The sunset date for Universal Analytics is drawing near. If you haven’t already heard, Google plans to stop collecting data for Universal Analytics (aka Google Analytics/GA) on July 1, 2023. Replacing Universal Analytics (UA) will be Google’s next-generation solution, Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

What’s the Difference?

One of the main differences between UA and GA4 is the approach to data collection and the types of insights and data each platform provides. UA is session-based, heavily focusing on pageviews and sessions. GA4 is event-based, offering more comprehensive tracking of user behavior across devices and channels. Also, UA relies on cookies to record information, as where GA4 is designed to work with or without cookies by utilizing machine learning and statistical modeling to fill in any data gaps.

What Does This Mean for Dealers?

All dealers, if not most, should already have a UA property. If dealers don’t do anything, Google will automatically create a GA4 property for them. However, it’s been a long-time belief of ours that dealers should own their data. Doing so centralizes transparency in reporting and enhances collaboration between all parties. With that, we recommend dealers add their own GA4 property to make sure all things important to them are properly carried over, such as any custom events, conversions, settings, etc.

In this link, under the “Get started” section, Google lists steps 1-7 on how users can add GA4 from their existing UA property.

Note, anyone creating their own GA4 may want to avoid duplicates by disabling the one Google may automatically create via toggling off the below under their existing UA admin section.

For specific details on how your dealership can make the switch to GA4, watch this brief video for helpful tips from our Director of Digital Marketing, Elijah Theo.