Universal Analytics Property vs GA4 Explained

Universal Analytics Property and GA4 are two distinct analytics tools used for tracking website and app data. Universal Analytics Property is a legacy tool that has been around since 2012.

It's designed to track a wide range of data, including page views, events, and ecommerce transactions. In contrast, GA4 is the newer analytics tool that offers improved data collection and analysis capabilities.

GA4 was introduced by Google in 2020, and it's designed to be a more flexible and scalable solution than Universal Analytics Property. One of the key differences between the two tools is the way they handle data collection.

A unique perspective: Best Website Analytics Tools

Connecting GA4 and Universal Analytics Properties is a crucial step in the migration process. You'll need to connect both a Universal Analytics (UA) property and a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property when setting up Site Kit.

The reason for this is that some configurations at the Analytics level may be applicable for that Analytics account, such as users who have access.

During setup, users are asked to select an Analytics account, and both the Universal Analytics and GA4 properties need to be from within the same Google Analytics account.

You can import settings and configurations from your Universal Analytics property to your GA4 property, including conversions, audiences, and users and permissions.

Some of the settings and configurations that you can import are:

This will help you to automatically share the settings that you've already set up in Universal Analytics, making the migration process smoother.

The GA4 Setup Assistant can copy your basic UA configuration details to your GA4 property, making it easier to set up your new property.

By connecting your GA4 property to your Universal Analytics property, you'll be able to access your data seamlessly, without permission errors.

Take a look at this: Google Analytics Setup Website

To disconnect a GA4 property from your Universal Analytics property, you'll need to access the Admin Settings in your GA4 property, then navigate to the Setup Assistant and select the Connected Property section. Here you'll see the GA4 Property Name connected to your Universal Analytics property.

To disconnect, click the "Disconnect" button, and verify that the property ID matches the one you want to disconnect. Once you select disconnect, the status of your GA4 connection will say "Not Connected".

You can now connect your existing GA4 property by selecting it from the selection field and clicking "Connect Properties" to finalize the connection. If you don't plan on using the automatically created GA4 property, you can delete it by moving it to the trash can in the Property Settings.

Here are some key benefits of connecting your GA4 and Universal Analytics properties:

To disconnect a GA4 property from your Universal Analytics property, go to the Admin Settings of your GA4 property and click on the "Setup Assistant" under the property.

You'll then see the Connected Property section, where you can check if the property ID matches the GA4 property you want to disconnect.

Click on the "Disconnect" button to break the connection, and the status of your GA4 connection will say "Not Connected".

Now you can connect your existing GA4 property by selecting it from the selection field and clicking on "Connect Properties".

If you no longer need the automatically created GA4 property, you can move it to the trash can by going to the Property Settings under the property and clicking on "Move to Trash Can".

The digital landscape is changing rapidly, and businesses need to adapt to stay ahead. The rise of multi-platform user interactions has dramatically expanded across multiple platforms, particularly with the rise of mobile usage.

This shift has highlighted the limitations of Universal Analytics, which was originally architected for a desktop-dominated era. As a result, it's less capable of effectively tracking and integrating the diverse and complex user journeys that span both web and mobile today.

The global shift towards stricter data privacy standards, such as GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California, has put a spotlight on the limitations of Universal Analytics. It relies heavily on third-party cookies, which are increasingly blocked by modern browsers, challenging the ability of Universal Analytics to gather comprehensive and compliant user data.

Broaden your view: Mobile Website Analytics

A unified analytics experience is crucial for businesses to gain a cohesive understanding of the user journey. Google Analytics 4 resolves this by integrating web and app data streams, enabling a more cohesive understanding of the user journey.

The event-based model of Google Analytics 4 is more flexible and adaptable to the shifting technological landscape and varying user behaviors. This model allows for more detailed and customizable data collection, ensuring GA4 remains effective and relevant as digital technologies and privacy requirements evolve.

Google felt the need to make a change to their Analytics property, and that's why they're sunsetting Universal Analytics.

The timeline for this change has been laid out, but let's take a closer look at why Google decided to make this move.

The reason behind this change is that Google wants to focus on their newer, more advanced analytics property, which is designed to provide better insights and more accurate data.

For your interest: Why It Is Important to Protect Intellectual Property

To retain historical data, you must export it before the final shutdown of Universal Analytics on July 1, 2024.

Before exporting, ensure you have a backup of your data to prevent any loss. You can do this by accessing your UA property and going to ‘Admin’ > ‘View’ > ‘Reports’ > ‘Export’.

Choose your export format, either CSV or Excel, and download the files. This will give you a copy of your historical data that you can use for future reference.

Post-export, consider importing necessary historical data into business intelligence tools or other analytics platforms for continued access or integration with new GA4 data.

A fresh viewpoint: How to Download Universal Analytics Data