New Google Analytics, what YOU need to do, and by when! As a FREE service, Google Analytics has provided Marketers amazing data telling the story of how a user behaves on your website. It is invaluable in eliminating waste from your marketing budget. But in March 2022, Google announced major changes. In fact, the Universal Google Analytics, as we know it, will stop tracking on 1st July 2023.
Why does this matter?
For a while now, Google has offered the NEW GA4 version of its datas, which makes it easier to find the data that matters. A few companies have already started to embrace it.
However, when you move to GA4, the data on the existing Google Analytics is not pulled through, meaning that there is no comparable history. You cannot determine if you are doing better than the previous year.
This means that you need to ACT FAST to get a years worth of data on the new GA4 before your current version of Google Analytics stops tracking data.
What Next?
If data is important to you, then you need to SET UP GA4 TODAY in order that you have plenty of time to gather data for Year on Year comparison.
You will need to do the following:
- Create a new GA property in Google Analytics
- Add the tracking code to your website (or use Tag Manager)
- Test that the data is firing in Real Time
- Import your current Goals as Conversions
- Ensure you copy over all active Filters
- Create new Audiences used for PPC
- Connect to PPC is applicable
- Change your Data Studio Reports
- Connect any other third party connections such as Infinity Call Tracking, Zapier, Raven, Cyfe, SEMrush and more.
We have found that using a spreadsheet to monitor progress is key to success, and that you will find different things that you have connected Google Analytics to, that you will need to add to the sheet, you will also find that some software is not yet supporting GA4, and others are in Beta mode only.
Furthermore, if you are connecting Adwords and Analytics, then you need to make a decision as to when you import your new GA4 conversions, because you won’t want duplications.
It’s a big job, and we feel that you should aim to get this all done before the end of June, so that you have a good 13 months worth of data, and also giving you time to iron out any issues you find.
GA4 is VERY different to Universal Analytics, and people are struggling to understand where to find things, so we do recommend that you create a data studio report for all the things you need to know and understand on a regular basis.
Of course, we are always here to help. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.
