Are you ready for an all-new Google Analytics experience? The Solutionistas can help you make the switch to GA4. Try out Google’s new dashboard before your current one becomes obsolete next year. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect when you switch to GA4.
What’s Happening and When?
Google Analytics 4, aka GA4, is what Google calls “the next generation of Google Analytics.” It replaces the current Universal Analytics product, which will go away on July 1, 2023. You may be thinking, Now Solutionistas, why are we talking about GA4 now, a whole year ahead of time?
Well, Google doesn’t make major changes to its analytics products very often. Universal Analytics was released on November 14, 2005, nearly 17 years ago. So, the switch to GA4 is kind of a big deal. Such a big deal, in fact, that you can set up GA4 in your Google Analytics account now so you can get used to it before Universal Analytics goes dark next year.
What Are the Benefits of GA4?
With GA4, Google has made a number of updates to its Analytics product to give you a better understanding of the performance of your website and what you can do to improve it. The changes incorporate both website and app data to create a more comprehensive picture of the customer journey on your website. Instead of the sessions Universal Analytics tracks, GA4 uses events, such as when a user loads a page or clicks a link, to measure the performance of a webpage. It also includes more privacy controls in its behavioral and conversion modeling.
In addition to these benefits, GA4 has better predictive capabilities compared to Universal Analytics. These predictive capabilities provide more intuitive guidance on how to improve your website’s performance. Finally, GA4 offers direct integrations into media platforms, including social media, to drive activity to your website or app.
When Can I Get Started with GA4?
GA4 is available now through your Google Analytics account. We’ve already made the switch at Origin so we can learn the new system and help coach our clients through the change. We highly recommend that you make the switch sooner rather than later. There is some relearning that occurs once you make the switch, including understanding the difference between sessions and events when reading your analytics reports.
When you switch to GA4, you’ll still have access to your Universal Analytics dashboard (at least until July 1, 2023). This is helpful because you can toggle between the two systems to see how they compare. You should also add GA4 to your website to make sure the new analytics system can track your website data.
How Do I Switch to GA4?
If you don’t have a Google Analytics account for your website, you can simply set up a new Google Analytics account. You’ll automatically be using GA4. But if you’re like most of our clients, you likely already have a Google Analytics account with Universal Analytics. In that case, you can use the GA4 Setup Assistant to add GA4 to your current analytics account. When you do this, you’ll be able to toggle between GA4 and Universal Analytics, and both systems will collect data. Sound complicated? The Solutionistas are here to help! We’re already helping our clients make the switch to GA4, and we can help you, too. Get in touch with Origin Smart Marketing today to make the switch to GA4.
