Your Google Analytics account will sunset next year. Are you ready?
The original Google Analytics, or Universal Analytics as it’s also known, is going away. Google introduced a new way to measure cross-platform engagement back in 2019, and the time has come to move to this new measuring platform called GA4.
With increasing changes to data measurement (aka a cookie-less future), Google announced it will sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023.
What can you do? Start by upgrading to GA4 today. Seriously. Upgrading now will ensure you can generate critical year-over-year reports once Universal Analytics is gone. Delay in switching to GA4 will compromise your future reporting capabilities.
What does this mean to you and your original Universal Analytics account?
Your existing Google Analytics account will not track hits past the sunset date. In order to have a seamless transition, it is imperative to upgrade to GA4 as soon as possible.
The new tracking service, GA4, combines the user journey across several platforms like websites and apps. The improvements don’t end there. With AI capabilities, a new level of insight is available with predictive analytics.
Here are the top 5 benefits of the new GA4
1. Multi-platform tracking: Now, you can track mobile app and website usage data in a single platform view. GA4 allows you to combine these two data sets for a sophisticated and collected view, unlike Universal. Don’t have an app? No problem. You can add it down the road or continue like usual.
2. Touchpoint measurements: Previously, analytics were based on sessions. In GA4 they’re based on events, and with that comes the ability to track page scrolls, video engagement, clicks, and much more with a push on customization.
3. Automated insights: Automatically generated insights using machine learning algorithms are default in GA4. These insights are triggered by unusual changes or new information based upon your interactions in GA4, giving you up-to-date, unique, and new learnings at each login.
4. Integrations: With GA4 under the Google umbrella, take advantage of seamless integration with other Google products like Google Ads, Search Console, and many more.
5. Data without cookies: While GA4 still uses first-party cookies, Google stays ahead of the curve with industry and peer privacy changes. Google Analytics will use a “flexible approach measurement” when cookie data is unavailable. This means analytics will leverage machine learning and fill in any gaps with simulated user data.
Pro-tip: With GA4 reports, you’ll gain more specific insights into how marketing influences engagement and conversions.
Not yet upgraded to GA4? You’re already missing out.
With each passing day, your account is missing out on the time needed to gather cross-platform data to fuel future reports and insights. The sooner you make these connections, the sooner GA4 can start collecting and analyzing your data—allowing for more precise and beneficial recommendations.
Don’t sleep on the 2023 sunset date, now is the time to upgrade to GA4.
Take the leap and upgrade to build the historical data into your GA4 property.
Seem too confusing and complicated? No problem. As a full-service healthcare marketing agency, we can help you! Contact us to upgrade your account and start measuring with Google Analytics 4.
