Today Google announced that they will be sunsetting Universal Analytics, the previous generation of Google Analytics and focussing entirely on the latest version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

The previous version of Google Analytics is quickly becoming outdated as it was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions and more easily observable data from cookies.

What does this mean for me?

If you are still using a standard (free) version of Universal Analytics, your properties will stop collecting data on 1 July 2023. We recommend upgrading to GA4 as soon as possible to avoid losing any data. If you rely on year-on-year data, you will need to ensure you are collecting data in your GA4 property by 1 July 2022.

Make the move over to Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible to build the necessary historical data before Universal Analytics stops processing new hits.

Russell Ketchum, Director, Product Management, Google Analytics

If you are a GA360 user, you will have an additional three months to prepare for the switch over to GA4.

Will I lose my old data?

You will not be able to transfer data from your old property to your new property. However you will still be able to access the old data in your Universal Analytics property, but no new data will be collected or processed. The new version of analytics uses a brand-new data model and is not compatible with the old version of Google Analytics.

What should I do next?

If you haven’t already set up a GA4 property, you should do this as a priority, especially if you rely on year-on-year data. You’ll need to migrate all of your existing tracking to the new property and familiarise yourself with the new reports and data model.

Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you upgrade and make the most of the new features available to you in Google Analytics 4.