Observed Signal · Jul 18, 2022 · Deprecation · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Google Analytics 4 Migration: Marketers Urged to Prepare
Google will retire Universal Analytics (UA) in July 2023, replacing it with Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a fundamentally different system that does not merge with legacy data. GA4 is designed to be more privacy-compliant, dropping default IP logging and offering event-based, cross-device tracking for authenticated users. Experts from Refactored and Conductor advise companies to set up GA4 immediately to build a year of historical data before UA stops collecting. They emphasize auditing existing UA configurations, adapting to a new reporting interface, and preparing for the loss of historical data. The transition requires significant re-training and custom report building, but offers more flexible, user-centric measurement aligned with modern privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
Google's retirement of Universal Analytics forces all digital marketers to migrate to GA4, fundamentally changing web analytics data collection, privacy compliance, and reporting practices across the industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Google will retire Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023, with GA4 taking over.
- GA4 does not log IP addresses by default, aiming for better GDPR and CCPA compliance.
- GA4 supports event-based tracking and cross-device user tracking for logged-in users.
- UA and GA4 data cannot be merged, and historical data in legacy UA accounts is only available temporarily after retirement.
- Refactored set July 1, 2022 as its internal goal for client account transitions.
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“On July 23, 2023, Google will officially retire Universal Analytics as Google Analytics 4 (GA4) takes the reigns....”
“SEO Manager for Conductor, a marketing platform for enterprise SEO, content and web teams, Lauren Carel......”
“Consistently listed as the top web analytics service by numerous outlets, including Gartner Peer Insights......”
“...including Gartner Peer Insights, W3Techs and Datanyze......”
“In May, a McKinsey & Company survey revealed that omnichannel shopping is becoming the norm......”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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