On 1 July 2024, digital marketers and website owners the world over said so long, farewell and bon voyage to Universal Analytics (UA), a web analytics service launched by Google way back in October 2012.
To be fair to UA, not many technologies have survived the last 12 years. Nevertheless, UA was still used by many, and its longevity, and subsequent familiarity, means that it will be sorely missed by marketers, web devs and website owners alike.
But what does the sunsetting of UA mean for those who have always used it? What replaces it? And how might the transition affect users? In this guide we’ll take a deep dive into all that and more.
The end of Universal Analytics (UA): a timeline
The sunsetting of UA actually began way back in March 2022, when Google announced that the tool would be slowly phased out, and users would need to migrate to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the company’s latest web analytics service that had been introduced two and a half years earlier.
The official UA sunsetting phase commenced on 1 July 2023, when all standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing new hits. At that point UA was of limited use to many users, although there were certain workarounds: Universal Analytics 360 contract holders could still create standard Universal Analytics properties.
Over the next 12 months a number of Universal Analytics features, including specific advertising functions and real-time reports, were gradually cut, until, on 1 July 2024, UA was phased out entirely. This included the deletion of all audience and conversion data.
Why was Universal Analytics phased out?
When Google created UA, smartphones were still relatively new, so the web was very much desktop-focused. Privacy concerns were also minimal, so users were more easily observable through cookies.
UA simply wasn’t built for the mobile device-focused, privacy-conscious world of 2024. GA4, however, has been developed with this new zeitgeist in mind.
How does the Universal Analytics sunset affect me?
Given we’re already well past the sunset date, the UA sunset will have either already affected you (perhaps dramatically), or not at all.
GA4 was released in 2020, so there was plenty of time for UA users to migrate over to GA4, which could have been done by following these simple instructions. The UA sunset process drove a precipitous decline in the quality of the service over the last year, further compelling users to make the switch. More recent web analytics users might never have even used UA.
For those who failed to migrate their data by 1 July 2024, there is no longer any way to retrieve it – it’s unfortunately lost to the sands of time.
Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics
While GA4 represents the latest iteration of Google’s web analytics service, it might be quicker to list the similarities between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics, such is the leap that GA4 represents.
Key updates and changes include:
A new dashboard
Data analysis is very different in GA4. It features a new reporting interface that offers far greater functionality, and allows you to build customised reports. Many UA reports have either been moved, removed or renamed, however.
Stream vs session
One of the biggest differences between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics is that UA was session-focused, while GA4 reports and stores data and events in a continuous stream. This change reflects how the internet has become so embedded in people’s lives – rather than sitting down at a desktop for a dedicated, two-hour session, we more or less live online via an array of connected devices.
New and improved metrics
In GA4, certain session-focused metrics, such as bounce rate, have been removed. But they have been replaced by more modern and revealing metrics which better reflect how people now access and navigate the web, such as engagement time.
Conversions vs goals
In UA you could use ‘goals’ to track and measure all manner of objectives, like events, page views, funnel performance and sales. Goals are gone in GA4, replaced by conversion events, which require you to tag specific events as conversions for reporting. You can create up to 30 conversion types per property.
A focus on privacy
UA was built before GDPR and PECR, and before Apple began to hang its hat on customer privacy protections. GA4 is designed for the more privacy-conscious modern world, to help you comply with all relevant rules, regulations and restrictions.
AI Modelling
GA4 is loaded with artificial intelligence. The headline act is the tool’s behavioural, conversion and attribution modelling capabilities, which, when paired with predictive metrics, offer unmatched insight into how to improve your marketing and website performance, and how your marketing spend is driving sales.
With GA4 now the sole focus of Google’s internal web analytics teams, you can expect new AI features, and new features in general, to arrive thick and fast in the coming months and years.
Growth Partners: website optimisation experts
The web offers endless potential for modern businesses – but realising that potential is far from easy. Web analytics is just one slice of the digital pie, and a technical one at that, which is why your business could benefit from bringing in a highly skilled team armed with proprietary technology, deep expertise and a proven track record.
At Growth Partners we have built a reputation for helping organisations grow. We solve real-world business problems with targeted data analysis, strategic marketing thinking and best-in-class digital implementation. We understand that in the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. That’s why our team of specialists is dedicated to continuously monitoring and adapting to the latest developments in the digital space.
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, with frequent updates to algorithms, new trends in consumer behaviour, and innovations in technology. Business owners, understandably, have their hands full managing day-to-day operations and might miss out on these critical changes. This is where Growth Partners comes in. Our experts are not only well-versed in current digital marketing practices but are also proactive in staying up-to-date with the latest industry changes.
As proven digital growth experts, we’ve spent years helping growth-focused businesses better understand transformative digital technologies and how to undertake a digital transformation.
If you’re ready to gain expert guidance on how to transform your online presence and grow your business, we’re ready to help. Get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat about your Google Analytics account and your digital requirements.