What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is one of the most popular website tracking tools on the Internet. This free software is available at analytics.google.com, and it gives you insights into your website’s visitors.
Have you ever asked any of these questions about the people who visit your website?
- Where do they come from?
- What countries and cities?
- What browser are they using?
- Are they on mobile, tablet or desktop?
- How long do they stay on my site?
- What pages do they visit?
These questions and many more can be answered through the free reporting in your Google Analytics account!
What is Google Analytics 4?
Google describes Google Analytics 4 as the next generation of Analytics. It collects event-based data from both websites and apps, and it’s designed for the future of measurement:
- Collects both website and app data to better understand the customer journey
- Uses event-based data instead of session-based data
- Includes privacy controls such as cookieless measurement, plus behavioral and conversion modeling
- Offers predictive guidance without complex models
- Integrates directly with media platforms to help drive actions on your website or app
Why do I need to migrate?
Google required this upgrade; it wasn’t optional. According to Google’s support article, standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing data on July 1, 2023, and new data only flows into Google Analytics 4 properties.
That makes this easy, free upgrade mandatory for any website still using the old tracking code.
How can I get help upgrading to Google Analytics 4?
Leighton Smith at Pioneer Media is ready to help! New clients are automatically set up on Google Analytics 4, but businesses that have collected analytics data for several years may still be on the former Universal Analytics product (the predecessor to GA4). If this describes you, let’s chat so we can move you to Google Analytics 4. The upgrade is quick, easy and free, and many Pioneer Media clients have already migrated.
About the author
Leighton Smith is Pioneer Media’s website designer, web developer and webmaster, based in East Tennessee. As a solopreneur, he is each client’s one point of contact and has built hundreds of websites since learning to code in 2006.
