If you use Google Analytics to track data on your website or apps, you may have heard about significant upcoming changes. Google Universal Analytics (UA) is set to sunset on July 1, 2023, so it’s time for businesses to start planning their migration to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). While the transition may seem daunting, there are a few things businesses can do to make it easier.
One way to simplify the migration process is to use a customer data platform (CDP) like DataS. A CDP can help businesses centralize their data, transform it for GA4, and route it to multiple destinations, including GA4, without modifying their code.
In this article, we’ll answer the top five questions about migrating from UA to GA4, and explain how DataS can help.
Question 1: Will Google switch my account automatically from Google Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4?
No. Google wants users to move to their newer system, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), but they won’t do it for you automatically. GA4 works a bit differently than UA behind the scenes. It also has some new tools that UA doesn’t have.
Because of these changes, GA4 requires setting up separately from scratch. Google won’t copy your old UA data or settings into GA4 for you. You need to take action yourself to put GA4 in place and transfer what you need.
How DataS can help: DataS CDP can help you automate the migration process by generating GA4 tracking code and configuring data mapping and routing. This can save you time and effort, and help ensure a smooth transition to GA4.
Question 2: What are the key differences between Segment’s GA4 Web vs. GA4 Device mode integrations?
The main differences between GA4 Web and GA4 Device mode integrations are:
- GA4 Web: Tracking features and requests specifically designed for web analytics. Extensive, specific user data can be sent, such as demographics and location.
- GA4 Device: Tracking features and requests specifically designed for mobile and other device app analytics. Specific device data can be sent, such as device type, operating system, and app version.
- Combined Web + Cloud: Leverage the strengths of both modes, benefit from cross-platform insights, and access the complete analytics capabilities available in GA4.
How DataS can help: DataS supports all three GA4 integrations, so you can choose the mode that best meets your needs. DataS also provides features to help you unify data from multiple sources, including web and mobile apps, into a single view. This can help you get a more complete understanding of your customers and their interactions with your brand.
Question 3: How to minimize inconsistency in reporting between UA and GA4?
Here are some tips for minimizing discrepancies between Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) reporting:
- Data Model Differences: Be aware of how metrics are calculated differently between the session-based UA model and the event-based GA4 model. Familiarize yourself with each data model, so you’re not surprised by differences.
- Consistent Tagging: Ensure the same events and parameters are sent to both UA and GA4 using a centralized tag manager. Consistent tagging will align the data collected.
- Event Mapping: Map your existing UA tags to equivalent GA4 events, so related metrics continue to flow properly between both systems.
- Cross-Check Reports: Periodically compare reports in UA and GA4 as you migrate to identify any variances early. This helps pinpoint needed tag adjustments.
- Test in Stages: Gradually transition a portion of your traffic to GA4 first while maintaining your UA setup. This allows side-by-side validation and fixes issues before full migration.
- Custom Dimensions: Translate any custom dimensions used in UA over to GA4 as custom parameters to preserve dimension-level filtering and segmentation.
- Time Lag Allowance: Realize GA4 reports may lag slightly behind UA initially as data pipelines adjust to processing the new event-based model.
How DataS can help: DataS can help you minimize discrepancies in reporting between UA and GA4 by:
- Transforming your UA data to match the GA4 data model: DataS provides data transformation capabilities to help you convert your UA data to the GA4 data model. This ensures that your data is consistent across both platforms, leading to more accurate and comparable reporting.
- Ensuring consistent tagging: DataS provides a unified tagging system that allows you to manage your tags for UA and GA4 from a single place. This helps ensure that your tags are consistent across both platforms, reducing the risk of discrepancies in reporting.
Question 4: Do I need to reset all tags in GA4?
Whether or not you need to reset all of your tags in GA4 depends on a few factors, including your tagging approach, tag configuration, and whether you’re using enhanced tracking capabilities or custom dimensions and metrics.
- Tagging approach: UA uses a pageview-based tracking approach, while GA4 uses an event-based approach. If you’re using a pageview-based tagging approach in UA, you’ll need to update your tagging to align with the event-based model in GA4.
- Tag configuration: Review your existing UA tags and consider how they should be mapped to GA4 events and parameters. While some tags may require adjustment or customization, others may have similar counterparts in GA4.
- Enhanced tracking capabilities and custom dimensions and metrics: GA4 offers enhanced tracking capabilities and custom dimensions and metrics compared to UA. If you’re using these features in UA, you’ll need to update your tagging accordingly to capture the same data in GA4.
How DataS can help: DataS CDP can help you update your tagging approach for GA4 by:
- Providing pre-built event templates: DataS CDP provides pre-built event templates for common user interactions, such as page views, button clicks, and product purchases. These templates can help you get started with GA4 tagging quickly and easily.
- Supporting custom events: DataS CDP also supports custom events, so you can track any user interaction that is important to your business.
Question 5: What are the key advantages of sending customer information to DataS first before sharing it with Google Analytics 4?
The biggest pluses of moving your customer data through DataS initially before putting it into GA4 include:
- Data Hygiene – DataS allows you to clean, standardize, and validate your data to ensure it’s organized and structured properly for downstream tools like GA4. This results in higher-quality analytics.
- Centralization – By collecting all your customer data in one place, DataS acts as a centralized hub. This consolidates user identities and behaviors for a complete view in GA4.
- Enrichment – DataS enlarges your core data with additional sources to create enriched customer profiles. GA4 gains a stronger set of attributes for segmentation.
- Real-time Activation – Leverage organizational intelligence immediately with DataS. Build audiences and trigger GA4 events/remarketing at the individual level in real time.
- Simplified Integration – Once connected, DataS handles routing attributes to all your tools seamlessly in the background. No need to integrate directly with each platform.
- Governance – DataS maintains compliance and consent policies like data access, retention, and suppression to keep data risk-free for GA4 utilization.
- Portability – Switch tools like GA4 without disrupting your data infrastructure thanks to DataS as the single source of truth. Futureproofs your analytics.
- Deeper Insights – GA4 reaps the benefits of a clean, complete, and timely customer view enriched by tools only available through DataS’ CDP capabilities.