Benefits of Upgrading to GA4

I feel like Paul Revere at this point, riding my digital stallion throughout the internet shouting “GA4 is coming! GA4 is coming!!” One if by LAN, two if by C+…getting a little off track here. Sorry.

GA4 is coming. And you need to know the benefits to upgrading to GA4 now instead of later.

I’m Eric Espinosa, former Lead Support Manager at Lifted Logic. As we draw closer to GA4 day (July 1, 2023), many of our WordPress website owners are asking when they should switch their accounts from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4.

My easy answer? Yesterday.

Read on to understand the what’s and why’s of upgrading to GA4 as soon as you can.

What is GA4?

Let’s start at the beginning. Back in 2005, Google bought a company called Urchin Software Corp. They made a software package called Urchin which provided website traffic analysis, including web host providers and ISPs. 

Google took this software, tweaked it, and it became Google Analytics (GA). 

Seven years later in 2012, Google debuted an overhauled and upgraded version of this measuring software that included new tracking codes and other features. This “Universal Analytics” (UA) version allowed users to much more accurately understand user behavior. That’s the tool that you’ve known and loved for over 10 years. 

In 2020, Google released GA4 as a beta version. For more than 2 years they’ve tested it, revised it, tested it some more, and on July 1, 2022, it becomes the only Google analytics tool you can use. It’s Google Analytics taken to a whole new level.

What happens to UA?

Starting July 1, 2022, Universal Analytics will still exist but it won’t be tracking any further information…so it might as well not exist. You’ll have around 6 months to download information from UA. Then, it really does disappear into the void. Oblivion. Nowheresville. The phantom zone so that Zod can track his dead followers. Etc, etc. You get the idea.

Why should I use GA4 now?

Plain and simple: you should start using GA4 now so that it can start building statistics. The stats you gleaned using UA will not cross over, not even with the help of a ouija board and a six pack of Red Bull. So starting up your GA4 account now will begin the process of gleaning data. That way by the July 1 target date you can have a healthy amount of information for your new analysis.

What does GA4 do that UA doesn’t?

According to Google itself, GA4 will still have some of the same basic features as UA. You’ll still have goals/conversions (hallelujah and amen), plus Google Ads links. 

However, as time passes, even those could be changed/revised/Sarah Connored. Google says they’ll give us dates for when existing UA properties cease to be available.

You might even already be on GA4. If you created your property after October 14, 2020, it’s likely you’re already on GA4. Feel free to check whether you’re already on the GA4 train.

We’ve already mentioned 1 of the benefits to upgrading to GA4: data collection. Now let’s look at 3 more differences I consider biggies between the old(ish) and new analytics.

More Event Measurement

UA tracked basic events like page views and sessions. Everything else had to be set up manually in UA and Google Tag Manager. Though valuable, that could also get to be tedious, complicated, and time consuming. 

GA4 has more available measurements from the get-go. For starters, it tracks events like when and where they scrolled, which forms they filled out, and more.  GA4 also tracks link clicks for documents, outbound links, and even web searches.

You can track more of your marketing efforts without having to do as much internal set up, or spending the dollars to hire developers to do it for you.

Defining the User Journey

GA4 provides a Funnel Exploration Report to help you understand what steps your users followed. It lets you know where they dropped off before the final step, so that you can optimize those steps. What’s amazing is, you can even work backwards from a conversion point. It’s up to you, and GA4 now collects the data and builds the reports for you.

Tracking for Web and App

Up until now, you’ve used UA for website tracking and then other software to track app use. In GA4, all of that can be done in one place. Through creating a GA4 “property,” you can add data streams that help you get the metrics you need all right there, databing databoom.

Why haven’t more people changed to GA4 already?

You’ve now seen just 3 of the benefits to upgrading to GA4, and it looks pretty cool! If it’s been around since 2020, why are some people waiting until the last minute?

Beta Means Changes

When GA4 first arrived, there were bugs, issues, and a lot of work ahead. That work has been (mostly) done, but names changed for metrics, some functions came and went, and depending on it for your marketing was risky. Most companies chose not to be early adopters for using it as their analytics tool. 

However, you can have both tools available and still use UA for the time being. Back to what I said in the beginning: start gathering data now so that when the time comes, your GA4 account has plenty to work with.

Change Sucks

When you’ve gotten really, really good at something, it really, really sucks when the rules are suddenly changed on you. Plus, you’ve put in all that work to set up the old metric, and now you have to do it all over again with plenty of new names and functions to learn.

Just keep your eye on the prize. The benefits outweigh the pain. What does your trainer say right before you get that wicked leg cramp and just want to eat cheesy puffs to make it stop? “No pain, no gain.” #handmethecheesypuffsnow

We’re here 4U for GA4

Need help understanding GA4 and migrating to it? At Lifted Logic we help all our clients move from UA to GA4, including training on how to use it for your online marketing. The way we figure it, if you preach it—teach it. 

Our staff becomes your second crew, working hard to help you grow your business presence online, and your profit presence bottomline. 

We can build your website from the ground up, help with social marketing, design a logo, write SEO blogs, and give you a cup of coffee so strong it’ll give your grandma the jitters.

Email my team at support@liftedlogic.com for questions or to set up time we can talk more about you.