Google recently announced they would sunset Universal Analytics (GA3) in 2023 and focus on Google Analytics 4 (GA4). As many sites still rely on GA3 to measure website traffic, there’s been a fair bit of concern about what this will mean. In this post, we will run through how to transition and why.
Do I Have To Switch Now?
Technically, no. However, since historical data is not going to be transferred from GA3 to GA4, it’s best to setup a GA4 property as soon as possible to begin collecting data.
Are Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 the Same?
No, not at all! New features are still being added, and the list of differences seems to be ever-growing. What you will immediately notice is that the user interface is completely different. Add to that, the navigation has changed and the way reports are setup are new as well.
Plan to need some training as this is not a simple upgrade.
The Data Has Changed
GA4 tracking is very much focused on events, where GA3 was focused on page views. This means you can track things like user clicks, scrolling, file downloads, but you’re going to have to update how your website is delivering the information to Google.
You also now have access to new metrics like Engaged Sessions and these come with fresh new reports.
For those of us who have focused on Goals in the past, you will find these replaced with Conversion Events. If your goals were set around page views, purchases, or file downloads, you will need to make changes to ensure the Conversion Event is tracked in GA4.
If you use Google Ads, and have a connected account, there are new ways to analyze your data with increased attention to data based attribution.
No. This is why we suggest you setup your new property now. As we hope you have a website for your podcast, it’s important to track your visitor metrics, along with your downloads.
Did you attend our recent workshop ‘Grants for Podcasts Made Easy’ hosted by Ti King? This is the worksheet referenced in the webinar and available for download!