You Need to Transition to Google Analytics 4 Now !
You Need to Transition to Google Analytics 4 Now !
When Universal Analytics sunsets next year, you’ll need to rely solely on Google Analytics 4 data for seamless year over year analysis. With a deprecation date as early as July 2023 (in 4 Months!) for standard UA users, that means you’ll want to have GA4 implemented, collecting data, and ideally validated through quality assurance as soon as possible. While year over year data is critical for all industries, the timing will be especially important for retail businesses, whose busiest months of 2023 will occur mere weeks after the forced transition date.
Train GA4’s Machine Learning Algorithms
Some of the major benefits afforded by GA4, like audience creation and attribution modelling, rely on machine learning. In order for machine learning and automation to be effective, the algorithm needs time to – you guessed it – learn. The sooner you set up GA4, the longer your models will have to train and learn before you need to rely on their outputs for key business processes and decisioning.
Transition Reporting and Train Team Members on GA4
The reports and processes that you currently have established won’t simply transition to GA4 – they’ll need to be rebuilt. Similarly, anyone using GA4 will need time to learn the new vernacular, the new user interface (UI), and updated capabilities. While the GA4 demo account can provide valuable education, it can’t fully replace the value you get from experimenting within your own properties.
By implementing GA4 now, you can play with the interface and transition your processes and reporting with the safety net of Universal Analytics still available.
Implement Dual Tagging Across GA4 and UA
Setting up dual tagging is a critical step for achieving some of the benefits discussed above. Dual tagging will allow you to start collecting and processing data so it’s available for reporting and analysis by the time UA is deprecated.
Evaluate Your Current Google Analytics Implementation to Inform Your Ideal GA4 Implementation
This transition presents an opportunity to fine-tune your current Analytics implementation, removing and adding the right elements to help GA4 empower your team to make critical business decisions. During this stage, you should meet with stakeholders to assess and document the current status of your implementation and answer the following questions:
What parts of the current implementation should be migrated?
What parts should be left behind?
What gaps exist in terms of compliance with best practices?
What gaps exist in our ability to answer key business questions?
What integrations are needed?