How to migrate from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4): A definitive guide

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Paras Pandya

March 17, 202 3

Digital Marketing

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Google Analytics, released in 2005 after the company acquired Urchin, which was formed in 1998, has become an essential tool for any digital marketer. By the end of 2011, we were using Universal Analytics (UA), a rebranding of Google Analytics. With gtag.js, Google paves the way for data to be transmitted to Google Ads and the Google Marketing Platform. Google introduced Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2020 as the updated tracking protocol for new GA properties. From July 1, 2023, UA will no longer gather further information about your website or app. And after January 1, 2024, Google Analytics may no longer include UA reports, containing all your historical data. Hence, GA4 migration is now inevitable.

Create And Launch Your GA4 Property In Your Analytics Account

The GA4 Setup Assistance will not affe c t your Universal Analytics property. It will create the new property and let you reuse parts of the Universal Analytics property’s parameters (but not all). Your GA4 property will only begin recording tr affi c data fr om the moment you create it, as properties will no longer be able to import past data from UA. So, the sooner it is created, the sooner data will begin populating the GA4 attribute. Create a new property under the Property heading in the Account column. Following this, choose your business’s industry and size before completing the creation process. For GA4 to generate reliable results, you need three to six weeks, depending on your site’s popularity. Data fr om UA and GA4 may appear to be inconsistent at times. The reason is GA4 employs a novel method of increased event measurement in its data collection.

Add A Data Stream

To add a new data stream, select Data Streams under Properties. In contrast to UA, GA4 properties can accept and consolidate tracking data from mobile and web via separate data streams.

Set Up Data Collection For Websites

You must implement the Google tag on your web pages before you can begin viewing data in your new GA4 property. Insert your G-ID into the Google Analytics field on Google Sites. When you access the Data Streams, your G-ID will be displayed in the top right corner.

Activa te Google Signa ls

Advertisements for cross-device remarketing campaigns can be served to audiences built in GA4 and uploaded to Google Ads so long as Google signals are turned on. Ads Personalization allows Google to display these ads to users who have opted into the service.

Make A List Of Your Essential Items A new analytics property will not take on any pre-existing UA property’s tracking items (such as goals or events). After making your list, you can select what to keep and discard and where new monitoring items, such as events, goals, etc., are needed. Goals are created in each reporting view. If you want to retain goals from reporting views in GA4, you’ll need to list and recreate them manually. You can only track 30 conversions per property in GA4, like how UA reporting views only let you track 20 goals per reporting view. Note which of your existing goals are “non-event” goals (such as destination-based goals) so that you can adjust your tracking method accordingly.

Migrate Individual Items To GA4 After establishing the account, the next step is to take measurements. Given the significant differences between the GA4 event and the UA models, careful preparation is required for this stage. To avoid duplicating effo rt in GA4, document your UA events first. Identifying your company’s most important UA events is a crucial first step in moving them to GA4. While upgrading fr om Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 may be time-consuming, the advantages are well worth the effort. Also, GA4 is continually evolving. Therefore, it’s essential to quickly respond to new developments and adjust accordingly.