Hey there, I'm Benjamin from Loves Data.
In this video, I'm going to show you how to migrate from Universal Analytics to Google
Analytics 4, GA4.
I will show you the steps you need to take to ensure you're ready when Universal Analytics
stops collecting data.
We will also explore key differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics.
And if you've already setup GA4, I will also show you how to check if your old Universal
Analytics property will automatically create a duplicate GA4 property and how to prevent
this.
Okay, so if you've already migrated to GA4, Google Analytics 4, feel free to skip ahead
using the links in the description.
But if you're still using Universal Analytics exclusively, now is the time to create a GA4
property and setup your reports.
So let's head to Google Analytics to walk through the steps.
I've already logged into Google Analytics and we're looking at the admin area for my
demo Universal Analytics property.
It's easy to tell it's a Universal Analytics property because there are three columns in
the admin area, and at the top of the property column in the middle, we can see the tracking
ID starts with a 'UA', and then a dash.
Okay, now let's select 'GA4 Setup Assistant'.
And we can see there are two options.
At the top we can create a new Google Analytics 4 property.
And below this, we can link our Universal Analytics property to an existing Google Analytics
4 property.
Since we haven't setup GA4, let's click the 'Get Started' button at the top.
Now we can see there's an option to enable data collection using the existing tag on
your website.
I want you to ensure this is deselected.
If you leave this option selected, then your new GA4 property will collect data using the
existing Google Tag that's being used for Universal Analytics.
The reason I don't recommend using this option is that I've seen it cause a number of problems,
including missing conversion data and issues with data being imported from Google Ads.
So instead of connecting your Universal Analytics tag to GA4, I recommend adding GA4 to your
website separately.
And I will cover the steps to do this using Google Tag Manager in a moment.
Okay, now that we've deselected the option to collect data using our existing tag, let's
click 'Create and Continue'.
We're now given details to install the Google Tag on our website.
This will automatically provide a recommendation depending on the platform you're using for
your website.
When it comes to adding the GA4 tag to your website, there are a number of ways you can
do this.
You can install the dedicated Google Tag, 'gtag', 'dot', 'js' on your website.
You can use a plugin, for example, if you're using WordPress.
Some website platforms, like Squarespace, provide a built-in integration.
And you can also use Google Tag Manager, which is my preference.
We're going to use Google Tag Manager because it gives you more flexibility and means you
can collect additional information in your reports when needed.
But if you don't want to use Google Tag Manager, you can use the option recommended by Google
Analytics.
Since we will be using Google Tag Manager to install GA4 on our website in a moment,
so let's select the 'Install Manually' option.
And click 'Confirm'.
Our new GA4 property has been created.
Now let's click 'Go to your GA4 property'.
A new tab opens, and we can see the setup assistant, but this time in GA4.
Let's select 'Data Streams'.
A data stream is used to collect data into your GA4 reports.
If you're just tracking a website like me, you will have one data stream.
However, if you also have apps, then you can also create streams to collect data from your
apps into Google Analytics.
Okay, let's select the data stream that has been created for us.
And let's copy the measurement ID at the top.
Now let's head to Google Tag Manager.
And let's navigate to 'Tags'.
We can see there's an existing Universal Analytics tag.
So now let's create a new tag.
Let's name the tag 'Google Analytics', 'GA4', 'Page View'.
And let's select 'Tag Configuration'.
And let's choose 'GA4 Configuration' as the tag type.
Then we can paste the measurement ID we copied from our data stream.
Now let's select 'Triggering'.
And choose the 'Initialization, All Pages' trigger.
This will fire our GA4 tag on all the pages of our website.
Now let's save the tag.
You can click 'Preview' to check that the tag you've just created is fired on your website,
but since we're using the built-in all pages trigger, I know that tag will fire correctly,
so I'm going to click 'Submit'.
And publish the changes to my website.
Now let's head back to Google Analytics.
We're still looking at the data stream, and below the details for the stream, there's
an option called 'Enhanced Measurement'.
This is a feature that will automatically track a range of actions on your website.
Let's select the configuration icon.
You can then enable or disable the actions you would like Google Analytics to track automatically.
If you'd like to learn more about Enhanced Measurement and events in GA4, then I've included
links to my extra resources in the description below this video.
When you're happy with the Enhanced Measurement settings, click 'Save'.
Now let's travel back to the Setup Assistant.
This provides a list of other settings and features you might need to configure in your
new property.
I recommend taking time to review these and ensuring your GA4 setup mirrors the configuration
you've used in Universal Analytics.
This includes setting up conversions, linking Google Ads and Google Search Console, configuring
audience lists and more.
I've included a link to my Google Analytics 4 checklist in the description below this
video.
It's a handy resource you can use to make sure everything is setup correctly in GA4.
Google can automatically create a new GA4 property for you and automatically apply settings
from Universal Analytics to GA4.
However, I recommend you manage this yourself.
So let's head back to Universal Analytics to see where we can control this.
We're still looking at the 'GA4 Setup Assistant' in our Universal Analytics property.
At the very bottom of the setup assistant, there's an option that will automatically
setup a Google Analytics 4 property.
If you're setting up GA4 yourself, which I recommend, then you can turn this option off.
Now let's head back to GA4.
Again, we're still looking at the setup assistant.
To prevent the alert from being shown at the top, you will need to mark all of the items
in the setup assistant as complete.
To do this, click the arrow on the right of an item.
And then choose 'Mark as complete'.
Once they're all marked as complete, the alert will be removed.
Again, I recommend reviewing the suggestions in the setup assistant and using my GA4 checklist
to ensure you have your new property setup correctly.
Before we wrap up, let's cover key differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics.
GA4 has a limited number of pre-configured reports.
While Universal Analytics has a wider range of standard reports.
GA4 introduces more ad-hoc reporting options to meet your needs.
You can filter out internal traffic in both versions of Analytics.
GA4 includes automatic tracking of important actions, while Universal Analytics doesn't.
And you can adjust the attribution model used for the standard reports in GA4.
And here we can see a number of features that are available in both versions.
We can configure cross-domain tracking.
This is actually easier in GA4.
We can link to Google Ads and other Google products.
We can import additional data into our reports.
And we can connect Google Analytics to Looker Studio, previously called Google Data Studio.
So that's a brief summary of the most important differences between Google Analytics 4 and
Universal Analytics.
Now that you've added the GA4 tag to your website, you will begin collecting data into
your reports.
To learn more about the reports in GA4, check out my other tutorials.
I've included links in the description below this video.
Have you migrated to GA4?
Do you have any questions about GA4?
I'd love to know!
Let me know in the comments below.
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Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next video!