Universal Analytics Sunset: What Does it Mean and How Perform^[cb] is Preparing Our Clients

Given the ever-evolving measurement standards in today’s world, businesses need innovative solutions to manage their advertising data in order to completely understand their customers. On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics will stop processing new hits and will be replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google’s improved measurement solution.

While July 2023 feels a long way off, without proper preparation, you run the risk of losing valuable consumer insights. So why delay the transition? Make your move to GA4 now to ensure you have the time and resources to accumulate your historical data before the sunset of Universal Analytics. How are you preparing for the transition? Learn how Perform^[cb] is ensuring our clients are set for success. 

What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is Google’s solution for measurement without cookie tracking. Universal Analytics was designed in a time when desktops dominated – GA4 is suited for today’s digital world, where consumer shopping and search behavior continues to shift to mobile-first.

Take a peek at just a few of the benefits you can expect when making the switch to GA4:

• See More of the User Journey – With a stronger emphasis on users and their interactions, you get a complete view of the customer lifecycle with an event-based measurement model that allows more intelligent tracking.
• Stronger Focus on User Engagement – Analyze the full impact of your marketing across the user journey. Google has aligned reports with the customer journey, making it more intuitive to understand engagement and even use AI to predict customers’ actions.
• Keep Compliance in Mind – Google’s new approach gives you precise control over what personal user data is collected to adapt to a cookie-less future where privacy is top of mind.
• Predictive Metrics – Machine learning generates sophisticated predictive insights about user behavior and conversions, creating new audiences of users to build highly targeted campaigns.
• Cross-Platform Tracking – Get a complete view of engagement across your platforms without having to bounce back and forth. Expanded integrations with other Google products, like Google Ads, make it easy to use GA4 insights to optimize your campaigns.

Learn more about how GA4 can strengthen your marketing measurement!

How Can You Prepare?

The most valuable way to set yourself up for this transition is to communicate early on with your paid media team. While you can continue collecting new data in Universal Analytics until July 1, 2023, it is strongly advised to make the change sooner rather than later. This will give you plenty of time to revisit your acquisition strategies, make sure reporting is up to date, and tackle any tracking kinks to ensure you are a GA4 expert by the time Universal Analytics has said its goodbyes. After this date, you will be able to access your old data in Universal Analytics for at least six months, but it’s better to be ahead than rushing to garner insights from the historical data before it disappears.

While the date for the complete sunset of UA is yet to be determined, Google does plan to completely sunset Universal Analytics at some point. On this date, users will no longer be able to see their Universal Analytics reports or access their data. We know how important it is to have a data-driven strategy, which is why we strongly encourage you to take action now, export your historical reports, and work with a media team you can rely on. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Perform^[cb]’s expert media services team today.

How is Perform^[cb] Ensuring Client Success?

So what is Perform^[cb] doing about this and how does it impact our clients? GA4 tracking runs parallel to, and does not integrate directly with, our platform, so there is no concern there. However, if a marketer does not upgrade to GA4, then on July 1, 2023, GA4 will stop showing any traffic for them, including traffic we are sending to them, which may cause some confusion or panic.

To get ahead of this, our account management team is working closely with all marketers and partners, offering support and resources to ensure they aren’t left in the dark when it comes to GA4. With the help of our expert media services team, Perform^[cb] is able to provide answers to any concerns surrounding conversion tracking, user targeting, and transparent reporting. Learn more about Google’s detailed recommendations to handle the GA4 transition. This is just one example of how the Perform[cb] team holistically supports our marketers.

Ready to take your brand’s customer acquisition strategy to the next level with an expert media team that truly cares? Reach out to Perform^[cb]’s data-driven team today.