top of the web actions you care about most.
3. Develop a Data Retention Plan
With Google announcing that Universal Analytics may disappear as soon as 2024, you'll need a plan to make sure you don't lose years of website data. Will you export all the raw data? Will you recreate Universal Analytics widgets on your local system to make the data more digestible?
Google will be offering more guidance around data exporting in the future, but starting these discussions now will put you ahead of the curve.
Once you've followed these initial steps, familiarize yourself with the new GA4 platform! Our team has got you covered with some of the must-know features of GA4 to take your data analysis to the next level, or reach out to schedule a free consultation today!
