Universal Analytics, the previous major leap for Google Analytics, is now ten years old. As the process of phasing in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has begun, Google has announced Universal Analytics (UA) will stop processing hits on July 1, 2023.
However, the switchover from UA to GA4 isn’t automatic. A manual process is required to make the transition. Plus, Google has not indicated that data collected by Universal Analytics will be shared with Google Analytics 4. While both platforms can run in parallel, collection of historical data in GA4 will start only after It is implemented.
GA4: The latest quantum leap in analytics platform technology.
The introduction of Universal Analytics in 2010 ushered in features such as cross-platform tracking, the flexibility to track and collect data from a diverse range of devices, and the ability to set up custom dimensions and metrics.
Google Analytics 4 is a next-generation measurement platform that enables the aggregation and leveraging of rich data from multiple platforms, websites and apps. It uses continuous data-driven attribution to form an extended long-tail view of each customer lifecycle. The result is a comprehensive view of the online/offline user journey, providing expanded insights through:
- Event based user-centric modeling that transcends multiple platforms and independent user sessions. This was developed to replace standard online measurement that is anchored in the desktop web, fragmented by discrete independent sessions, and dependent on easily observable data from cookies and other low-hanging fruit.
- Machine learning technology that adapts to continually evolving data streams and knowledge stores — while unearthing sophisticated predictive insights about user behavior, conversions and long-term relationships.
- Expanded integrations with other Google products and third-party technologies, to heighten the synergy of combined GA4 web/app data, in order to optimize campaigns and streamline the overall marketing effort.
Next-level core solutions for privacy and compliance.
As widespread concerns over data privacy/control continue to escalate, Google Analytics 4 has intensified baked-in safeguards to help meet the evolving needs and expectations of both business and end-users. Most significatly, GA4 will no longer store IP addresses. Coupled with a heightened set of country-level privacy controls, this enables GA4 to selectively minimize aggregation of user-level data such as cookies and metadata. Its measurement settings can also be customized in accordance with specific data governance needs, both for internal enterprise use and partnerships with external collaborators.
How to speed your transition to Google Analytics 4.
The sooner you switch over to Google Analytics 4, the sooner you’ll begin to build a rich data historical data asset with the power to maximize its promise and potential. We invite you to contact Neptune Web for an exploratory conversation, to get a sense of how we could you make the transition to GA4, well in advance of Google’s impending July 2023 phaseout of Universal Analytics.
Need help switching from UA to GA4? Contact us now.