Google Analytics was initially built during a time when people had hit counters on their websites. Since then, the way we use the internet and the data businesses need to track has dramatically changed. People are using multiple devices and using various apps, all of which are completely different ways to access information on the internet.

As a result of this ever-changing environment, Universal Analytics has finally come to a point where it can’t keep up with everything. There are some things Universal Analytics simply cannot track and some things it was tracking but it wasn’t very accurate. All of these changes in the way we do things is why Google created GA4. It has AI machine learning and privacy built right into it.

If you jump into Google Analytics, you may see a notice at the top announcing a sunset date for Universal Analytics of July 1, 2023. At that time, Universal Analytics will stop collecting data. You will still be able to log in and view historical data for six months. At the end of 2023, Universal Analytics will be completely shut down and the historical data stored there will be gone.

While you still have plenty of time to set up your GA4 account, I urge you to not wait until the last minute.

Please visit https://www.skyrocketradio.com/blog/migrating-from-universal-analytics-to-google-analytics-4 for more details on this episode as well as links we point out in the podcast.