Do Not Ditch
Universal Analytics
Unless you’re
completely new to Google Analytics, do not ditch your Universal
Analytics property. If you have Universal Analytics installed on your
website and you’re familiar with the reporting functionality in
Universal Analytics, then there is no reason to stop using it.
This is a key
difference from when Microsoft changed to their ribbon layout. Google
is not forcing you to use Google Analytics 4. Yes, the writing is on
the wall and you will eventually have to learn Google Analytics 4 in
the future. However, for likely all of 2021 you can continue to use the
familiar reporting in Universal Analytics.
I repeat, don’t make
your life harder than it has to be… continue to use your Universal
Analytics property and all the historical data that’s in it.
Now, with that said,
you can’t just stick your head in the sand and completely ignore Google
Analytics 4. We know Google is no longer investing in Universal
Analytics, which means you’ll have to install and learn Google
Analytics 4 whether you like it or not…
The first step is easy
and I urge you to do this today while it’s top of mind.
Install Google
Analytics 4 Today
There’s really no
reason to wait.
The sooner you install
Google Analytics 4, the sooner you’ll start collecting data in the new
property. And the more data you have in your new property, the easier
it’ll be to learn your way around all the new reporting tools.
To install Google
Analytics 4 inside your existing Google Analytics account, click here and follow the
instructions. Similar to Universal Analytics, you’ll have to
install a small snippet of Javascript on every page of your website.
Once the code is on
your website, then data will start flowing into your new Google
Analytics 4 property. Again, you don’t have to rely on the new reports
inside Google Analytics 4, but you should set aside some time each
month to get yourself familiar with it.
Next, it’s important to
understand a key difference in Conversion, or Goal, tracking in Google
Analytics 4 versus Universal Analytics.
How to Track
Conversions in Google Analytics 4
In Universal Analytics,
there is an Admin area to set up a limited number of Goals that you
would like to track as conversions. For example, you may have a Goal
for when visitors request a quote or when someone clicks to call you
from their mobile phone.
In Google Analytics 4,
there is no admin area to set up Goals. Instead, by default, Google
Analytics 4 tracks everything as an Event. For example, page views are
events, clicks on links are events, video plays are events, etc.
This is actually a nice
improvement because right out of the box Google Analytics will start
tracking important activity on your website. Previously, you would need
to add custom code to your website or use Google Tag Manager to set up
custom events.
So instead of setting
up Goals in the admin area of Universal Analytics, you’ll set up
Conversions inside the reporting area of Google Analytics 4. Click here for instructions
to set up Conversions using Events. It’s worth the time and
effort to get familiar with events and conversions because this is how
you’ll track the monitor important activity on your website like quote
requests, purchases, and phone calls.
Trust me, I feel your
pain as well. I’m very comfortable navigating Universal Analytics and I
feel like a fish out of water inside Google Analytics 4. But we have
plenty of time to learn this new, powerful tool.
Don’t wait, install
Google Analytics 4 today. You’ll thank me later!
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