Get professional assistance with our team of migration experts today. Discover the benefits of upgrading to Google Analytics 4 on our blog.

A few months back, we moved from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). GA4 is not merely an update; it’s a newer version of the previous platform. It maintains some known features, but its operation, from the user interface to data processing, has changed.

So, what happens to our data? And how do we use this tool?

We’ll go over important details of migrating your Google Analytics and provide a plan for your upgrading in this post and why it is important to switch if you still haven’t.

Timing is important. Once you decide to migrate, there’s no turning back.

Why did Google Require Migration from Google’s Universal Analytics to GA4?

Google Analytics has always been the main tool for people running websites and those in marketing to check and understand how they’re doing online. But digital marketing keeps changing, and Google is always trying to keep up. That’s why they’re now asking users to switch from Google’s Universal Analytics to their new version, GA4.

The big reason for moving to GA4 is it’s better at following what users do across different platforms and gadgets.

As we use more channels and mobile devices, it’s key for companies to see the whole picture of how customers interact with them. GA4 makes it possible to track everything together, from websites to apps and other online spots, giving useful info on user engagement and their purchases.

Another plus of changing to GA4 is it can understand data better. The old way of using cookies to see what users do is not working as well anymore because of privacy worries and more rules on browsers. GA4 uses smart tech and new methods to get over these hurdles, offering a truer look at user behavior.

Also, GA4 has a new look and better tools for reports that help users find important tips easily. With a clearer and simpler layout, marketers and website owners can find their way around the platform better and make choices based on data. GA4 also has more detailed ways to look at data, like predicting trends and making and grouping custom audiences, helping businesses get to know their audience more and improve their marketing plans.

Potential Problems During GA4 migration

• Data Stream Adjustment: Discontinuity between GA4’s data model and former Google Analytics versions is one potential problem. Rethinking is needed to make sure that conversions are attributed only where they should be counted–whether coming from online or offline channels–and that people’s actual clicking behavior on your website gets logged accurately too.
• Learner Needs for New Features: GA4 brings in new ways of collecting and analyzing data. Familiar teams will have to learn how to take advantage of the Enriched E-setup as well as updated traffic sources, so on-site education is essential if they’re going be able carry out analysis initiatives correctly.
• Correspondence with Tools Currently in Use: Data Studio users working at organizations like these could find it difficult to adapt when the integration process goes live, as they suddenly have to think about how to get GA4 to function in their Ecosystem. At this stage that is crucial for speedily turning raw data into actionable insights on which people can act and make decisions
• Preserving Data Quality: As companies move their data to GA4, data quality is the primary concern. To make a smooth change, it’s key to be able to move back and forth between old and new data easily. This means we need to keep a close eye on where and why we make certain choices using data analysis.
• Final Test of Conversion: After fully switching to GA4, it’s super important to test everything well. A lot of businesses struggle to spot problems or end up with helpers who make things worse by overreacting. Even when we try to be as careful and alert as possible, things can get stuck. This is why the people in charge need to really focus on making things better and keeping an eye on the project to help get past these hurdles.

What will happen with old data if not migrated to GA4?

Even though you have had until July 1, 2023 to switch, it is not good to wait for these reasons:

Historical Data Will Be Lost:

Without migrating old data, you will lose access to valuable past data. GA4’s better reporting capabilities and machine learning advanced analysis need historical data as a reference point, in order to make accurate predictions.

Inability to Compare Performance:

Current performance cannot be compared with historical records. The absence of historical data means that you will not be able to compare effectively between progress, trend S and the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Without migrating old data to GA4, these comparisons are absent.

Fragmented Audience Understanding:

Knowing one’s audience is the foundation for pinpointing marketing campaigns and improving the user experience on site. Old data yields information on user behavior, demographics, tastes, and more. In the absence of migration to GA4, this give you only a partial understanding of your audience.

Incomplete Attribution Analysis:

Attribution analysis helps to identify the customer journey and figure out which touchpoints are essential to conversions. Without transferring old data to GA4, your attribution models are incomplete–the result being incorrect reads on how well various marketing channels and campaigns are actually faring.

Personalization Opportunities Missed:

Personalization in Digital advertising is continuing to gain in importance. Old data holds the information required to give people a user experience and targets audience segments effectively. If you do not move this information onto GA4, then on the one hand losing opportunities for personalizing content and messages should tailor to your audiences preferences for different uses.

