Universal Analytics Sunset: Move to GA4 Before July 1 Next Year

Universal analytics sunset is now official: Google says standard Universal Analytics properties stop processing hits on July 1 of next year, and the move to GA4 should start now.

What Google announced

Google announced on March 16, 2022 that standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1 of next year. After that date, those properties will not collect any more data.

Universal Analytics 360 properties, the paid tier, get twelve more months. They stop processing hits on July 1 of the year after.

Google encourages site owners to move to Google Analytics 4, often called GA4, early. The reason is simple. A new GA4 property only holds data from the day it starts collecting.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022 (blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/prepare-for-future-with-google-analytics-4/).

Why starting now matters

The date is more than a year away, so it may feel early. It is not. GA4 does not fill itself with your past traffic. It begins counting when your tag is live.

If you switch on GA4 today, you will have more than a year of history by the cutoff. If you wait until the last month, you will have almost none. That makes year-over-year reports hard in the first year.

Google makes the same point. It says to move early so you can build the history you need before Universal Analytics stops processing new hits.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022.

What changes with GA4

GA4 measures events across websites and apps. Universal Analytics was built around page views and sessions, so some familiar reports will look different.

Google also says GA4 does not rely only on cookies and does not store IP addresses. It adds country-level privacy controls, so a business can limit the user-level data it collects and still keep key measurement.

For a business in Vietnam, this means your numbers will not match your old reports one to one. Plan to compare trends, not single figures.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022.

A simple migration order

Here is an order that works for most small and mid-size sites. Each step is small.

First, create a GA4 property next to your current one. Do not delete or change the old property. Then add the GA4 tag to your site, or to your tag manager if you use one.

Second, list what you track today. Write down your goals, key events, and the three or four reports your team opens every week.

Third, rebuild those items in GA4 and check that they count. Run both properties side by side and compare traffic trends for a few weeks.

Fourth, tell the people who use the reports. Show them where each report now lives in GA4.

Fifth, save what you need from the old property. Export the key reports you may want to look at later, such as monthly traffic and conversions.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022.

Who should act first

Some teams have more to lose from a late move. Online shops, lead-generation sites, and anyone who reports traffic to a client or a board should start first. They rely on trend lines, and trend lines need time.

Agencies that run analytics for several clients should list every property they manage. Check which ones already have GA4 and which do not. A simple sheet with the site, the owner, and the status is enough.

Sites that use paid ads should also check how their ad accounts read conversions. Make sure the goals you count today have a matching event in GA4.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022.

What to do this month

Pick one person to own the move. Create the GA4 property this week. Add it to your tag or tag manager. Confirm that it shows live traffic.

Then set a date for the side-by-side check. Put the Google cutoff date in your team calendar, with a reminder well before it.

Google has said the date. Nothing in the announcement changes it. The only open choice is how much history you want in GA4 when the old tool stops.

Sources: Google, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," Google Marketing Platform blog, March 16, 2022.

Sources

• Google Marketing Platform blog, "Prepare for the future with Google Analytics 4," March 16, 2022: blog.google/products/marketingplatform/analytics/prepare-for-future-with-google-analytics-4/