Search Engine Optimisation, Data Analytics, GA4
GA4 Migration Services
Migrate to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Taking action is crucial – Google will stop supporting Universal Analytics in July 2023 (and Universal Analytics 360 in Oct 2023).
This is not a drill: after that, the current analytics version will no longer function.
We’re a Google Premier Partner Agency and GA4 migration experts.
You can count on us to make your Google Analytics move seamless and to safeguard your invaluable business data.
Why the change?
GA4 is not just an upgrade from Universal Analytics- it’s an entirely new analytics property that is improved in many ways.
For example,Universal Analytics operated under a hit-based model which included page hits, event hits, ecommerce hits, and social interaction hits. GA4 however focuses less on counting individual hits and more on understanding user behavior while on your platforms. Additionally, GA4 offers enhanced predictive abilities to fill in the gaps left by the deprecation of cookies.
Earlier this year Jerry Dischler, Google’s VP/ GM Ads said that the main priorities for guiding their product roadmap were:
- Unlocking new opportunities for business growth
- Preparing for the future of measurement, and
- Exceeding consumer expectations for privacy
Google Analytics 4 effectively addresses all three of these priorities.
What’s New in GA4?
- Event based measurement model instead of hits
- Metrics and dimensions
- New interface
- GA4’s user privacy features to give users control over how their data is used
- Build to measure and analyse “all” your data in one place
- Focus on insights using ML and AI
- Debugging mode
- Some features exclusive to GA360 like BigQuery linking available
Key Differences Between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 (GA4):
Should I Migrate to GA4 Now?
100%, no questions asked, do not pass go and collect $200 – the answer is YES.
It’s essential that you migrate to GA4 immediately if you want to protect your business data.
Google has made it clear that they will be sunsetting Universal Analytics, and every day you delay is one less day of data access next year.
The only preservation option Google has recommended for your UA data is to export it into spreadsheets, which would be incredibly time-consuming and difficult to manage.
Simply put: migrate now or risk losing valuable data or spending hours on spreadsheet management.
Looking for help migrating from UA to GA4?
We're here to help!
As a Google Premier Partner agency, we have extensive experience with GA4 and we’re ready to help you make the switch seamlessly.
We’ll set up GA4 for you, ensure it’s set up properly and to your exact requirements, and teach your team how to get the most use out of the new platform.
END-TO-END GA4 MIGRATION SERVICES
OUR PROCESS
Phase 1
AUDIT & ACTION PLAN
We’ll take a step back to assess your current set up and work out the best course of action.
Phase 2
EXPERT IMPLEMENTATION
We’ll take care of the setup process and ensure everything is configured correctly.
Phase 3
REVIEW & VALIDATE
We’ll analyse results to ensure they’re accurate and reliable.
Phase 4
EVENTS + CONVERSION TRACKING
We’ll configure your events and conversions tracking in line with your objectives and priorities.
Phase 5
DASHBOARDS + REPORTING
We’ll set up a reporting dashboard that’s tailored to the metrics you want to track.
Phase 6
TRAINING
We’ll provide training on how to get the most out of GA4 moving forward.
A little more detail...
1. AUDIT + ACTION PLAN
To get your GA4 migration started, we’ll work with you to create a measurement framework tailored specifically to your business needs.
We’ll review and record your tracking and other events to make sure everything is ready for a smooth transition.
With GA4, we can also consider measurements that that go beyond your current objectives to leverage the platform’s new capabilities.
2. EXPERT IMPLEMENTATION
We’ll create the new Google Analytics property, add and configure tags, and start collecting data.
We’ll also manage the integration with Google Ads so how your ads are performing and make changes on the fly to improve your results and we’ll activate Google Signals – a privacy-focused feature of Google Analytics 4 that allows you to collect data about your users without personally identifiable information (PII).
This means that you can still get useful insights about your audience, even when when third-party cookies become a thing of the past.
3. REVIEW & VALIDATE
Accuracy is key when it comes to data tracking, especially during a migration.
We’ll review UA and GA4 data to uncover any data differences or discrepancies and validate that everything is being collected and recorded properly.
4. EVENT & CONVERSION (GOAL) TRACKING
GA4 is focused on events rather than goals (or what are now referred to as conversions). When we’re setting up your analytics, we’ll find out which event types are most the important to you and your business and configure your events and conversions tracking accordingly.
While you’ll find there are less out-of-the-box metrics available in GA4, the flexibility to set up custom tracking can enhance your understanding of actions users take that are of specific interest to you.
You’ll better understand what they’re interested in and how they interact with your products, services and content. It can also help you identify opportunities for improvement.
5. DASHBOARD REPORTING
With your setup complete and all events and properties created, we’ll set up a reporting dashboard that’s tailored to the metrics you want to track.
Additionally, we can enable the data export to BigQuery so utilise the raw event data collected on your sites and apps in Data Studio, too.
6. TRAINING
GA4 provides robust new features, and our team of certified Google Analytics experts will help you get the most out of the platform.
We’re a respected digital marketing training organisation and we have been teaching marketing professionals and business leaders how to get the most out of Google Analytics through the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) for many years. We’re also accredited Google Squared Online trainers.
We’ll teach your team how to use the dashboards and generate reports according to their specific requirements.
There are few agencies around who are better placed to train you in how to drive better business outcomes with GA4.
Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 Migration
FAQs
Will I switch to GA4 straight after migration is completed?
While GA4 holds a lot of promise for the future, it’s not perfect just yet. Our suggestion is to use Universal Analytics and GA4 at the same time until GA4 becomes your go-to platform.
By migrating to GA4 soon, you will be able to take advantage of its many advanced capabilities while still having access to all the features of Universal Analytics.
What happens to my Universal Analytics data when it's deprecated?
If you are still using Universal Analytics, the legacy data will be gone forever as of July 1 2023.
UA does have the capability to export data into a CSV, PDF or Google Sheets format though. The best option would be Google Sheets, as this allows you to integrate with Google Data Studios reports and continue benchmarking some datasets going forward–with a little customization, of course.
It’s worth mentioning that if you do subscribe to Google Analytics 360, raw UA data can also be exported via BigQuery. Another bonus for 360 users is that they will have access to legacy data until 1 October 2023 instead of just July 1st like everyone else who isn’t subscribed to 360..