Prebuilt Power Hour: Episode 3 – Google Analytics 4 is Coming
By Prebuilt Sites Team
June 24, 2022
July 1st, 2023 is the day that could live in infamy. Well, at least in the webmaster world.
July 1st, 2023 is the day that Google’s Universal Analytics (GA3) will cease to collect data. It’s the cut over day that Google has set to force everyone to switch over to Google Analytics 4 (referred to simply as GA4). Basically if you don’t install GA4 on your website by July 1st 2023, your website analytics will cease to track.
GA4 is the next incarnation of Google Analytics, a free tool from Google that is used to track website behavior on more than 55.7 % of websites in the world! That’s hundreds of millions of websites. Many of those website owners likely have no idea this change is coming. Google has sent out a handful of emails the last few months (most go unread), and there is only a small notification in the top of your older Universal Analytics to tell you the change is coming.
To date, this small notice in the top of Google Analytics is the only notice that most people MIGHT have seen
The majority of website owners are left to their own devices to upgrade their Google Analytics accounts. If they are lucky, they are working with a webmaster on retainer, or a website company like Prebuilt Sites & The BBS Agency, who will be upgrading their accounts for them. Most however… just don’t realize what that Google Notice actually means, and won’t take action. They won’t realize something is wrong for weeks or months until they realize their websites have stopped tracking analytics and then scramble to find someone to help.
To complicate things further, Google has changed lots of the terminology used in their tool, changed how reporting works, and designed GA4 to be more customizable. It is more powerful, but with that comes more complexity. It would seem GA4 is designed with SEO agencies, PPC pros, and other web professionals & agencies in mind, not small businesses or individuals. Using Google Analytics (although still free) is becoming more complex, less simple, and has a higher learning curve.
In Episode 3 of the Prebuilt Power Hour we look at Google Analytics 4 and the changes that GA4’s reporting means to you. We look at some of the changes in terminology, how reporting is changing and where to find popular statistics so you can find out how effected your website and marketing efforts are.
If you are a member of Prebuilt Sites or The BBS Agency will will work with you to get your Google Analytics upgraded to GA4 before next July. If you are not a customer and would like help, please reach out to us.
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