Google will begin mechanically configuring your Common Analytics properties to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for you. However you really don’t need to do that for a lot of causes.
Is your GA4 already arrange? You would possibly nonetheless be topic to “auto-migration.” Learn on for extra particulars about it and learn how to choose out.
Making the swap to GA4
On February 9, Google despatched an e-mail saying they’ll quickly begin configuring Google Analytics 4 for customers beginning in March (as early as this week).
Because of this when you’ve got a Common Analytics (UA) property however haven’t migrated to GA4, Google will create a GA4 property for you primarily based on most of the settings you will have in UA, equivalent to your targets, audiences, Advertisements hyperlinks, customers, and extra.
However what’s Google’s definition of “haven’t migrated”?
State of affairs 1: You’ve a UA property and haven’t arrange a GA4 property. The UA property just isn’t opted out of the auto-migration setting.
This can be a typical state of affairs for individuals who haven’t had the time or don’t need to arrange GA4. That is basically the “lengthy tail” of shoppers Google needs to maintain on GA.
In the event you simply didn’t have the time or need to do the migration, maybe this isn’t a nasty choice for you. However bear in mind that your information could look fairly completely different. (Extra particulars on how the migration works under.)
State of affairs 2: You’ve created a GA4 property however haven’t linked it to a UA property. Google doesn’t understand it’s the identical as your UA property and doesn’t take into account this migrated.
Have you ever seen this popup modal in GA4? Possible sure, as a result of it pops up each time you log in or refresh.
What does linking do? It tells Google that you’ve created a GA4 property tied to a UA property.
Will that cease Google from automigrating you?
Not essentially.
That may rely on how a lot of the GA4 setup assistant you will have accomplished (extra on that in a second).
State of affairs 3: You’ve created a GA4 property and linked it to a UA property however haven’t accomplished all GA4 Setup Assistant steps.
In the event you’re not opted out of migration in UA, then Google will begin filling within the gaps for you on this state of affairs.
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Utilizing the GA4 Setup Assistant
The GA4 Setup Assistant is a 12-step device that helps you monitor your GA4 migration progress.
It has some fairly helpful instruments included, equivalent to assist with viewers migration and a extra simple course of for Google Advertisements linking.
Advertisements linking
Usually, you will need to have twin admin entry, that means you should be an admin on each the Analytics and Advertisements accounts to hyperlink. It may be irritating and time-consuming to make sure you have the suitable entry ranges.
The setup assistant device references the hyperlinks you will have in UA and doesn’t require admin entry to Advertisements to hyperlink. That is nice in case you are having somebody not sometimes concerned in Advertisements serving to you migrate, equivalent to a contractor or company.
When you click on Import from Common Analytics, a brand new display reveals you the entire Advertisements hyperlinks you will have arrange in UA.
You may test or uncheck the containers for what you need to import to GA4 after which hit Import chosen Advertisements hyperlinks. It is as straightforward as that.
Conversions
The device will reference your conversions in UA and test if they’re eligible (i.e., occasion or vacation spot targets) for migration to GA4.
Objectives utilizing different aim sorts or regex are usually not at the moment eligible for migration, however possibly sooner or later.
This migration display is just like the Advertisements linking display. Verify the eligible targets you need to migrate to GA4 conversions. Ineligible targets can be grayed out.
You’ve the choice to vary the identify of the conversion. I like to recommend leaving it within the underscore format.
Customers
This one is not as flashy, however when you’ve got plenty of customers with entry to your UA property that you just need to copy to GA4, it might be essentially the most useful device.
When you choose Import from Common Analytics, it is going to ship you to a assist heart article detailing the method.
You will want to make use of a Google Sheets Add-on device for this. It seems like work, nevertheless it’s fairly fast and painless. The assistance heart article offers nice step-by-step directions on learn how to use it.
Why some customers would possibly need to choose out
Again to the warnings I’ve in retailer for you…
To illustrate you fall into State of affairs 3 (that’s, you will have created a GA4 property and linked it to a UA property however have not accomplished all GA4 Setup Assistant steps).
No matter you haven’t marked as full within the GA4 Setup Assistant device can be executed for you.
That is the place, in my view, issues can get fairly sketchy quick.
Sure, I simply informed you the Setup Assistant has some helpful instruments. However they’re useful as a result of you may management the migration your self.
For all 12 steps within the Setup Assistant, you will need to mark them Full even when you’ve got not executed them – until you need Google to do it.
That is particularly vital for these seven steps:
- Turning on Google Alerts.
- Organising Conversions.
- Defining Audiences.
- Managing Customers.
- Linking to Google Advertisements.
- Bidding to GA4 conversions.
- Concentrating on advertisements to GA4 audiences.
Let’s break a couple of of those down:
Linking to Google Alerts
Google Alerts is required for remarketing/retargeting with Google merchandise. However some international locations could have authorized implications or restrictions, so I might counsel checking along with your authorized staff to make sure.
Managing Customers
I simply stated how a lot I like this function. However with nice energy comes nice duty. You need to test the entry being granted, as there could also be customers you don’t want emigrate. In the event you let Google do it, they’re going to migrate everybody from UA.
Bidding to GA4 conversions
That is the place the true hazard begins. In the event you let Google migrate your conversions for you, and you have not checked them, you are taking their phrase that you’re nonetheless contemplating the actions from UA that they may migrate to be vital.
Then, if you happen to let Google bid to these conversions in Advertisements, they’re altering the targets from UA to GA4 conversions that you’re spending actual cash towards.
In the event you didn’t arrange these conversions, you threat an automatic course of spending your cash in a approach chances are you’ll not need or that isn’t optimized towards your present targets.
Concentrating on Advertisements to GA4 Conversions
Similar issues as above. You’ll have Google migrate audiences for you, hoping they’re ok, after which bid towards them along with your cash. Your oversight is taken out of the method.
So what’s going to migration seem like?
For some issues, like conversions, they could append a UA_ to the identify of the conversion in GA4 to point that it got here from UA. Different issues could not have any indication of the place they got here from.
Satisfied? Here is learn how to choose out
So are you satisfied but that you need to choose out of automigration? Right here’s how.
In your Common Analytics account, go to Admin > Property column > GA4 Setup Assistant.
Scroll to the underside and toggle off the swap for “Mechanically arrange a fundamental GA4 property.”
Opting out will stop the UA property from being migrated.
In the event you do not choose out however are linked (that popup modal we preserve getting), then you have to to Mark as full all 12 steps (or no matter you don’t need automigrated) within the Setup Assistant in your GA4 property.
If you don’t choose out or don’t mark all as full, Google would possibly migrate some or your whole UA property to a GA4 property beginning as early as this week.
The extra sophisticated your UA property, the later it will likely be migrated since they’ll doubtless begin with easier properties.
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