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How To Migrate From UA to Google Analytics 4
To successfully migrate to Google Analytics 4, carefully adhere to the instructions provided in this guide. The process involves establishing a new GA4 property and transferring your goals to GA4. Performing these steps using a desktop browser rather than the Analytics mobile app is recommended. For convenience and efficiency, completing the migration in a single session is advisable. Read more to learn how to Migrate GA to GA4 easily from these steps.
Find The Analytics Account & Select The Properties You Want to Migrate to GA4
If you are uncertain about whether you possess a Universal Analytics property that necessitates migration or which properties require migration, adhere to the following steps:
- Locate your Google Analytics account.
- Verify if you have a Universal Analytics property within your account.
- Determine whether it is necessary to migrate your Universal Analytics property.
Following these steps, you can assess your situation and make informed decisions regarding the migration process.
Create A GA4 Property
To utilize the GA4 Setup Assistant, it is essential to have either the Editor or Administrator role assigned to your account. The availability of Google Analytics tags (gtag.js or analytics.js), Google Ads tags (gtag.js), or a Google Tag Manager container on your website pages does not impact your ability to use this tool. Regardless of the presence or absence of these tags, you can still employ the GA4 Setup Assistant to facilitate the setup process.
1 – Make sure to click the Settings Admin option. You will find it in the lower left side.
2 – In the Account column, ensure you select the desired account. If you only have one Google Analytics account, it should already be selected by default.
3 – In the Property column, choose the UA property currently responsible for collecting data for your website.
4 – In the Property column, locate and click the “GA4 Setup Assistant” option, which is the first available choice. If you cannot see this option, it indicates you do not have the necessary permissions to access the tool.
5 – Click on “Get started” below the section labeled “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property.”
6 – There will be 2 different options on the page for creating a new GA4 property. This is based on the current tagging of the website.
“Create and continue“: Choose this option to proceed to the “Set up a Google tag” page, which corresponds to step 7 of the setup process.
“Create a property“: If you see this option, it signifies that Analytics can utilize your existing Universal Analytics tagging for the new GA4 property. Analytics will then establish a connected site tag between the Universal Analytics and the GA4 properties. Make sure to choose this particular option that then skips the process to the section that says Next Steps.
7 – (If you selected “Create and continue” in step 6) After reaching the “Set up a Google tag” page, you have the option to install the Google tag manually (the first option provided) or select the option that aligns with your specific situation. Follow the instructions associated with your chosen option to complete the setup of your new GA4 property.
If you already have a Google tag on your website, you may encounter different choices such as “Use the Google tag found on your website” or “Use a different Google tag”. Opting for the first choice allows you to reuse the tag already on your website for GA4 data collection. On the other hand, selecting the second choice enables you to add a different tag instead of the one currently implemented on your site.
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Finish Setting Up Your New GA4 Property
Once you have completed the necessary steps, you will receive a confirmation message at the top of your Google Analytics 4 Property Setup Assistant page, stating, “You have successfully connected your properties.”
It is recommended to note your GA4 property’s name for future reference. In case the name of your Universal Analytics property is “Example Property”, the name for the GA4 property will be the same except with the addition of GA4.
To access the Setup Assistant in your new GA4 property, click “See your GA4 property.” This will open the Setup Assistant within your GA4 property. The Setup Assistant in Google Analytics 4 properties guides recommended features and settings to assist you in setting up your GA4 property.
Please note that data may take up to 30 minutes to appear in your newly created GA4 property.
To ensure that data is being collected, visit your website and then navigate to the Realtime report within Google Analytics. This report will display real-time activity and confirm if data is being successfully collected.
If you have an existing Firebase project, you can link it with your GA4 property. However, this linking process needs to be done from within Firebase. To learn more about how to link your GA4 property to an existing Firebase project, refer to the relevant documentation provided by Firebase.
How To Remove GA4 Migration Notices
If you have completed the Migrating to Google Analytics 4 but continue to receive one or both of the notices, there might be some things you need to do.
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This property’s setup is not complete. Settings may be completed for you based on your original Universal Analytics (UA) property, unless you opt out in the connected UA property.”
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“Some settings from your original Universal Analytics (UA) property may be automatically added to this Google Analytics 4 property. To opt out from adding these settings automatically, go to the Setup Assistant in the connected UA property.
Follow these steps to stop seeing the notices after completing your Google Analytics 4 migration:
- Click on the “Admin” option.
- In the Property column, locate and click “Setup Assistant.”
- If you encounter the message stating, “This is your GA4 property. Your connected Universal Analytics property remains unchanged,” click on “Open connected property.”
- A countdown timer will appear with the message “Almost there – finish migrating to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).” Click on “No thanks.”
- Switch off the toggle labeled “Automatically set up a basic Google Analytics 4 property.”
- Click “Go to your GA4 property” to return to your GA4 property.
- To stop seeing the notice that says the property isn’t set up properly, mark all tasks as completed in the Setup Assistant:
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For each task, click on the arrow at the far right.
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Select the option to complete after every single task.
Please note that the notices may not disappear immediately after completing these steps. However, the next time you access your GA4 property, the notices will no longer appear. There you have it, people. These are the steps you need to follow in order to Migrate Universal Analytics to GA4.
Original Source – https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/13486733
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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. What are the biggest changes with GA4?
Migrating to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) promises upgraded features and capabilities, such as faster performance, improved visualizations, and a more robust data-collection and structure model. With this new format, companies will better understand their customers’ user journeys and how they interact with their websites.
