The Shark Tank

Google announced months ago that they would start to transition users away from UA properties (Universal Analytics) and toward Google Analytics 4. The initial warning came from Google, and said that starting July 1st, 2023, UA properties would stop analyzing new data. The transition has begun; since then, users have experienced a number of pop-up windows, notifications, and warnings about their use of UA.

Emails sent out to users typically have the headline “Your Universal Analytics Property needs attention” and then go into depth about how the deadline has passed. Google encourages all users to set up their business with Google Analytics 4 and provides a helpful setup assistant for anyone unfamiliar with Google Analytics and its various features.

The New Interface

Polls suggest that people aren’t huge fans of this new interface and program. They claim Google Analytics 4 has a difficult user interface. While many marketing professionals have set up GA4 and have begun to familiarize themselves with it, many will continue to use their UA programs until they are unable to. People don’t like to make changes, and this one seems more drastic than necessary for some. It is important to note that this is not an update of the UA system, nor is it a new iteration of UA. GA4 is a ground-up rebuild of the Google Analytics suite.

Google’s Timeline for UA

• March 2022: Google announced that Universal Analytics will end in 2023. More specifically, UA would stop processing new data on July 1st, 2023 for Google Analytics 360 properties (the premium version) and Google Analytics “standard” properties. Google claimed that when the date rolled around and your company was tracking hits through UA, it would stop entirely.
• July 1st, 2023: Universal Analytics continued to run and actively track data for clients. Following a campaign of messages put out by Google claiming the service would stop working, they surprisingly did not shut it down or kick out users. It continued to work the same.
• August 1st, 2023: UA properties continued to work the same way they always had.
• Today: Google still has not shut down UA properties entirely, but your UA properties data collection may be at risk. Google recommends you make the switch as soon as possible regardless of the extended timeline.

Make the Switch Soon

To ensure your data is carried over effectively and safely, read Google’s guide titled “Learn how to make the switch” and switch over as soon as you can. UA is already supposed to be phased out, so it could stop working any day. Make sure you transition to GA4 as soon as possible to avoid this.