At the end of July 2019, Google revolutionised web analytics. The new App+Web Property was introduced, ushering in a new era of Google Analytics. Previously, it was known as "Google Analytics App + Web Property". But the internet is fast-moving. As early as October 2020, Google presented a new variant of Google Analytics: Google Analytics 4. Since then, the predecessors such as Universal Analytics and Firebase have no longer been supported. In the following time, Google changed the name from App+Web to "Google Analytics 4". Analytics 4 Properties are a new way of presenting Google Analytics, which not only makes portable tracking possible, but also brings numerous properties and functions and thus differs significantly from its predecessor Google Universal Analytics, both visually and in technical implementation. In the meantime, there is no longer so much emphasis on classic session tracking; instead, user behaviour and the events that a user triggers play a much greater role.
Google announced in March 2022 that the "old" Universal Analytics can no longer be used from 1 July 2023. New data can still be collected and used up to and including 30 June 2023. From 1 July 2023, you will still have access to your data for at least six months. The same applies to Analytics 360 properties from 1 October 2023. Therefore, a switch to the new Google Analytics 4 should be made as soon as possible. Because the longer you wait with the changeover, the less your data history will be in the new Google Analytics 4.
Since Universal Analytics will be discontinued in July 2023, a quick switch to Google Analytics 4 should be made. Only if data is already written to Google Analytics 4 can comparisons be made with the previous year in the coming year. The values from 2022 can no longer be added retroactively. We recommend installing Google Analytics 4 and continuing to use the previous Google Universal in parallel. Google Analytics 4 is more than just an upgrade. With the launch of Google Analytics 4 you get many new features compared to its predecessors. Not only the user interface is new, but also the data model and tracking have been optimised. In general, everything is different in Google Analytics 4 compared to its predecessors. It brings you more flexibility and offers you a variety of different ways to evaluate the data. We are happy to support you with the conversion and set-up of your new Google Analytics 4. Over the years, the Google Analytics product has become quite complex and requires some expertise to be able to set it up and use it effectively. Some users may be overwhelmed by this. Let us support you professionally!
Unlike Universal Analytics, the focus here is on the users and not the sessions. More events and more properties can be generated. As with the previous versions of Google Analytics, there are also innovations in tracking here. Cross device tracking gives you the advantage that when using a website and an app, the data can now be collected in one property without having to create a "roll-up" property. This also improves the accuracy of the data. The previously required tracking script changes from analytics.js to gtag.js. Where "gtag" is the abbreviation for "Global Site Tag". The advantages are a significant reduction in the burden of setting up the tracking code for all products, even more accurate conversion tracking and a reduction in technical sources of error. Machine Learning is another important innovation. Algorithms support you in more precise data analysis. Not only can it be used to better predict future developments, but also to analyse customer behaviour even better in the future. With Data Control, Google allows companies to integrate data more easily into Google Analytics 4. This makes it easier to accumulate, store, remove and share data. Google Analytics 4 already anonymises IP addresses automatically. Customer Lifecycle is another key focus. The customer lifecycle is evaluated on the basis of many different and new identifiers, which makes it even easier to observe and research customer behaviour from the very beginning. Google Analytics 4 will no longer use cookies for tracking and will thus be even more secure from now on. The technical alignment of app and web data thus allows cross-platform analyses in the same data pot. Data gaps are automatically closed by modelling approaches. The new Google Analytics 4 is designed for continuity in order to keep up with a changing ecosystem in the future.