Each user interaction, such as page views, clicks, and conversions, is tracked as its event, enabling a more detailed analysis of customer behaviour. By starting the migration process now, businesses can leverage GA4’s unique features, gain a clearer understanding of their customers, and deliver better insights to stakeholders.
Q2. What are the disadvantages of GA4?
Google Analytics 4 brings an updated reporting and measurement protocol that is largely unfamiliar to many marketers. It can make navigating the platform difficult. Furthermore, transferring data from Universal Analytics is challenging, which GA4 does not make more accessible.
Compounding this difficulty, the new user interface can disorientate marketers using Universal Analytics, and creating custom dimensions is less convenient than before. Moreover, it can be challenging for users to comprehend the metrics that measure conversions or other success elements. Consequently, a thorough migration plan must be crafted to transition to GA4.
Q3. Why are there no views on GA4?
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the default version of Google Analytics and does not have the concept of views as was the case with Universal Analytics. Therefore, when you set up a new GA4 property, you no longer need to worry about creating views since it no longer exists in this version.
GA4 utilizes data streams from websites, iOS, and Android apps with filters applied at the property level to customize the single reporting view. Filters to exclude internal traffic are set up directly to the data streams and then feed into the single view.
Q4. Can you have multiple views in GA4?
You can have up to 30 conversions configured in a GA4 property (or up to 50 for a 360 property) in addition to the four automatically tracked conversion events. However, if you have more than 30 goals across all the views in a Universal Analytics property, it’s best to rethink your measuring approach.
Opt only to track the most critical events on your website or app; you can use the features present in GA4, such as audiences and comparisons, to view similar goals in multiple views within the same Universal Analytics property.
Q5. How many parameters can you have in GA4?
Parameters are additional pieces of data that give further context to Google Analytics events. It is critical to understanding user interactions with your website. GA4 event parameters vary in comparison to Universal Analytics.
There are four different categories of GA4 events. It includes automatically collected events and enhanced measurement events, recommended events and custom events. Each event contains at least five parameters, while custom and recommended events may require more. All of these parameters are vital to understanding user interaction with your website.
Q6. How many properties can you have in GA4?
Properties are the containers that store the data collected from an app, website, or combination. With a Google Analytics 4 Property, you can track up to 2,000 separate pieces of data.
This property type helps track a single game across platforms like Android and iOS. Analytics 360 customers can also create additional types of properties, such as sub properties, which are derived from another property, and roll-up properties, which pull data from multiple other properties.
Q7. How many segments can we create in GA4?
Segments in GA4 can be a powerful tool for unlocking actionable insights from your data. Rather than working with overall metrics, segments allow you to focus on a specific subset of your data, such as a particular device type or geographic region, and draw more detailed conclusions about performance.
Segments differ from filters limited to the current report or exploration but cannot be used in other analyses. By comparing segmented data, you can gain valuable insight into how different viewers are engaging, which can drive more intelligent decisions about your business.
Q8. How many filters are in GA4?
The filters applied in Google Analytics 4 are relatively stricter. Instead of being able to filter by URL string as before, the event-based model in GA4 has a much simpler approach and only allows for traffic from internal sources by IP address. Additionally, IP ranges indicate using CIDR notation.
While removing the filters from the property configuration can still be present in the Explorer reports provided in GA4. This shift epitomizes the new data model of GA4, which is flat, simplistic, and flexible while ensuring data collects in a way that respects user privacy without needing third-party cookies.
Q9. What is the maximum payload size for GA4?
We need to know the differences between events, event parameters and user properties to understand the applicable limits. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) event parameters are limited to 100 characters. In contrast, Google Analytics Universal (GAU) allows up to 150 bytes and supports up to 150 letters—although the total hit payload limit is still 8192 bytes.
Moreover, specific event names are reserved for exceptional cases such as account creation, login, content sharing, and eCommerce and game-specific events. All limits and rules must be followed to ensure successful cross-platform collection with consistent data.
Q10. How many custom events are there in GA4?
GA4 has four different event types that allow you to track user actions on your website: automatically tracked events, enhanced event measurements, recommended events, and custom events. Automatically tracked events record the same information across all websites, such as the language setting of the visitor’s browser.
Enhanced event measurements allow you to configure GA4 to collect data for specific events. Recommended events benefit most sites but must be configured to track them. Finally, custom events will enable you to track user actions specific to your website. All of these events will appear in the report of the event.
Q11. How do you create a custom dimension in GA4?
Custom dimensions and custom metrics are user-defined data points that enable the tracking of website activity beyond what Analytics automatically records. They help capture data from custom event parameters or user properties that may be unavailable otherwise and help answer questions specific to each business.
To set up custom dimensions and metrics, the user must first set up the data point in their property and then modify their tracking code. These data points are distinct from the default dimensions and metrics in an Analytics account and require the user to have the Editor role in creating or editing them.
Q12. What are user properties in GA4?
User properties identify characteristics in a group of your users, such as their language or location. Additionally, you can create custom user-scoped dimensions, which allow you to keep track of the data on user properties collected. Google Analytics provides user-scoped measurements, such as Age and Language, to help with user properties.
You can also set up to 25 different user properties with a project. Adding user properties advances user segmentation. However, since user property data is mainly stored server-side, the measurement protocol is available for additional server-side data, which is usually impossible with only client-side solutions.