Switch now, because the end of Universal Analytics is approaching. On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics will be discontinued and will no longer process new data. Therefore, it is time to switch to Google Analytics 4. Are your Analytics data important to you? Then make sure a complete transition has taken place before the expiration date. Find out from us what you need to consider. Additionally, you will get an overview of the latest features of Analytics.
What Will Happen to Universal Analytics Starting July 1?
Starting July 1, 2023, you will still be able to access your Universal Analytics account, but only for historical reporting. In the future, no new data will be collected: You will neither be able to add users to your audiences nor will you receive data from products linked to Universal Analytics. The same applies to all audiences and conversions that you use in Google Ads. Campaigns that rely on this data will likely be stopped. Therefore, it is important to check your campaign settings to avoid impacting performance.
Important: Complete Your Google Analytics 4 Setup
If you have switched to Google Analytics 4, some properties still need to be adjusted to meet your measurement requirements. The Google Setup Assistant will guide you step by step through the settings so they are optimized for your business. Furthermore, other tools are available to you to further automate the setup of Google Analytics 4. With the new Google training center, you can also familiarize yourself with the latest version of Analytics.
What's New in Google Analytics 4?
Google Analytics 4 offers you new product innovations that can help activate your AI-powered insights to increase the ROI for your campaigns. We will present some of these AI-powered solutions to you below.
Importing Partial Credits into Google Ads
Google Analytics 4 allows you to import partial credits based on data-driven attribution into Google Ads. For example, if a customer clicks on two search ads, a YouTube ad, and a newsletter before making a purchase, a partial credit for the ads can be imported into Google Ads, regardless of the last touchpoint. This way, you can say goodbye to last-click attribution and see the true value of each ad.
Creating Google Analytics 4 Audiences Directly in Google Ads
Starting this month, Google Analytics 4 audiences can also be created directly in Google Ads. This allows you to create the audiences in the tool you also use to manage your campaigns. You can also achieve better performance when using predictive audiences. Among others, the German online retailer Baur used the predictive audience in its Google Ads campaigns. By using this audience of likely buyers, the retailer was able to increase its conversion rate by 87%. According to the company, 70% of customers were reached through the predictive audience in Google Ads.
New Technologies for Protecting Privacy
Given the evolution of data privacy, the advertising industry must rethink its approach to data measurement. For this purpose, Google has developed behavioral and conversion modeling. These give you a complete overview of performance without compromising user privacy.
SKAdNetwork for Cross-Channel Installation Reports and Attribution
To help you better measure and optimize iOS app campaigns, Google Analytics 4 supports you with the integration of SKAdNetwork for cross-channel installation reports and attribution. New tools will be available to you in the coming weeks for this purpose. For example, you can assign values to in-app events that are important for your business. This allows you to better optimize bidding in your iOS app campaigns. However, this bid optimization is currently only available as a beta version.
Conclusion
The latest product updates were developed to help you make the most of Google Analytics. Of course, the new features are only available in Google Analytics 4. So if you haven't switched yet, now is the right time! Also, check out our post on Consent Mode!
