none
Having a professional WordPress website created
Overview
Written by Anouk van Iersel, 01 September 2022

Google Universal Analytics ends in 2023

The ball is in the court. As of July 1, 2023, we will know Google Universal Analytics only from the history books. The version of Google Analytics will be succeeded by the Google Analytics 4 (better known as GA4) launched in October 2020. The switch had been on the shelves for some time due to a lack of functionality of the old measurement solution, so now it is being replaced permanently.

We have already implemented Google Analytics 4 at as many clients as possible. Indeed, it is important not to wait until after July 1, 2023, since all historical data cannot be recovered. So get ahead of this and convert all your accounts from Universal Analytics to the latest version of Google Analytics

No more hits from July 1, 2023

Universal Analytics was Google’s measurement solution for many years. With the tool, all visitors, clicks and transactions on your website were accurately noted and summarized. Until July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics just keeps doing what it was designed to do, but after that it really stops. Universal Analytics no longer receives new hits which means no data collection insight. Also, historical data cannot be exported after July 1, 2023, so you lose a lot of data and have to start collecting relevant data from scratch again.

Why is Google making this switch?

This switch did not happen overnight. For years, Universal Analytics has served as a reliable measurement solution. Nevertheless, Universal Analytics came under increasing criticism because it simply no longer met the wants and needs set by Internet users anno 2022. Data is becoming more important every year, and more and more needs to be measured. People are no longer content with just numbers of website visitors. A Web site manager wants to see where visitors come from, how they got to the Web site, how they get through the Web site eventually to a conversion and much more. With that in mind, Google Analytics 4 was launched, and there is much more possible there.

What are the differences between Universal Analytics and GA4?

The differences between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 are already apparent at first glance. Indeed, the interface differs greatly from each other. Furthermore, there are many differences of which we highlight a few for you below.

Measurement method

We start with the biggest difference between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4, which is the measurement method. Universal Analytics primarily measures sessions and page views of a website, while Google Analytics measures 4 in events. This means that, for example, sessions and page views, which Universal Analytics thus measures as one, are now measured separately. So events go much deeper into where a visitor comes from, which makes Google Analytics 4 much more precise.

Privacy

We have already written several blogs about privacy. We are becoming increasingly aware of how important privacy is in 2022. Perhaps because people know more and more about us. That’s where Google Analytics 4 came in. One of those changes is that Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses. You can also remove data from your website. This was not possible before. Cookies also no longer play an all-important role in Google Analytics 4. In fact, it is possible for the measurement tool to store anonymous data without cookies.

Desktop and mobile combined

A big reason for the complaints against Universal Analytics was that the measurement tool was set up too much for desktop websites. As the world becomes increasingly mobile and a mobile first strategy prevails for many websites, they can no longer afford this one-sided way of measuring. Google Analytics 4 provides insight into both web and app data. As a result, you won’t miss important data.

Switch to Google Analytics 4 right now

You’re probably reading this blog if you haven’t switched yet. We then have only one piece of advice: don’t wait too long. Universal Analytics only measures until July 1, 2023; however, the data can be viewed for an additional six months. After that, you will no longer have access to Universal Analytics and the data will be permanently deleted. So don’t forget to report and save the report with data. By switching to Google Analytics 4 today, you are already building data in this new way, allowing you to compare it by year later.

Need help? We will help you convert to GA4

Would you like to transfer your collected data to Google Analytics 4, but don’t have the knowledge to do so? Contact us. Then we will ensure that all data is transferred to Google Analytics 4 flawlessly. This way, no data is lost.