When will Universal Analytics disappear completely?
– July 1, 2023 for Universal Analytics Google has announced a date of July 1, 2023 for the permanent end of Universal Analytics properties. On this date, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali the properties will stop collecting the various website traffic data.
– October 1, 2023 for Universal Analytics 360
For Universal Analytics 360 properties the date is pushed back to October 1, 2023.
Yes, we know, it sounds horrible but you still have several months to get used to this idea and go slowly to Google Analytics 4.
In concrete terms , the end of UA ownership implies for you:
– End of data collection
The end of Google Universal Analytics means that if your website still has a UA-XXXXXXXXX-X tracking tag then you will no longer see any data displayed from July 1, 2023.
To continue to collect statistical data on your website, you will then need to integrate the new GA4 tracking tag.
– The export of your history
Your website’s traffic history will remain accessible on the platform for “at least 6 months” after the end of the Analytics properties.
Well, we can already see you panicking at the idea of losing all your performance data, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali but don’t worry , Google has everything planned to allow you to keep this data over the long term.
The platform allows you to export this data in several formats:
– CSV
– TSV
– TSV for Excel
– Excel (XLSX)
– Google Sheets
– PDF
– Export data using Google Analytics Reporting API
– BiqQuery (for Universal Analytics 360)
So yes, it won’t be the same as all the beautiful graphs you see now, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali but you can always anticipate by exporting quantified and illustrated reports via Google Data Studio for each of your strategic periods.
– Integration of the new tracking code
As you have probably understood, if you do not integrate the new GA4 tracking code into your website you will no longer be able to collect data from July 2023.
You have to face the facts, times are changing and Google Analytics has developed this new data collection system to allow you to better understand the user experience of your visitors and to analyze your conversion funnels more precisely.
Why is it hard to say goodbye?
First of all the human mind does not like change and the first instinctive reaction is always resistance! You may still be at this stage and it doesn’t matter, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali we will accompany you in your grief and help you accept a future with Google Analytics 4!
– What you liked about Universal Analytics
When a story ends we always tend to remember the best moments . So here are some things you’re probably going to miss.
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A clear interface and easy navigation
Universal Analytics’ data model is session -based, i.e. the platform records a user’s various interactions on the website over a given period of time.
You’ve been used to consulting the different types of reports for more than 10 years : audience, acquisition, behavior and conversions. You have easy and quick access to the various graphs and tables that you want to analyze.
And yes, it’s not a small change and it will totally change the way you analyze your data.
– What you will surely not miss in Universal Analytics
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Unable to track users across multiple platforms
In case you forgot, Universal Analytics doesn’t allow you to track your users’ traffic across multiple platforms today and that’s annoying. You cannot measure data related to your PWA or app and analyze offline conversion data.
And you know what ? With GA4 it is possible!
Why in the end is GA4 better?
We’re not going to hide it from you, the transition may be difficult! You need to drop all your old habits and switch to an event-based method of analysis.
And we promise you that if you make a little effort to hang on to this new platform you will see everything it has to offer:
– A better vision of the user experience on your site
Thanks to its event-based data collection, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali GA4 allows you to follow the user journey of your visitors more precisely. You will be able to follow the different interactions of your users with your site and on all the platforms and types of device used.
– Automatic tracking of several events
With Universal Analytics unless you set them manually , you couldn’t track events like scrolling, clicking, or watching a video.
Thanks to Google Analytics 4 it is possible ! Several key events are predefined and available without having to configure them! This gives you a better analysis of what your visitors are doing on your site and how they are interacting with your content.
– Predictive information and operation adapted to the end of cookies
Thanks to a modeling system GA4 is able to fill the gaps related to a lack of data. In a planned future “without third-party cookies” Google Analytics 4 adapts and offers targeted data without necessarily having to use cookies.
Slowly mourn Universal Analytics
– Gradually upgrade to GA4
If you’re not ready to give up Universal Analytics overnight, Digital Marketing Agency Mohali don’t worry! You can do this gradually by setting up a GA4 property in your Analytics account now and enabling data binding from your UA tag.
It’s very simple you just have to go to the settings and follow the GA4 configuration wizard.