Since 1 July, Universal Analytics no longer processes new data. If you were still relying on the old version, you have not seen fresh figures since then. GA4, the new version of Google Analytics, is now the only option.
For many businesses, it still feels unfamiliar. The menus are different, the terms are different and your old figures no longer match the new ones. In this article, you will read what has changed and how to get the most out of GA4 from today.
What changed on 1 July
Universal Analytics (UA) worked with sessions and page views. A session is a single visit to your website. GA4 works differently. It measures events. A page view, a click on a button or a purchase is each an event.
That sounds technical, but above all it is flexible. In GA4 you can record far more than you could in UA. Think of playing a video, downloading a brochure or filling in a form.
There is one more thing to know. GA4 does not start with your old data. If you only set up GA4 recently, you will have little history so far. That is not a disaster, but it is a reason not to wait any longer before building a solid foundation.
Get the basics right
Before you look at reports, check a few settings. They take little time and save you trouble later.
- Data retention: by default, GA4 keeps event data for your own analyses for only two months. In Admin, set this to 14 months.
- Conversions: specify which events count as a success for you, such as a completed contact form, an enquiry or a purchase.
- Internal traffic: exclude visits from your own office, so that your own clicking behaviour does not distort your figures.
- Integrations: link GA4 to Google Ads and Search Console. This shows you what your ads and your search visibility deliver.
- Cookie banner: check that GA4 only measures after consent has been given and that the banner works properly.
A conversion is an action that has value for your business. Without conversions, you know how many people visit, but not what they do.
Find your way around the reports
The menu in GA4 looks busy. You do not need to open everything. Start with three reports and leave the rest for later.
1. Acquisition. Here you can see where your visitors come from. Do they arrive via Google, social media, email or directly? That tells you which channel to nurture.
2. Engagement. Here you can see which pages work. You see how often pages are viewed and how long visitors stay. A page with plenty of traffic but little engagement needs attention.
3. Conversions. This is your result. You see which actions take place and through which channel they come in.
GA4 also talks about an engaged session. This is a visit that lasts longer than ten seconds, includes at least two pages or contains a conversion. It partly replaces the old bounce rate. It gives a fairer picture of visitors who genuinely do something on your site.
Create your own overview
The standard reports are useful, but they never fit your questions perfectly. That is why Explore exists. With it, you build a report exactly the way you want it.
You choose which data to place side by side. For example, visitors per channel, split by device, with the number of enquiries added. There are also ready-made templates, such as a funnel analysis. This shows you at which step visitors drop out of your enquiry process.
Do you want the same overview every month? Then link GA4 to Looker Studio. This is a free Google tool for creating a dashboard. You put the figures that matter on it. Each month you open the same page and immediately see what has changed.
A good dashboard is short. Five to eight figures is usually enough. More makes it cluttered, and then nobody looks at it any more.
Look at trends, not exact figures
This is perhaps the most important lesson. GA4 counts differently from Universal Analytics. Sessions, users and conversions are determined in a different way. Comparing the figures one to one therefore does not hold up.
Then there is your cookie banner. Visitors who do not consent to analytics cookies partly disappear from your figures. How large that share is differs by website and by target group. Your figures are therefore a good indication, not an exact count.
A common scenario: a business owner opens GA4 and sees fewer visitors than in the old version. The first thought is that the website is doing badly. In reality, the system simply counts differently. The difference says nothing about performance.
Suppose you compare May and June in GA4. In June, clearly more enquiries come in via Google and fewer via social media. That is useful information, even if the exact number of visitors differs slightly from what another tool shows. You can adjust your budget and your time accordingly.
Use these rules of thumb:
- Compare months within GA4 with each other, not with the old figures from UA.
- Look at direction and proportion, not at the exact number.
- Compare the same period, for example June this year with June next year, so that seasonal effects do not create noise.
- Check your conversions now and then against your own records, such as your mailbox or your CRM.
Keep your old data
Google has announced that you can still view your previously processed UA data for at least six months. After that, it may disappear. So do not count on those figures remaining available for ever.
Therefore, retrieve now what you may want to use later. It does not have to be complicated:
- Export your most important reports to Excel, Google Sheets or PDF.
- Above all, keep the annual overviews of traffic, channels and conversions.
- Note which period and which settings you used.
That way, you will still have a reference for seasonality and growth later, even though it will stay separate from your GA4 figures.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still look at Universal Analytics?
Yes, for the time being. Google lets you view previously processed data for at least six months after 1 July. No new data will be added. So export in good time what you want to keep.
Why do my figures in GA4 differ?
GA4 uses a different measurement model from UA. Your cookie banner also leaves out part of your visitors. Therefore, compare months within GA4 and look at the trend.
If you are unsure whether GA4 is measuring accurately, a quick check of your settings is a good starting point.
What if I have not set up GA4 properly yet?
Do it now. GA4 only collects data from the moment it is running, and it does not carry over old data. The sooner you start, the sooner you build up a comparable period. Begin with the basics from this article and build from there.
Book a free 30-minute introductory meeting
Are you unsure whether GA4 is set up properly for you? Or do you not know which figures to follow? Adventio Marketing in Amersfoort will gladly look into it with you.
In a free 30-minute introductory meeting, we discuss your current setup, your goals and the first steps. You will receive practical tips that you can use straight away, even if you then continue on your own. Get in touch with us and book your meeting.
