A Guide to GA4 - Here’s What You Need to Know
Update (June 28, 2023)
GA4 Goes Live on July 1st!
The much-anticipated switch from Universal Analytics to GA4 is happening on July 1st, 2023. We anticipate everyone should have made the switch to GA4 by July 1st. However, if you don't complete your GA4 setup before July 1, 2023, Google will automatically configure your account based on your original property.
See a guide on how to set up your GA4 property
The SHE Media Dashboard and GA4
SHE Media has both UA and GA4 trackers embedded in our ad code. The data on the SHE Media dashboard is tied to SHE Media's trackers and so publishers do not have to do anything in regard to their dashboard. When the switch to GA4 happens, it will be seamless on the SHE Media publisher dashboard and will display both historical data as well as newly accrued information.
Understanding GA4
We've created an extensive guide on how to navigate the GA4 platform, create a dashboard, understand the data, and get familiar with the new interface. See A Guide to GA4 for Publishers and Bloggers
Tip: Before July 1st, download your UA data. It is not compulsory to do so but we recommend you download your data from at least the last year so you can refer back to it when needed. Go to Behaviour Flow > All pages> Select date range> Export
Update (Feb 16, 2023): As of February 2023, Google has started recommending that publishers make the switch to Google Analytics 4. Switching now will give you the opportunity to customize your setup. See how you can make the switch here.
As you might have heard, Google will release a brand new reporting suite called Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in 2023. This product will be released for you on Jul 1st, 2023, after which the existing Google Analytics will stop processing new traffic.
Currently, if you log into your Google Analytics, you would likely see this message in a banner:
“Universal Analytics will no longer process new data beginning July 1, 2023. Analytics 360 properties will receive a one-time processing extension ending October 1, 2023. Prepare now by setting up and switching over to a Google Analytics 4 property.”
(August 2022)
What is Google Analytics Property 4 (GA4)?
GA4 is the fourth and newest version of the Google Analytics platform. According to Google, GA4 is “designed for the future of measurement”. Here are the major things you should know about this new GA4
GA4 will integrate data from both mobile apps and website usage into one property.
This new version will discontinue certain reports, so some reports that users currently use will not be present. Instead, users can recreate these in the new “Explore” feature within GA4 or by connecting their GA4 to Data Studio.
GA4 tracks users that are actively viewing the site, so the total Users in GA4 will be lower than Universal Analytics.
GA4 will use Engagement Rate instead of Bounce Rate and tracks Events instead of Goals.
GA4 will reduce the reliance on cookies.
Should Publishers Start Using GA4 Now?
Before deciding to start using GA4 or not, it is important to know that the current Google Universal Analytics (UA) is still the standard and go-to reporting platform to use. The GA4 product is still under development, so will see continued changes and still has some issues to iron out. In addition, GA4 is not yet supported by other platforms including your SHE Media Dashboard. Switching now would affect the accuracy of your data and thus could adversely affect your revenue.
We advise our publishers to continue using the current universal analytics. However, you can choose to set up GA4 now and have it running and collecting data. Publishers who decide to set up their GA4 now should still use Universal Analytics property as their primary, so their reports match what’s on the SHE Media Dashboard. GA4 will be missing historical data so setting up this new version means you begin with a clean slate. The sooner you set up your GA4 property, the more history you’ll have. Your historical data is maintained in the Universal Analytics property, but you have to switch between the two versions to see it, and Universal Analytics will likely be shut off in 2024.
So How Can You Prepare?
Right now, you can start backing up your Universal Analytics GA data by exporting monthly reports to capture 12 months of data leading up to the switch in 2023. This will ensure you keep access to pertinent historical reports when Universal Analytics is shut off in the future.
You may also begin setting up a GA4 property so that it starts collecting data now that you can use for comparisons when the time comes to switch next July. Here is a guide by Google on how to set it up.
Publishers who decide to set up their GA4 now should still use Universal Analytics property as the go-to source of truth for all GA reporting.
As of February 2023, Google has started recommending that publishers make the switch to Google Analytics 4. Switching now will give you the opportunity to customize your setup. See how you can make the switch here.
How is SHE Media Preparing?
We want to reassure our publishers that we are working behind the scenes to plan for this migration and ensure there is no impact on your revenue and reports on the SHE Dashboard. We will alert our publishers when it’s time to rely on GA4 as the primary reporting platform. We are continuing to prepare alongside the entire digital advertising industry for GA4 and we will provide you with the support, resources, and training you need to migrate to GA4 successfully. We will also provide continued training and educational materials on the new analytics experience.
While GA4 might seem intimidating and a big change, it is the future of analytics, so we will ensure all our publishers are prepared and well-trained for it. However, the industry standard hasn’t changed and won’t change till next year.