Upcoming Changes for Google Analytics

Google recently announced that they will be sunsetting Universal Analytics (also known as GA3) on July 1, 2023, at which time GA3 will stop pulling in any new data to the standard Google Analytics view that you may be used to. Don’t worry - you aren’t going to lose any historical data just yet, but you may need our help figuring out next steps for your website analytics reporting.

So what does this mean for me? 

Google’s new GA4 data will be structured differently from GA3. If you plan on continuing to track your analytics with Google, our team recommends running both GA3 and GA4 in parallel for as long as possible to understand how their differences are going to impact your website engagement and how your team interprets this kind of reporting. 

Historical data in Google Analytics is important for understanding your users’ behavior throughout different variations and updates to your website, but unfortunately there is no way to migrate it into GA4. If your organization relies on GA3 to measure, analyze and/or report on website performance, we urge you to implement a migration strategy. 

What are my options?

As mentioned, Google will be launching GA4 as an alternative. GA4 places a strong emphasis on the user journey. The interface in GA4 is also very user-centered and incorporates predictive analytics capabilities. When using GA3 or GA4, Google owns your data. The platform is 'free' because they're using your data to monetize their advertising platforms. Your Google Analytics data is tracked, stored and owned by Google, which could pose a threat to the privacy of your website visitors. 

An alternative to GA4 that our team recommends for businesses wishing to keep complete control over their data is Matomo. Matomo serves you with real-time analytics, allowing you to monitor live activity on your site. This tool also offers conversion optimization tools like heatmaps, form analytics, and funnels. Unlike GA4, you will be able to import your historical data into Matomo. And also unlike GA, Matomo will have monthly fees associated with it.

Next Steps

Big changes are on the horizon, and there is a lot of information to take in when making sure that you are making the right decision for your business and your analytics migration strategy. We are here to answer all your questions! If you would like to learn more about GA4 and Matomo or just get advice about what to do next, please feel free to reach out and one of our strategists will be happy to walk you through which option best suits your needs.