Compliance and Regulatory Risks:

There are laws around how user data is stored & handled in different industries and locations. If you don’t move your old data you could get in trouble with these rules – GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) to name just two. Such regulations tend to require businesses to store user data securely, including historical analytics data. This is to ensure both privacy and protection of information against attacks, minimize risk from keeping unnecessarily large amounts of data on hand and be meet current data protection laws and regulations simultaneously.

Missed Opportunities for Insights and Innovation:

Historical data contains valuable insights which can lead to innovation and company growth. By moving old data into GA4, not only do you save these insights but new features and functions become accessible which further enhance your analytics and open up new opportunities for innovation. Omit it and you’ll have lost profitable insights needed for strategic decisions and business development, plus you will miss access to advanced machine learning techniques and innovative ways of handling data–a tremendous waste of potential.

Also, learning is key. GA4 needs you to learn new skills because it’s a different technology. Starting early helps you feel confident in dealing with GA4’s details.

The Usual Duration of a GA4 Migration

Depending on various factors such as the size of the website and organizational level of customization required, a GA4 migration may last from several weeks into months. For example, small businesses with simple tracking requirements prior to GA4 can complete it in less than one month. But for more complex organizations with data setups and high levels of customization functionality taking considerable time in advance to plan how they are going to do this conversion.

However, enterprises should mark sufficient resources and allocate competent personnel who can effectively manage the entire migration process from an earlier version of Google Analytics to GA4. The key to success with this is data quality and accuracy during migration. In its entirety pre-installations of GA4 carry benefits for user behavior analysis, sales tracking and all other major metrics involved in getting the job done properly.

GA4 migration & Implementation Solutions By Our Web Analytics Experts

Our team of web analytics experts specializes in seamless GA4 migration and implementation solutions, ensuring your website’s analytics transition is smooth and effective. With our expertise, we guarantee a hassle-free upgrade to Google Analytics 4, optimizing your data tracking and analysis for enhanced performance and insights.

Our Services

Google Analytics Property Set-Up

Get your migration plan started by setting up a Google Analytics 4 property. Our experts will help you to configure and deploy tracking codes so that accurate data is tracked on your website.

Google Analytics Audit

Our team provide with Google Analytics 4 audit to double-check it tracks your website properly + we provide suggestions in what data we can track that is helpful to your business.

Setting Custom Audiences

Segment your data by using GA4’s custom tracking feature for targeted marketing campaigns. Our team is able to build tailored audience segments, helping you maximize marketing efficiency.

Setting up GA4 Conversions

In GA4, set up conversion tracking is needed to measure the success of a campaign. We will guide you through implementing this important feature for making resource allocation decisions based on solid information.

Customize Data Retention for User and Event

With GA4 migration, you have full command over data retention policies. We will tailor retention periods to suit your business requirements, with expert guidance through regulations.

Integrating Google Signals

Integrate Google Signals into GA4 Analytics to leverage data throughout every phase of the marketing funnel. Our experts help streamline integration so that the results are richer campaign strategies and better conversion rates, including all this new data!

Google Ads Integration

Link GA4 to Google Ads to track data accurately in the post-migration phase. We specialize in this integration so that no essential ad metrics are missed.

Cross-Domain User Tracking

Turn on cross-domain tracking in GA4, so you can follow across domains the paths of individual users. Enabling cross-domain analytics takes our team of experts.

Ecommerce Tracking Using Google Tag Manager

Coordinate Google Tag Manager with GA4 for smooth ecommerce data collection. We help you use Tag Manager to improve your overall ecommerce tracking and to give visual, easy-to-understand data visualization displays.

Event-Scoped Custom Dimensions

Deploy event-based custom dimensions to get different perspectives which can provide great value. We make the arrangements to start it up from zero, so that you can focus on following those critical events also key to your business.

Designing Custom Event Triggers

Create your own unique Web site event trigger sensors. By providing you with important data omitted from previous analysis, our experts will increase the value of your future analysis.

Migration Process from GA3 (Universal Analytics) to GA4

With confidence and efficiency, move from GA3 to GA4. Let our migration experts lead you through the transference process, assuring that no history of customer data is lost and Analytics’ view remain unchanged.

Contact Us

Want to take your business to the next level? Contact us and explore our services! Whether it’s getting machine learning to work for you, pumping new power into your marketing campaigns with Google Ads, or realizing the full potential of Google Analytics ‘ newly introduced features, we make this and much more happen for clients like you. Don’t miss the chance to improve your data tracking, conduct advanced analyses and painlessly transition to the latest analytics technologies.