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Google’s Universal Analytics (UA) has been the default for collecting data since 2012 which, let’s face it, is forever in the tech world. That’s all about to change. On July 1, 2023 Google will sunset Universal Analytics to make room for GA4.

Change can feel overwhelming but we’re here to show you that great change comes with even greater opportunity. Migrating over today will help make the transition smoother when UA is finally finito.

The purpose of this post is to help you prepare for the shift taking place as we move from a session-based to an event-based model of data and reporting. And of course, have no fear. P+S can be your partner in this, offering solutions that fit the shape of your challenge.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/help-alternate_red.svg" alt="/icons/help-alternate_red.svg" width="40px" /> But first. Why?!

Google created this new version of analytics as a response to our increasingly cookieless future that supports a more customer-centric lens for analyzing and reporting data. (And like any new system, it isn’t without a learning curve and some glitches along the way.)

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Table of Contents

Intro

What’s New?

A Better Way of Reporting

Intro

<aside> 🗣 In a privacy-obsessed world, Google needed to rebuild their analytics platform from the ground up. GA4 is constructed for a future with increasingly more regulations, privacy controls, and the elimination of 3rd party cookies.

If you start setting up GA4 now, you can commence data collection ahead of the switch. But why should you be paying attention months ahead of time?

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• Build data today: Get started sooner rather than later. GA4 will be a blank slate, so starting it now will allow you to have some historical data once the migration is complete.
• Have side-by-side access while transitioning: You can run both GA4 and Universal Analytics side-by-side until UA is deprecated. This gives you the ability to switch between the two versions of the platform as you become more accustomed to GA4 reporting and analytics.
• Export historical data before UA sunsets: Once Universal Analytics is gone you’ll no longer have access to prior info. If you want historical data from UA, you’ll need to export it prior to July 2023.

**The biggest difference between UA and GA4 is the switch from a session-based to an event-based model.

Remember: session-based analytics track what happens during a specific time frame on a website. While event-based tracks particular actions that users take. This change will allow us to get more information based on how people are using the property.**

Universal Analytics

• Session-based model
• Simple, out-of-the-box solution
• Apps and web are different properties

GA4

• Event-based model
• Blends apps and web into a single property
• AI-powered insights and predictions
• Customer-lifecycle framed reporting

What’s New?

<aside> 🗣 GA4 is built for the future with a suite of new features. Those include:

• AI-powered “Insights” that can make assumptions about site behavior
• A focus on end-to-end customer journeys across devices with “Life Cycle Reports”
• Import data streams from non-website sources like apps within a single property
• New and improved reports to better understand a user’s actions and journey </aside>

Which of these new features should you focus on first?

• Goals are not the same as conversions, but with a little effort, you can recreate the magic.
• Machine learning-powered insights will now be able to show data trends to predict certain outcomes.