Make The Switch to Google Analytics 4 Now

If you’re running a website, you know how important it is to track your visitors and their behaviour. This information can help you optimise your website and improve its performance. That’s where Google Analytics comes in. It’s the most popular web analytics tool out there, used by millions of website owners around the world.

If you’re still using Universal Analytics (UA), it’s time to make the switch to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Here’s why.

Google has announced that on July 1, 2023, any Universal Analytics (UA) properties will stop processing data if they have not been migrated to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). It is recommended to transfer your UA property configurations to a GA4 property prior to the cutoff date.

Starting in March 2023, Google will automatically copy your UA property settings to an existing GA4 property, reusing existing site tags. It is advisable that you migrate the data yourself to guarantee that all information and configurations have been successfully transferred.

By migrating to GA4, you’ll gain access to more advanced features and insights for analysing website traffic and user behaviour. Google will continue to provide ongoing support and updates, so you can trust your website analytics to remain current and reliable in the future.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s web analytics tool. It was released in October 2020 and offers a range of new features and improvements over its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).

The biggest change with GA4 is that it uses machine learning to provide more accurate insights into user behaviour. It also offers a more unified view of user activity across multiple devices and platforms.

What’s the difference between Universal Analytics (UA) and GA4?

Universal Analytics (UA) has been around since 2012 and has been the go-to web analytics tool for millions of website owners. It tracks user behaviour through cookies, which are stored on the user’s device when they visit your website.

GA4 takes a different approach. Instead of relying solely on cookies, it uses a combination of machine learning algorithms and event tracking to provide more accurate data on user behaviour. This means that even if a user clears their cookies or switches devices, GA4 can still track their activity.

Another key difference between UA and GA4 is how they handle data privacy. GA4 is designed with privacy in mind, offering more control over data collection and processing than UA does.

Why should you install Google Analytics 4 for your website now?

There are several reasons why you should make the switch to GA4 sooner rather than later:

Future-proofing

Google has made it clear that GA4 is the future of web analytics. While UA will continue to be supported for some time, eventually all websites will need to switch over to GA4 in order to keep up with changing technology.

By switching now, you’ll be ahead of the curve and won’t have to worry about making major changes down the line.

Improved insights

As mentioned earlier, GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to provide more accurate insights into user behaviour. This means that you’ll get a better understanding of how users interact with your website, which can help you optimise it for better performance.

Better cross-device tracking

With so many people using multiple devices throughout the day, it’s becoming increasingly important for web analytics tools to offer cross-device tracking capabilities. GA4 does just that, providing a unified view of user activity across desktops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices.

Enhanced privacy controls

Data privacy is an increasingly important issue for both website owners and users. GA4 offers more control over data collection and processing than UA does, giving users greater peace of mind when browsing your website.

How to Setup Google Analytics 4?

To set up Google Analytics 4 for your website, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Google Analytics account or create a new one if you haven’t already.
2. Click on “Admin” in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
3. Under “Account”, click on “Create Account”.
4. Enter an account name and select your country and time zone.
5. Choose between creating a single property or multiple properties depending on your needs.
6. Select “Web” as the platform type and enter the relevant details for your website such as website name, URL and industry category.
7. Create a Google Analytics 4 property.
8. Enter a name for your GA4 property and select the appropriate time zone and currency.
9. Click on “Create” to create your new GA4 property.
10. Follow the instructions provided by Google to add the GA4 tracking code to your website.
11. Once you’ve added the tracking code, you should start seeing data in your GA4 account within 24 hours.

Congratulations! You’ve now successfully set up Google Analytics 4 for your website.

The benefits of using Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

In addition to the reasons listed above for switching over from UA to GA4, there are several other benefits specific to using GA4:

More accurate data

By leveraging machine learning algorithms, we can ensure accuracy while analysing large amounts of data which helps us get valuable insights about our customers’ behaviour patterns.

Smarter insights

GA provides smarter insights by identifying patterns or trends in customer behaviour which leads us towards taking decisions based on these real-time analysis.

Better integrations

GA integrates seamlessly with other Google products like Adsense, Adwords etc. These integrations help us maintain consistency across all marketing efforts hence helping us reach our goals effectively.

In conclusion, switching from UA To GA 4 would benefit businesses that rely heavily on digital marketing. Since this transition would take some time, we suggest starting early to not miss out any valuable information during this process. And if you ever need assistance setting it up, don’t forget that Aus Asia Online is here to help too! So what are you waiting for? Get started today and see what insight analytics will bring your business!