Hey there, I'm Benjamin from Loves Data. In this video, you will learn how to upgrade to
GA4 (or Google Analytics 4) to take advantage of the latest version of Google Analytics. If you
have an existing standard (Universal Analytics) property, then upgrading is easy if you're using
the gtag.js version of the tracking code. And if you're using Google Tag Manager, then you will
need to add a new tag to your container. Okay, let's jump in look at the steps to upgrade to GA4.
If you're already using Google Analytics, then there is a good chance you're using Universal
Analytics. In this demo account, I'm in the admin area and we can see there are three columns.
There's an account column on the left, then a property column in the middle,
and a view column on the right. Since there are three columns, this tells us we're looking at a
Universal Analytics property. I want to highlight that if you're happy using Universal Analytics,
there's no rush. You don't need to upgrade straight away, you're not going to lose data,
and Google won't stop you from using your reports. The new version of Google Analytics,
which is called GA4 or Google Analytics 4, does let you access new reports and makes it easier
to collect custom data. So if you are using Universal Analytics, you should start thinking
about upgrading, but again, there's no rush. Let's open a GA4 property to take a quick look...
Here we can see there are only two columns in the admin area. There is an account column and a
property column. This tells us we're looking at a GA4 property. So take a moment to check your
own Google Analytics account. If your admin area looks like this, then you're already using GA4
and you don't need to upgrade. And if you're using Universal Analytics,
you can upgrade. Let's head back to our Universal Analytics property...
Now when it comes to upgrading to GA4, this will actually create a new property that will work
in parallel with your existing Universal Analytics property. So it won't change
any of your existing reports. We can see the option to upgrade to GA4 at the top of
the property column. It's called 'GA4 Setup Assistant'... So let's select this option...
We can now see there are two options... We can create a new GA4 property, or we can connect to
an existing one. Since we have a Universal Analytics property that we want to upgrade,
let's select the first option to create a new GA4 property...
We can now see some important details... First, it tells us that our new GA4 property won't include
historical data. This means you will want to keep your Universal Analytics property. It also says
it will copy some basic settings. This will be very basic, it won't copy things like your goals,
filters or any other customizations you've made. And we can see it will also enable
'Enhanced Measurement'. This is a feature that will automatically track a number of actions
taking place on your website. This includes people scrolling, clicking outbound links,
downloading files, and watching embedded YouTube videos. Finally, we can see at the bottom that we
will need to install a new tag on your website to start using your new GA4 property. You will
see this message if you're using Google Tag Manager. If you're using the gtag.js version of
the tracking code on your website, then you will be able to automatically send data to your new GA4
property without making any changes. However, this option isn't available for my property
because I prefer to use Google Tag Manager. So let's go ahead and create our new property...
We can now click the button to see our new GA4 property...
Now we can see a list of items we can check for our new property... The first
thing we need to do is install the tag on our website, so let's select 'Tag Installation'...
We can see that the GA4 Setup Assistant has automatically created a data stream. This is like
the tracking code from your Universal Analytics property. Let's select this... The most important
thing is to get your 'Measurement ID' which you can find on the top right corner. This is like the
'Tracking ID' from Universal Analytics. Let's copy this... Now let's head to Google Tag Manager... We
can see I already have my Universal Analytics tag added to my website, so let's create a new tag...
Let's name the tag...
And let's select 'Tag Configuration'... And then choose 'GA4 Configuration' as the tag type...
Now we can paste our Measurement ID into the tag...
And let's add a trigger... Let's select the 'All Pages' trigger so that our GA4
tag is added to all of the pages on our website... Now we can save the tag...
This means we've now have our GA4 tag and our Universal Analytics
tag on our website. Let's preview our container to check this...
We can preview our website...
And we can see the debug console has loaded... So let's select the 'Tag Assistant' tab...
We can see that both of our Google Analytics tags have fired...
Our Universal Analytics tag... And our new GA4 tag... Let's select the GA4 tag...
And we can see that the event has been set to our GA4 property
using the Measurement ID we used in Google Tag Manager. So everything is working correctly.
Let's head back to Google Tag Manager... And let's publish the changes to our website...
This means the GA4 tag is now on our live website. And we can head back to Google Analytics...
We can close our data stream... And if you want to double-check that data is flowing into Google
Analytics. You can open the 'DebugView' which is a special report you can use when you're using
Tag Assistant. It let's you see all of your events as you're testing Google Analytics.
Here we can see our page view and other events.... So everything is working correctly.
Now let's head back to the admin area...
And let's open the Setup Assistant... There are a number of items you can configure for
your GA4 property. These include sending events to your reports, for more detailed information
and insights. You can link your Google Ads account... And you can set up conversions...
To learn about these options, including conversions and events, I've included
links to my other videos and resources in the description below this video. Remember, you can
take your time to set up GA4, while you continue to use your existing Universal Analytics property.
So that's how you can upgrade to GA4. Remember that when you upgrade, your Universal Analytics
property will still be there for you to use, and your new GA4 property will only begin to collect
data from the time you upgrade. This means you will still want to use your Universal Analytics
property to view historical data. Are you going to upgrade to GA4? I'd love to know! Let me know
in the comments below. And if you found this video helpful please subscribe, share it with
your friends, and hit the like button so I know to make more videos like this. See you next time!