The time to migrate Universal Analytics to GA4 is approaching fast. In this blog post, I will provide you with the information you need to make this migration a success.
Note: Univeral Analytics also called UA is the old version of Free Google Analytics.
What does migrating UA to GA4 means
When you migrate to GA4 from UA, you are migrating to an entirely new tool. GA4 has a different data model, different reports, different way of calculating sessions, and a few other metrics. So when you migrate keep that in mind.
I highly recommend that you take a course in GA4 before migrating to it. That will ensure that when you migrate you have a clear understanding of GA4 which will make it easy for you to understand the various options.
Here is a link to a course that might consider, Google Analytics 4 - Zero to Hero.
This course covers all the aspects of GA4 i.e. Data Model, Reports, Analysis, Administration, and Setup.
2 Options for migrating to GA4
- Using GA4 Setup Assistant
- Manually Creating a new GA4 account
Let's take a look at how these work
Using GA4 Setup Assistant to Migrate existing UA to GA4
This feature is available n the admin panel under the property section.
Click on GA4 Setup Assistant, which will ask you to Create a new GA4 account.
Clicking on the "Get Started" button. Which will open up a wizard that will:
- Create a GA4 property - Don't worry about your old UA property as that will remain as is.
- Copy basic settings from your UA property to GA4. After your new property is created, you will be able to configure anything you want in it.
- Turn on enhanced measurement to measure interactions with your content.
- Let you set up a website tag to start collecting the data. You will be able to use one of the existing tags or create a new tag.
Once you finish the above task, you will have to be taken to a screen that will allow you to import Events, Custom Dimensions, etc. from UA to the new GA4 property. At this point, you can pick and choose the ones you want in the GA4 property.
Manually Creating a new GA4 account
If your existing Univeral Analytics property is in a mess then you might want to start fresh by creating a brand-new GA4 property. In that case, you are not migrating your existing property but creating one from the beginning.
Use this time to rethink your business goals, site goals, tracking requirements, etc.
Need help in migrating Univeral Analytics to Google Analytics 4?
We are here to help you with all your Google Analytics needs. Our team can get you up and running in no time and also train you and your team to save you a lot of time so that you can focus on driving the business outcomes rather than configuring Google Analytics 4.
Consulting - Reach out to us for more details.
Online Course - If you want to learn on your own then check out Google Analytics 4 Masterclass
Workshop - We conduct the onsite customized workshop. Reach out to us for more details.