The transition from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is well underway, with UA properties scheduled for permanent deletion on July 1, 2024.
Google has been showing this message for a year now:
If you haven’t completed migration, finish setting up your Google Analytics 4 property before your connected universal Analytics property is permanently deleted on Jul 1, 2024. To maintain access to data from this property, you should download your data now.
And recently, they started showing this as they stopped processing new data:
This property is no longer processing new data and will be permanently deleted on Jul 1, 2024. if you haven’t completed migration, go to the setup assistant to get started with Google Analytics 4 (ga4). to maintain access to data from this property, you should download your data now.
If you haven’t completed the migration yet, it’s crucial to finish setting up your GA4 property before that deadline. Failing to do so will result in the loss of access to your historical data from the connected UA property.
In this article, I’ll guide you through the steps to migrate from UA to GA4, ensuring you maintain access to your valuable data.
We’ll cover everything from finding your UA properties needing migration to creating a new GA4 property, completing the setup, and troubleshooting common issues.
Find and Confirm Your UA Properties Needing Migration
The first step is to identify the UA properties in your Analytics account that require migration. To do this, sign in to your Analytics account and follow these steps:
- Click the down arrow next to the name of your property in the top left corner.
- Under “Properties & Apps,” look for properties with IDs starting with “UA-” followed by a number (e.g., UA-XXXXXXXXX-1). These are your Universal Analytics properties.
- In the “Admin” section, navigate to the “Property” column and select the UA property you want to check.
- Click on “GA4 Setup Assistant” in the “Property” column. If you see a red “Not Connected” notice, you need to migrate this property.
If you have editor or administrator permissions, the GA4 Setup Assistant will guide you through the migration process. If you don’t have the required permissions, contact the person in your organization with the Administrator role for your Google Analytics account.
Create a New GA4 Property
Once you’ve identified the UA properties needing migration, it’s time to create a new GA4 property. Here’s how:
- In the “Admin” section, navigate to the “Property” column and select the UA property you want to migrate.
- Click on “GA4 Setup Assistant” in the “Property” column.
- Choose “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property” and click “Get Started.”
- On the “Create a new Google Analytics 4 property” page, you’ll have options based on how your site is currently tagged. Follow the instructions provided to set up data collection using the Google tag (gtag.js) or reuse your existing UA tagging.
- If prompted to install the Google tag manually, copy and paste the provided JavaScript snippet immediately after the
<head>element on every page of your website. - Click “Done” to finish creating your new GA4 property.
Complete GA4 Setup
With your new GA4 property created, it’s time to complete the setup process. Here are the steps:
- In the Setup Assistant, verify that data collection is working by browsing your website and checking the “Realtime” report for activity.
- Follow the Setup Assistant recommendations, such as turning on Google signals for enhanced remarketing and reporting.
- (Optional) Link your GA4 property to an existing Firebase project if you have one.
Next Steps
While the migration process is now complete, there are a few additional steps you may want to consider:
- Turn on Google Signals: This feature allows you to collect additional data about users who have turned on ads personalization and are signed in to their Google Accounts.
- Migrate UA Goals to GA4 Events: If you had goals set up in UA that you want to reuse as key events in GA4 (particularly if you bid on them in Google Ads), follow the instructions in the Setup Assistant to import them.
- Download Historical UA Data: To maintain access to your historical data from the connected UA property, download it before July 1, 2024.
Troubleshooting
If you’ve completed the migration but are still seeing persistent migration notifications, follow these steps to remove them:
- In the Setup Assistant, click “Open connected property” when prompted.
- Disable the “Automatically set up a basic Google Analytics 4 property” toggle.
- Mark all tasks as complete in your GA4 property’s Setup Assistant.
If you encounter permission issues during the migration process, contact the person in your organization with the Administrator role for your Google Analytics account.
By following this guide, you’ll ensure a smooth transition from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, preserving your valuable data and unlocking the powerful new features GA4 has to offer.
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