Transitioning to GA4: here’s what you need to know
Believe it or not, it was way back in 2020 that Google announced the launch of its newest Google Analytics platform, GA4. Despite that, many organisations have been putting off transitioning to GA4 – partly because they haven’t had to.
In the ever-changing, fast paced world of digital marketing, Google Analytics has remained an unusual source of consistency. So we understand the trepidation many feel!
But fear not, our reporting and analytics experts have put together this guide covering everything you’ll need to know when transitioning to GA4.
When will GA4 come into play?
GA4 is already live.
New Google Analytics accounts and properties are assigned to GA4 as default. Meanwhile, existing Universal Analytics (UA) users have the option to set up a GA4 account and run both side-by-side.
When do you need to transition to GA4?
Although we’ve known about GA4 looming on the horizon for a couple of years, there hasn’t been much urgency behind transitioning to GA4 - until recently.
Earlier in 2022, Google announced that the current UA platform will be phased out from 1 July 2023. From this date, no new website sessions (or any other metric for that matter) will be tracked and recorded in UA.
So, you still have time to make the transition, right? Not exactly. Although hits to your website will only stop tracking on UA from July 2023, you cannot currently migrate any historic data over to GA4.
This means that when you set up GA4, you are starting fresh. Google has yet to confirm what will happen to all the data on your current UA account, so it may be safer to be proactive and start transitioning to GA4 and collecting data now.
Other reasons for transitioning to GA4
GA4 is very different from the UA that we are used to. Not only visually, but there are also a plethora of new features that are specifically designed with data-driven businesses in mind.
As a results-focused fintech marketing agency, we’re sure you can understand our excitement!
So, what can you expect? Here are some of the features you can benefit from when transitioning to GA4:
Most metrics now track at a per-user rather than per-session basis. With proper setup, this can provide some seriously powerful insights.
New reporting features such as ‘engaged sessions’ (bounce rates are no longer a thing!).
App traffic and website traffic can now be tracked on one account. This simply could not be done before.
Greater flexibility when creating and segmenting audiences.
Get help transitioning to GA4
Unlike the setup of a UA account, transitioning to GA4 does involve a few sneaky settings that need to be considered right off the bat.
For example, the default data retention period for most trackable events is only two months. Getting your settings correct from the start will save you the headache of disappearing data down the line.
This is where Curious Cat Digital can help. Our team can aid with:
GA4 account set-up (alongside an existing UA account if applicable)
Event and goal tracking
Creating audiences
Linking to other Google products (Google Ads, Tag Manager etc.)
Ongoing reporting
Contact us to find out more and get started.
*Disclaimer: All information featured in this post was accurate at time of writing, but may not be at time of reading.