You may have already heard about the new version of Google Analytics, Google Analytics 4, which will soon replace Universal Analytics (UA, or GA3). Whether you haven't transitioned to GA4 yet or have already set it up, this article will be of great help.
cZlA4GIGi0k
We'll give you the key things to consider to successfully transition to GA4 and start collecting your data as soon as possible, and well.
As a reminder, the current Google UA version is usable until December 31, 2023. After this date, all your data will be lost if you have not anticipated the use of a third party tool. Moreover, it is important to know that your website data will no longer be collected as of July 1, 2023! It is therefore essential to set up Google Analytics 4 as soon as possible in order to take full advantage of your data.
Here are the essential elements to configure on Google Analytics 4:
Configure Data Streams
GA4 uses "data streams" to collect data from different sources, such as a website or an app. There are three types of data streams: website, iOS app and Android app. It is recommended to use only one data stream per source type to avoid data inconsistencies.
To add a data stream:
- go to the "Admin" tab of your GA4 account,
- select the account and the property to apply the feed to,
- click on "Data Stream" and choose the type of feed: Web, iOS or Android,
- Then add the "gtag" tag to the header of all your pages to start collecting data. Google Tag Manager is always available to activate these tags automatically.
Enable Google Signals
Google Signals is data from users who have enabled ad personalization with their Google Account. Enabling Google Signals allows for more extensive data collection than with Google UA, regardless of platform or user location.
To enable signals, go to:
- Administration,
- Data Settings,
- Data Collection,
- Enable "Google signals data collection" and "Advanced Settings to Allow for Ads Personalization".
By default, GA4 does not collect demographic data (age, gender, and interests). Therefore, you must manually enable it if you want to collect it. To do so, collection must be enabled in the demographic settings and through Google Signals.
Note that data collection is not retroactive.
Check the configuration
Once you've set up your Data Streams and enabled Google Signals, make sure everything is set up correctly. Wait 48 hours for the changes to take effect and then verify that the data is being collected correctly. If this fails, go back to the previous steps.
Increase data retention period
In GA4, the default data retention period is 2 months. You need to increase this time to keep your data longer. In addition, Google Analytics automatically deletes the data and events stored on their servers after 2 months.
However, this setting only affects the "Exploration" reports: this section of the GA4 interface allows you to customize your own reports for periods beyond the last two months. The standard reports, on the other hand, under the "Reports" tab, are not affected by this limit and keep all the history available.
It is possible to change the default value from 2 months to a maximum of 14 months. Go to
- Administration,
- Data settings,
- Data retention.
Note, however, that gender, age and interest data is always limited to 2 months, regardless of your settings.
Keep your GA3 data
As stated at the beginning of this article, your data from your GA3 account will be lost as of January 1, 2024. But don't panic, there is a solution! We tell you about it in this article.
In conclusion, the transition to GA4 is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be stressful. By following these key elements, you can ensure a successful transition and start collecting your data now. Don't waste any time, the sooner your GA4 account is set up correctly, the greater your data history will be. You will also have time to become familiar with GA4 before you are forced to migrate.
