1. If you have free Universal Analytics (UA), you will want to switch to GA4 as soon as possible so you can start to learn the new GA4 quirks before Universal Analytics is turned off on July 1, 2023.
If you have GA360 Universal Analytics, the sooner you switch, the more overlapping historical data you have built up before the sunset date of July 1, 2024. It is recommended to have GA4 setup by July of 2023 so you have a full year ahead of the shut-off date.
2. GA4 requires dashboarding to utilize features to their fullest. Switching now gives you time to map out the desired dashboards before the UA shut off date.
We recommend using Looker Studio (Previously Data Studio) for your dashboarding and reporting needs, especially if you’ve used it in the past for UA.
3. There is potential difficulty with implementation of GA4, but the GA4 migration process can be simple if you haven’t been utilizing all of UA’s many features like custom event and enhanced ecommerce. In this case, you can build your GA4 custom strategy from scratch!
However, if you have complex tracking setup in UA, you will want plenty of time to determine your new GA4 tracking strategy before migrating.
4. There is a steep learning curve for GA4.
Metrics aren’t counted the same way, reports are all new, scoping for dimensions is entirely at the event level, etc. With this learning curve, it’s best to migrate ASAP so you have time to compare and contrast the same day of data between UA and GA4 to understand where they differ.
5. Starting now gives you peace of mind with all of the new features and definitions in GA4.
The transition should be strategic and smooth, not a last minute panic! We only have 4 months before UA is shut off, so let’s use those months wisely.
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