Google announced а significant change next year: they plan to deprecate Universal Analytics (UA).  

Universal Analytics and properties, which all of us are aware of, will stop processing new data on July 1, 2023. Universal Analytics 360 (GA360) properties will stop processing data on October 1, 2023.

The data which is already processed in Universal Analytics will be stored for at least six months after the deprecation dates listed above. At least that is the statement from Google at this stage.

Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics: What is the Difference?

Google spread the news that Universal Analytics was built to observe data from cookies. With the GDPR this measurement methodology is quickly becoming unreliable and obsolete. 

That’s why Google released a new version - Google Analytics 4, which is claimed as “privacy-centric by design” and utilises artificial intelligence and machine learning. Universal Analytics is using them too, but they are far more useful in Google Analytics 4.

In a nutshell, Universal Analytics was session-based. Google Analytics 4 is event-based which means all hits like “pageview” are now events. 

The data collection logic is different compared to the Universal Analytics approach. Finding specific kinds of data that you need to analyse can be complicated in GA4. The whole picture looks different but the basis of the analysis remains the same.

Moving to event-based tracking cross-platform analysis becomes much easier for marketers with Google Analytics 4. Although this is not the major difference. GA4 is more flexible and able to predict user behaviour. 

Google Analytics 4: Benefits

Eager to know what are the Google Analytics 4 benefits? Please find them below:

• Google Analytics 4 doesn’t rely on cookies and uses an event-based data model for measurement; 
• It is designed to drive app installs or sales, generate leads, and connect online and offline customer engagements;
• It also does not store IP addresses - which can help brands stay on the right side of privacy regulations;
• It operates across platforms - imagine a user visiting your website on their mobile device > revisit on their desktop computer > then download, make a purchase, or create a registration through your app. This user journey will be easily analysed with GA4; 
• Create better tracking of user journeys for your ad campaigns;
• Predictive audiences for purchasers - that’s a big deal.
• Create and delete up to 30 conversions (goals) - in UA there is no option to delete conversions and the number was 20.
• Customisable data - everybody with admin access can customise a ton of data of any of the reports.
• Anomaly Detection - stats related to “something that was going to happen on your site, but it didn’t so far”.

The overall goal of Google Analytics 4 is that it gives you the tools needed to track and stitch together user journeys more accurately. It provides more flexibility where cookies will be much less common, and where privacy will be even more apprehensive for end users.

Should I Move On with Google Analytics 4?

This is a tough question for many business owners. The answer is: yes, you should.

Adopting Google Analytics 4 is more than necessary. It is not an easy task but it will keep you ahead of the competition.

One of the reasons to start using Google Analytics 4 is the fact that it is loaded with a lot of incredible new features that will future-proof your analytics strategy. GA4 is the analytics upgrade we all needed. It provides more flexibility and it could predict user behaviour while upholding user privacy. Besides the fact that Google confirms continuous development of Google Analytics 4 and constantly adds new futures we advise you to be proactive and start configuring your important data in Google Analytics 4 in parallel with Universal Analytics or Google Analytics 360.

The sooner you start, the sooner you will collect essential data and become comfortable with the changes that Google Analytics 4 brings. We all know one day Google will make us use it.

Not confident how you can proceed with the integration of Google Analytics 4? 

Get in touch with our analytics experts who could support and train you in your journey.

***

Kaloyan Genev is Head of SEO & Data Implementation at FFW Europe.