The end of Universal Analytics
The era of Universal Analytics has now come to an end, with the advent of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This is the biggest shift in Analytics for a very long time and if you use Analytics as part of your marketing and business strategy it is absolutely crucial that you have made the change over to GA4. We, as a marketing agency, have spoken to numerous clients, other agencies, SEO specialists, and more, and the consensus is clear: people are still adjusting, grappling with the new technology, and even facing difficulties and issues due to the transition to GA4.
Universal Analytics was the standard for measuring web traffic since 2011, but Google has discontinued support for this version of their software from July 2023. In order to provide more functionality and better tracking, Google has changed from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This article explains what Universal Analytics is, why this change matters so much, and how your change over to GA4 can be as smooth as possible.
Despite the challenges of the transition, it is an essential step to take for any business keen on making the most of their marketing efforts and data analysis.
What was Universal Analytics?
Universal Analytics was a version of Google Analytics designed to work across multiple devices, including mobile devices. Introduced in 2011, it served as an updated version to the classic Google Analytics JavaScript-based tracking previously used.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) breaks previous versions of the software in order to provide more functionality and better integration with other Google products. As part of the transition, all users had to upgrade their accounts if they want access to new features like cross-device reporting, attribution modelling and custom dimensions/metrics creation tools. GA4 provides more functionality and better data than its predecessor, allowing you to better understand your audience, improve your campaigns and drive business results.
Why is GA4 important?
Google Analytics is the most widely used analytics platform in the world, with over 90% of websites using it to track their traffic, conversions, and campaigns. With this new update, it is easier for marketers to measure their marketing efforts in a way that was previously impossible with Universal Analytics.
GA4 is shifting from raw data to aggregated data. The generation of data in an aggregated form allows for enhanced data efficiency and reliability across various metrics. With GA4’s shift to aggregated data, businesses can gain a more granular understanding of their audience’s behaviour patterns, which can be instrumental in formulating data-driven marketing strategies.
The end of Universal Analytics and why it is significant
If you’re still using Universal Analytics then it’s important that you switch over as soon as possible, as all support has now been removed from Universal Analytics and it will no longer work with your website or app.
GA4 is a major departure from Universal Analytics. This means that you will need to make changes to your website, as well as update any third-party tools that use Google Analytics.
GA4 has marked a significant change in the landscape of web analytics, introducing several improvements and benefits over its predecessor. First and foremost, GA4 offers a more comprehensive understanding of user behaviour across different platforms, encompassing web and app environments in a single view. This allows businesses to make informed decisions based on cohesive insights from multiple touchpoints. Additionally, GA4’s machine learning capabilities provide predictive and advanced analytics, enabling marketers to capitalise on potential revenue opportunities. Additionally, the new event-based tracking incorporated in GA4 simplifies the process of data collection and enables more granular tracking of user interactions, resulting in valuable insights into visitor behaviour.
An example of GA4’s machine-based learning means that GA4 becomes more interactive with the insights tab – meaning you can simply ask it questions. The questions already built into GA4 insights already shed light on areas where marketing can help improve a websites performance or show where website performance is not working and needs addressing.
How will this affect your marketing?
GA4 is a huge change for marketeers. It’s a completely new way of measuring and tracking user journeys across multiple devices, allowing for a more unified and comprehensive view of customer behaviour. Secondly, GA4 offers advanced machine learning capabilities that can help businesses gain insights into customer behaviour and improve ad targeting. Lastly, with the discontinuation of Universal Analytics, businesses need to migrate to GA4 to continue receiving accurate data and insights. Overall, this transition presents an opportunity for businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their customers and improve their marketing strategies.
It’s time to move your website over to the new software and get ready for what’s next. If you have any questions about this new version of Google Analytics or how it might impact your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
