Goodbye Google Universal Analytics, hello Google Analytics 4

Headshot of Tech Champion James Akers

Google Universal Analytics is a popular web analytics tool which provides data and insights about website visitors – where they came from, what they did, and what technology they use. If you have a Google Analytics account you may have seen one of many emails or notifications when you log in to the platform with a warning that on 1 July 2023 it will stop working.

What does this mean?

All Google Universal Analytics accounts will stop collecting data. The historical data from past months and years will still be available in the account for 12 months – until 1 July 2024 when it will be permanently deleted. You can export and save this data in a few different ways.

What do I need to do?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you wish to continue capturing data about your website visitors?

If yes, you need to switch to an alternative platform, or use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – the new version. If you are interested in exploring alternative analytics options check out this webinar from last year.

Remember, you don’t have to use anything at all – it’s your choice.

Have you created GA4 account and property?

If no, Google will have automatically created one on your behalf. When logging into Google Analytics you will see an additional Property with “- GA4” on the end, this is Google Analytics 4. We recommend reviewing the set up of the new GA4 property by following the steps in this webinar.

If yes, think about how you want to use the information it is collecting. You may wish to customise the reports and data it collects. You can find out more in this webinar about advanced configuration and custom reporting in GA4.

How is it installed on your website?

If the new GA4 Property was automatically created for you by Google it will most likely be linked to your Universal Analytics account, piggybacking on the existing code installation on your website. We recommend installing Google Analytics 4 separately and removing the old Universal Analytics code completely – this will improve the data quality and future-proof your installation.

If you created GA4 yourself and installed it on your website manually, or used a plugin (such as Site Kit for WordPress) you can remove the Universal Analytics code as it will be redundant after 1 July 2023.

Depending on the set up of your website and the platform used, this can be quick to complete or quite complex. We are here to help if you need us!

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 creative and cultural organisations and individuals who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding.

Need help or would like to chat with us about any of the advice we have covered above?

Request a free 1-2-1

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