Webinar recording – Google analytics will stop working next year – here are your options

---

---

About the webinar

Google recently announced that the current version of Google Analytics (GA or Universal Analytics) will stop working on 1 July 2023. If your organisation uses GA to understand how users interact with your website, you should start to think about alternatives now. Google are encouraging people to switch to their new version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), as a replacement. But is GA4 the right fit for your organisation?

Join James Akers, Tech Champion for Data Analytics and Insight, for this one-hour webinar where we explore the following questions:

• Should I make the switch to Google Analytics 4?
• What other options are available?
• When should I start making changes?

You will learn:

• How to define the right website analytics needs for your organisation
• What platforms and tools are available
• When you should plan to make changes

Resources, links and further information

Download the presentation used in this webinar.

What is happening and why

Google announced they will be switching off Google Universal Analytics on 1 July 2023 as it is based on technology that is fast becoming outdated. They have launched a new version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), to address the changing technology and online privacy landscape. In this webinar we look at whether the new version is a good fit for Arts and Culture organisations and explore the alternative solutions. To plan for the decommissioning of Google Universal Analytics, here are the key dates:

1 July 2023 – Google Universal Analytics will stop collecting any new data

• Historical data is still available

1 January 2024 – Google Universal Analytics will be fully shut down

• No historical data
• No access to the interface

Three questions to ask your organisation

When considering what data you need to collect, ask the following questions to define your measurement plan:

• What do you need to know?
• Why do you need it?
• What is your organisational vision?

Privacy, consent and compliance

Reviewing your current analytics needs now is the perfect opportunity to ensure your organisation is also compliant with the latest regulations. To learn more about what cookies are and what consent means, this excellent in depth article from One Further explains it all.

If you are interested in how to adapt to the changing privacy landscape, watch the webinar recording of Online privacy and the impact on advertising.

Alternatives to Google Universal Analytics

It is recommended to run your new analytics in parallel with Google Universal Analytics until it it switched off on 1 July 2023. You may already have the data you need available in your current platforms, but here are some alternative solutions to consider.

Hotjar

This tool provides screen recording, heatmaps and user feedback. Non-profit organisations can get the Business version of Hotjar for free.

This guide explains how to add Hotjar to your website.

Microsoft Clarity

Clarity is a free user behavior analytics tool that helps you understand how users are interacting with your website through session replays and heatmaps.

This guide explains how to add Clarity to your website.

Fathom

A privacy-first, cookie-free & General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant web analytics platform. Fathom does not use cookies for user tracking and has servers in the European Union. Historical Google Universal Analytics data can be imported in. Prices start from £11 per month.

This guide explains how to add Fathom to your website.

Matomo

Matomo has cookie-less options and can be self-hosted for free. As this platform can be installed on your own servers, you can have 100% data ownership and control. Historical Google Universal Analytics data can be imported. Available for free if self-hosted, or from £17 per month.

These guides explains how to add Matomo to your website: self-hosted installation or cloud-hosted installation.

Plausible

An open-source and privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. It doesn’t use cookies, has 100% data ownership and is fully compliant with GDPR. You can self-host Plausible for free or in the cloud from £9 per month. Historical Google Universal Analytics data can be imported.

This guide explains how to add Plausible to your website.

Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) introduces new functionality and features which aim to give you further insight into your users and prepare for a cookie-less future. The new version of Google Analytics takes a completely different approach to how it collects data, this makes it incompatible with historical Universal Analytics so that data cannot be imported.

If you would like to learn more about GA4, read our introduction article, watch the on-demand webinar from One Further, and join the AMA webinar on 22 June 2022 Google Analytics 4 — what you need to know.

This Google Analytics 4 tutorial video from Ranking Academy guides you through setting up an account, installing it on your website, and a tour of the interface and reports.

Key dates

Here are the key dates for action to prepare for the decommissioning of Google Universal Analytics:

Before 30 June 2022

• Define your measurement plan (what do you need to know and why?)
• Set up a new tool (if you need Year on Year analysis)

Between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023

• Run Google Universal Analytics and your new tool in parallel
• Configure your new tool and get some training
• Move regular reporting to your new tool

1 July 2023

• Update all regular reporting to the new tool
• Remove redundant Universal Analytics scripts and tags from your website

Before 1 January 2024

• Export useful historical stats from Universal Analytics
• Shed a tear and wave goodbye to an old friend

Next steps

Depending on your resources and budget, you have three options:

I want to do it myself

Get in touch with the Digital Culture Network to speak to a Tech Champion. We will help you choose the right analytics solution for your organisation and how to configure it to your needs.

I want to advise my developer/agency

Start with your measurement plan – what do you need to know and why? If you need any help understanding your current set up and what steps are needed, please get in touch with the Digital Culture Network to speak to a Tech Champion.

I want someone to do it for me

There are many agencies who can support your analytics implementation. Some who work closely in the arts and culture sector and offer this service include; One Further, Substrakt, Supercool and Cog. You could also visit the AMA Freelancer Directory to find a specialist in this area.

Further Support

The Digital Culture Network is here to support you and your organisation. Our Tech Champions can provide free 1-2-1 support to all arts and cultural organisations who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding. If you need help or would like to chat with us about any of the advice we have covered above, please get in touch. Sign up for our newsletter below and follow us on Twitter @ace_dcn for the latest updates.