Google gives Universal Analytics shutdown 1 July deadline
This update aims to give marketers a clearer, more consistent picture of how their ads perform across Google platforms.
What's changing?
”Conversions" become "Key Events": Actions crucial to your business (purchases, sign-ups, etc.) were previously called "conversions." They're now "Key Events" within Google Analytics 4. This aligns terminology with Google Ads.
Consistent tracking across platforms: Marketers using both Google Ads and Google Analytics will now see matching numbers. This simplifies measuring true return on investment across different channels.
Focus on the customer: Marketers can define the actions they care about most, leading to better insights on how to improve advertising and drive customer behaviour.
Why is this important?
Google says it has made these changes to simplify the workflow. This means that there's no longer any confusion between Google Ads and Analytics. Instead, there's now a single definition of success.
This change will save you time as you'll no longer have to wrestle with multiple reports.
It’s also part of the shift in focus towards data privacy. As traditional tracking methods are becoming obsolete, Google is preparing for a future where these methods will no longer be viable.
In this new era, the privacy of the user is paramount, and Google says it is developing new tools to ensure this.
After this date, the old "Universal Analytics" system will stop working. Customers who haven't switched to the new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) system by then, will have their data deleted.
What should marketers do?
Migrate to GA4: The migration guide is your starting point.
Define your Key Events: What actions matter most to your business? Update your Analytics to reflect those.
Export your old data: Do this before July 2024 to avoid losing valuable information.
Watch your inbox for updates: Google is promising more privacy-focused tools for customer reporting and optimisation.
Google's changes are largely positive for data-driven advertising, but the deadline means users need to act swiftly to avoid losing historical data and ensure smooth campaign tracking.
