Mandatory Conversion from Google Analytics to GA4 Imminent

Why It's Important to Prepare Now & Not Wait Until the Deadline Passes

conversion-from-google-analytics-to-ga4

Conversion from Google Analytics to GA4

The mandatory conversion from Google Analytics to GA4 is now imminent.  July 1st, traditional Google Analytics properties will cease tracking new hits.  In other words, the data stops collecting!  And if you haven’t made the conversion to GA4, you’ll lose sight of what’s happening with your website.

Time is Running Out

Google has provided guidance for the conversion from Google Analytics to GA4.  But if this isn’t your cup of tea, it may seem daunting.

It’s OK.  There are a few ways you can approach it:

Google will Help You.  If you have a Universal Analytics account or a 360 Analytics account, Google will, in theory, help you make the conversion from Google Analytics to GA4.  This often requires patience (we spend a LOT of time with Google customer service, so take our word for it).

Get Help from Someone Like Us.  We offer a free consultation to discuss the conversion from Google Analytics to GA4, and there is a way to affordably make this our problem.  What we’re doing for most of our clients is:

        1. Properly archive the data from Universal Analytics (so you don’t lose it);
        2. Set up and verify that GA4 is capturing data properly;
        3. Define what you want to track;
        4. Make sure those events are all tracking;
        5. Build a dashboard to keep track of it all in real time.

Ultimately, Google will do it for you.  But you don’t want this option.  If history is an indicator, Google’s effort to be helpful and do this for you won’t get you were you want to go.

Whether you’re comfortable doing this DIY or you need a little help, it’s important to make this conversion from Google Analytics to GA4 before July 1st.  Doing nothing will cause far more regrets than spending a little bit of time and money now.

A Blessing in Disguise

You may not WANT to add this to your to-do list, but it’s a bit of a blessing in disguise because it allows you to get everything set up properly once and for all (or at least until the next major upgrade from Google — which should be quite a while).

Fact is, GA4 is much more powerful and allows you to learn a lot more about how customers interact with your business.  It’s also a chance to track and report more data points.

So flip this pain in the butt into an opportunity to improve your business.

We’re Here to Help

If nothing else, take us up on our offer of a free initial consultation, if only to get your bearings on the project.

If you’d like to check us out a little more, check out our Local Marketing blog for more helpful articles like this one, or read a little bit about our unique approach to marketing.

And you can always subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter on Local Marketing so you’re alerted whenever new articles are published.

Thank you for visiting today!

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After 3 decades as a professional marketer, serial entrepreneur and business consultant Steven Ludwig shares his best practices for small business marketing for owners, managers, and marketers with limited time, money, and expertise. Steven started his professional marketing career in broadcasting in the early ‘90s in Chicago after attending Valparaiso University. After a brief stint at an advertising agency specializing in entertainment and sports marketing where he worked with radio and television stations, movie theatre companies, record labels, musicians, and professional sports teams, he moved to Nashville to form The Marketing Group with his long-time business partner, Jim Wood. Having worked with some of the largest brands in the world, in 2010 he returned to local marketing primarily out of an interest and excitement for working with small business owners to build stronger companies. That desire comes out of early days in radio, where he worked closely with everything from car dealerships to restaurants, insurance and real estate agents, banks, home services companies, and specialty retailers of all kinds. Over the past decade, he has been on the bleeding edge of digital marketing technology, constantly seeking to understand complex strategies employed by giant corporations and then translate those capabilities into tactics small businesses can execute at a local level. Today, in addition to other business ventures with his wife and other long-time business partners, he still lives outside Nashville in Franklin, Tennessee and currently serves as Executive Chairman of EmpowerLocal, a digital marketing company building a nationwide network of digital, hyperlocal news and lifestyle publishers to provide efficient advertising opportunities for local, regional, and national brands.

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