Google has announced that it will begin enforcing its Analytics 4 (GA4) property across all new Google Analytics accounts starting July 1st 2023. This means that any new Google Analytics account will be required to use GA4, and all existing accounts will have to make the switch by the end of June 2023.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps website owners and marketers to understand their audience and optimize their online presence. The GA4 property is the latest version of Google Analytics, which offers a range of new features and improvements over the previous Universal Analytics.

One of the key benefits of GA4 is its ability to provide a more complete view of the customer journey, including tracking interactions across multiple devices and platforms. This makes it easier for businesses to understand how customers are interacting with their brand and to identify areas for improvement.

Google has been encouraging website owners to transition to GA4 for some time now, but until now, it has been optional. However, with the enforcement of GA4, Google is signaling that it sees this as the future of analytics and wants all website owners to be using it.

To help website owners make the transition, Google has provided a range of resources, including a guide to GA4, a comparison tool to help businesses understand the differences between GA4 and Universal Analytics, and a range of tutorials and best practices.

In a blog post announcing the enforcement of GA4, Google emphasized the importance of making the switch:

“As we move into a world with fewer cookies and more privacy regulations, it’s important to have a measurement approach that works for the future. GA4 provides that approach.”

Benefits of the Google Analytics 4 to websites

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s popular analytics platform, offering a range of new features and improvements over its predecessor, Universal Analytics. Here are some of the important features and benefits of GA4:

• Customer-centric measurement: GA4 allows businesses to measure user behavior across multiple devices and platforms, providing a more complete view of the customer journey.

• Machine learning-powered insights: GA4 uses machine learning to provide valuable insights, such as predicting churn rates and identifying high-value customers.

• Enhanced privacy controls: GA4 is designed with privacy in mind, offering features such as data minimization, user deletion, and consent management tools.

• Streamlined event tracking: GA4 makes it easier to track events and interactions, with customizable event parameters and a simplified event setup process.

• Deeper integration with Google Ads: GA4 provides deeper integration with Google Ads, allowing businesses to measure the impact of their advertising campaigns more effectively.

• Advanced analysis and reporting: GA4 offers more advanced analysis and reporting features, including funnel analysis, path analysis, and user lifetime reporting.

• Cross-property measurement: GA4 allows businesses to measure user behavior across multiple websites and apps, providing a more complete view of their online presence.

Website owners who have not yet made the switch to GA4 are advised to do so as soon as possible, to ensure they are not caught out by the end of the June deadline. With the countdown now officially underway, businesses that fail to make the switch risk falling behind their competitors in terms of analytics and insights.