Google has announced that although Universal Analytics will be retired in under two months’ time, the historical data from this property will still be accessible until July 2024.
After 1st July this year, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will be the default version of the service for every user. Universal Analytics properties will be set as read only, so you won’t be able to track any more traffic within this property as of July.
If you haven’t already set up GA4 on your website, be sure to do this straight away so that you can start tracking traffic to your website in the new platform. This will enable you to get used to GA4 and gain access to up-to-date information.
What can you do with your old Universal Analytics data?
The best thing to do is to make sure you export your Universal Analytics historical data before July 2024, otherwise you will lose it. You can export your data into multiple formats, including CSV, Excel, Google Sheets and PDFs – whichever is easiest for you and you’re most comfortable with.
One point to note is that you can’t import the old Universal Analytics data into GA4, as GA4 tracks traffic differently – via events instead of page views. Therefore, the only way to analyse your historical data is to use the exports from Universal Analytics in Excel, Google Sheets or your preferred PDF reading software.
If you’re unsure on how to get started with setting up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) on your website, why not join EngageWeb.Club? If you do, you’ll find multiple videos on subjects like setting up Google Analytics, how to use GA4, and other digital marketing tips to help you increase your skills or boost your businesses leads and sales.
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