As announced by Google, Universal Analytics (GA) will be going away and replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023. According to the official announcement, GA will stop processing new hits from Jul 1, 2023, while Google Analytics 360 stop processing from Oct 1, 2023, which means you cannot collect data after the above-mentioned date. At this point, advertisers can still access the previous data for at least six months.
According to Google, GA4 will be the next-generation measurement solution, assisting us in overcoming the challenges facing today. Below with the official introduction of GA4:
- Collects both website and app data to better understand the customer journey
- Uses events instead of session-based data
- Includes privacy controls such as cookieless measurement, and behavioral and conversion modeling
- Predictive capabilities offer guidance without complex models
- Direct integrations to media platforms help drive actions
Google will provide the future date for GA sunset. After the future date, all GA data will be no longer available to access through the platform or API. So please bear in mind to export your necessary historical data for further review.
If you are not getting ready to use GA4, or are not familiar with the new metrics, let’s have a look at the differences between GA & GA4.
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | Universal Analytics (GA) | |
|---|---|---|
Web Property ID | Measurement ID (Begins with "G". For example, G-ABCD123456) | Tracking ID (Begins with "UA". For example, UA-123456789-1) |
Data Stream | Able to create data stream for both website & App for integration in same property | Must create different views for website & App separately. Integration is not available |
Hit Type | Track "Event" to measure a distinct user interaction on a website/app. For example, loading a page, clicking a link, and completing a purchase. | Track "Hit" to find out an interaction that results in data being sent to Analytics. Common hit types include page tracking hits, event tracking hits, and ecommerce hits. |
Engagement Metric | Measure by "Engagement Rate", the ratio of engaged sessions to total sessions | Measure by "Bounce Rate", the percentage of single-page sessions with no interaction. |
GA4 is already launched for the public, let’s create new Analytics to be ready for the migration. To ensure everything is smooth, we suggest advertisers create new GA4 while reserving existing GA, instead of replacing GA. Still confused about using GA4 to track your online performance?
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