Promerix Blog

Google's deadline for switching to GA4 Analytics is approaching

If you own or manage a website, you most likely use Google Analytics to track and measure visitor activity. And if that website is more than a few years old, chances are you are using a version of Google Analytics that will stop processing your website's activity in less than a 100 days.

On July 1st, 2023, Google will sunset Universal Analytics and it's crucial for all businesses and individuals with websites to migrate to GA4 – Google Analytics 4.

What Is GA4?

GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics. It is a major update from Universal Analytics (UA) and was first introduced in October 2020. GA4 provides a more advanced and flexible approach to tracking website and app data, focusing on user-centric analytics and machine learning.

GA4 is designed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior, allowing businesses to gain insights into customer journeys across multiple devices and platforms. It also provides more data on user demographics, interests, and preferences which enables businesses to tailor their marketing strategies to better reach their target audience.

One of the key features of GA4 is its event-based tracking, which allows businesses to track and analyze specific user interactions on their website or app, such as clicks, form submissions, and video views. It also uses machine learning to provide better cross-device tracking and more accurate attribution modeling.

Overall, GA4 is a significant update from UA and provides businesses with a more advanced and flexible approach to tracking website and app data, enabling them to gain deeper insights into user behavior and improve their marketing strategies.

Why Switch from UA to GA4?

There are several reasons why you should consider updating your website's tracking from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

1. Improved User-centric Analytics: GA4 provides a more user-centric approach to analytics, allowing you to gain a better understanding of how users engage with your website across multiple devices and platforms. It provides more data on user behavior, demographics, interests, and preferences.
2. Enhanced Cross-Device Tracking: GA4 uses machine learning to provide better cross-device tracking, which means you can track user activity across different devices and platforms. This helps you gain a more accurate picture of how users interact with your website and the path they take to convert.
3. Better Data Privacy Compliance: GA4 provides a more privacy-focused approach to analytics, which aligns with changing regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. It allows users to control their data and provides more options for anonymizing and deleting data.
4. Future-Proofing: GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics and is designed to meet the changing needs of the digital world. By upgrading to GA4, you will be future-proofing your analytics strategy and ensuring that you have access to the latest features and functionalities.

More than anything else, the biggest reason to switch is because Google will stop processing data with Universal Analytics tracking this July. Overall, upgrading to GA4 will provide you with a more comprehensive and accurate picture of how users interact with your website, help you comply with privacy regulations, and ensure that you are prepared for the future of digital analytics.

Migrating your website to GA4 is relatively easy; however, please contact Promerix if you should need any assistance or guidance in properly setting up your GA4 property and tracking code.

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