{"id":6312,"date":"2023-01-16T17:13:58","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T17:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/perfectlinkbuilding.com\/au\/?p=6312"},"modified":"2024-05-07T10:32:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T10:32:13","slug":"google-replacing-universal-analytics-with-google-analytics-4-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perfectlinkbuilding.com\/au\/blog\/google-replacing-universal-analytics-with-google-analytics-4-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Google to replace Universal Analytics with Google Analytics 4 in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column][vc_row_inner disable_element=”yes”][vc_column_inner][tm_image image=”5621″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][tm_heading style=”highlight” tag=”h1″ custom_google_font=”” google_fonts=”font_family:Poppins%3A300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700|font_style:300%20light%20regular%3A300%3Anormal” align=”center” text=”Google to replace Universal Analytics with Google Analytics 4 in 2023″ font_size=”lg:40″][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]Analytics is invaluable when it comes to running websites, and Google Analytics is favoured by many website creators thanks to its easy setup and powerful tools. Now, that Google Analytics has been online for over a decade, Google Analytics is officially shutting down Universal Analytics as it moves towards a new standard. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][tm_heading style=”highlight” tag=”h2″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”Google Sunsetting Universal Analytics” font_size=”lg:30″][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]From July 1<\/span>st<\/span> 2023, Google Analytics will stop counting new hits on properties using Universal Analytics, or UA (GA3). This comes after the tool was created in early 2014, making it long overdue for an update, considering the speed of the online world and its innovations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On its support page, Google explains that the current Universal Analytics will be replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which launched back in December 2020 as a cookie-free method of measuring website traffic and incorporating new data such as predictive insights and features deeper integration with Google Ads.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to be aware, that even though Google is shutting down Universal Analytics next year, the existing site data will be available for at least six months, but Google highly recommends exporting historical data during that time period. There is no exact set date for when Universal Analytics will be inaccessible, but it\u2019s always good to be safer and change over to GA4 sooner rather than later. Bear in mind that Google Analytics 360 properties have an extension date, with new historical data and hits being processed through October 1<\/span>st<\/span>, 2023.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you use Google Analytics for a website, you can tell which version you are currently using due to the creation date. If the website was created before Google 2020, you\u2019re likely using Universal Analytics, and any website created after is likely already using GA4. Another way to tell is by being aware that if you see UA in your website\u2019s identification number, this means you\u2019re using Universal Analytics. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][tm_heading style=”highlight” tag=”h2″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”Why Is It Happening?” font_size=”lg:30″][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]To burrow Google\u2019s own words, Universal Analytics was made for a different generation of websites. This was for a time when the online measurement was anchored in the desktop web, with observable data from cookies. This measurement methodology is quickly becoming obsolete as mobile data becomes more helpful, and cookies aren\u2019t relied on as much anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to cater for this, Google Analytics 4 differs from its predecessor in that it operates across many platforms, doesn\u2019t rely heavily on cookies and uses an event-based data model for measurement. It also doesn\u2019t store IP addresses, which means brands can adhere better to privacy regulations.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][tm_heading style=”highlight” tag=”h2″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”What is Google Analytics 4?” font_size=”lg:30″][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]Google describes the purpose of the new Google Analytics as a next-generation approach to aspects such as, \u2018privacy first\u2019 tracking, x-channel measurement and AI-based predictive data. By applying Google\u2019s complex machine learning models, the new Analytics can fill out data for website traffic and user behaviour without having to measure hits that come from each and every page.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google Analytics 4 is additionally built on the same platform as the \u2018App + Web\u201d system that they released in 2019. This App + Webb version was mainly focused on cross-channel data, meaning that it gave marketers a way to track users across apps, software and a website. This means that its main goal is to change the way data is shown to focus on users, and exhibit their user journey from the first visit to the final conversion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the reason GA4 is focused on \u2018events\u2019; these are the main ways that data is presented in the new Google Analytics. This helps, as you have distinct markers to see where you are succeeding and where you are not.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The last thing to know is that the new Analytics has a machine learning process which means it can easily fill in gaps where the business isn\u2019t able to previously understand their customer base because users can opt-out of cookie usage and data collection. This is due to the current trend where users don\u2019t want to disclose their information to websites.\u00a0 So, Google Analytics 4 was born from the new internet privacy protection laws that require websites to move from cookie-related data to user-related data. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][tm_heading style=”highlight” tag=”h2″ custom_google_font=”” align=”center” text=”The Highlights of Google Analytics 4″ font_size=”lg:30″][tm_spacer size=”lg:30″][vc_column_text]With this new iteration of Google Analytics comes a wide variety of great highlights that users should exploit fully.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n