Make the switch to Google Analytics 4

How to migrate to Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4, our next-generation measurement solution, has replaced Universal Analytics. To maintain your website measurement, you'll need a Google Analytics property.



Migration timeline

Standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing data as of July 1, 2023.

360 Universal Analytics properties received a one-time processing extension ending on July 1, 2024. Learn more about the migration timeline.


Switch to Google Analytics: Steps to get started

The tasks below are applicable to anyone looking to migrate from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4.



Consider your account structure

You can create separate properties for your website and app, or you can combine them into one property. If you only have one website and one app, you can skip this step.

Learn more about Google Analytics account structure.



Create a GA property and data stream

This is the first step in migrating your data. You'll need to create a new Google Analytics property and then link your website or app to this property. The GA Setup Assistant can help you with this process.

Learn more about how to Set up Analytics for a website and/or app.



Collect website and app data

This step is only necessary if the GA Setup Assistant couldn't automatically use your existing tags. You'll need to set up tags manually to collect data from your website or app.

Learn more about how to Install your Google tag with your website builder or CMS.



Turn on Google signals

This step is required for enhanced remarketing. Google Signals uses data from Google accounts to provide a better understanding of your users.

Learn more about how to Activate Google signals for Google Analytics properties.



Set up key events

Key events are actions that users take on your website or app. You'll need to set up key events in Google Analytics so you can track how users interact with your site.

Learn more about how to Set up a key event.



Add users

Users are people who interact with your site or app whose activities you can measure with Google Analytics.

Learn more about how to Add, edit, and delete Analytics users and user groups manually.

Switch to Google Analytics: Additional steps for advertisers



Link to Google Ads

Help drive sales, leads, or website traffic with insights from Google Analytics, and by getting your business in front of the right customers across Search, YouTube, and more with Google Ads.

Learn more about how to Connect Google Ads to Google Analytics.


Migrate audiences

Audiences are groups of users that you can target with your marketing campaigns. If you've created Universal Analytics audiences based on custom dimensions in your Universal Analytics property, you may need to create those same custom dimensions in your Google Analytics property.

Learn more about how to Create, edit, and archive audiences.


Import key events into Google Ads for bidding

Google Ads conversions that are based on Google Analytics key events can help you track how your ads from Google Ads are performing so you can improve your marketing strategy and optimize your bidding strategy.

Learn more about how to Create conversions in Google Ads based on Google Analytics key events.


Add Analytics audiences to a campaign or ad group for remarketing

For Google Analytics properties, you can import web and app conversions, transactions, and audience segments built in Google Analytics to your Google Ads account.

Learn more about how to set up Google Analytics as an audience source in Google Ads.

Switch to Google Analytics: Advanced setup

The following resources can help you set up more advanced integrations and features in Analytics.



Measure ecommerce

You can set up ecommerce events to collect information about the shopping behavior of your users. The events enable you to quantify your most popular products and see the influence of promotions and product placement on revenue.

Learn more about how to Measure ecommerce.


Link to BigQuery

In BigQuery, you can choose to export your data to external storage or import external data for the purposes of combining it with your Analytics data.

Learn more about BigQuery Export.


Data management

  • Import data from external systems: Your business systems generate unique data, often existing in isolated silos. Data Import in Google Analytics allows you to merge this data regularly, breaking down these silos to unveil new insights so the data is accessible to all Analytics users.

  • Measurement protocol: A measurement protocol is a standard set of rules for collecting and sending events directly to Google Analytics servers.


Migration references



Measure activity with User-ID

The User-ID feature lets you associate your own identifiers with individual users so you can connect their behavior across different sessions and on various devices and platforms. Analytics interprets each user ID as a separate user, which provides you with more accurate user counts and a more holistic story about a user's relationship with your business.

Learn more about how to Measure activity across platforms with User-ID.

Congratulations!

You're on your way to getting the actionable, privacy-safe customer insights you need with Google Analytics.

What's next? View your reports or review the Explore playbook to learn how to answer common business questions with Google Analytics.

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