Google is replacing Google Universal Analytics (GA3) with its next generation of Analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4). GA4 is the future of Analytics, and with it comes a new data model (no more hits) and new reports. Unfortunately, once GA4 replaces GA3, your favorite GA3 reports will no longer be accessible or relevant.
LOCOMOTIVE is here to help! We have created FREE GA3 lookalike reports in Data Studio that aggregate GA4 data. We love our tools.
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Does Not Follow a Typical Rollout
GA4 was first rolled out for public use nearly two years ago and was touted as “the app + web” property analytic solution. The SEO industry was caught off guard due to the following reasons:
- GA4 is not backward compatible with GA3. In other words, GA3 data does not play with GA4, and vice versa.
- Google Analytics Universal will be “sunsetted” and no longer supported.
- Digital marketers are forced to learn a new product quickly (the release date is July 1, 2023).
Are You Ready for GA4?
The SEO community is slow to adopt GA4. Jeff Sauer, Digital Marketing Speaker, Professor & Google Analytics Consultant, turned to BuiltWith for these eye-opening statistics:
- Over 150 million sites currently use Google Analytics.
- Only 6 million of those 150 million are using GA4.
- Translation: 96% of sites need to get ready for GA4.
Don’t wait for Google to extend the deadline – take action now.
How Did LOCOMOTIVE Learn GA4?
New reports, new terminology, and new constraints come with GA4. How can you learn it all? Here are a few ideas that helped our LOCOMOTIVE team get the full Google Analytics picture. Try them out at your company.
- Go back to old-school training and bring in Analytics experts for Lunch and Learn workshops.
- Create an in-house GA4 implementation guide to help you get the complete picture of what is involved in the switch.
- Test GA4 on your sites.
- Follow JR Oakes’,VP of Strategy, Locomotive Agency, and his team’s strategy. They took matters into their own hands and gave the following to the SEO community:
We heard the early grumblings of cosmetic differences between the dashboards. Data you are used to seeing for a decade in reports will disappear, and moving to Google Analytics 4 is a giant leap for all digital marketers. We don’t want everyone to reinvent the wheel, so we created a nifty tool to help lessen the sting of the transition.
Universal Analytics (GA3) Google Analytics 4 to Google Data Studio Dashboard
There is light at the end of the tunnel – at least for the reporting aspect. The team at LOCOMOTIVE created a free (and open source) Google Analytics 4 tool available for anyone to view or use at Github.
Features:
- Formats GA4 data to match and be backfilled with historical GA3 data in BigQuery
- The dashboard will encapsulate new data so the reporting dashboards bring value historically and in the future.
- Pulls data daily from your Google Analytics 4 account.
- Backfill your Universal Analytics data into familiar reports in a Google Data Studio dashboard.
Like what you see? Get started now.
Prepare Now for GA4
On July 1, 2023 (October 1, 2023, for 360/enterprise users), Google’s standard Universal Analytics properties will no longer process data, making Google Analytics 4 mandatory. The window is closing fast, and the learning curve is steep. The time to prepare is now!
Use the LOCOMOTIVE “GA3 to GA4” tool to shorten your learning curve and help you transition faster.
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