Google Analytics 3 Sunset: 5-step Guide on How to Approach the Migration

On July 1, 2023, a product with a market share of over 85 percent will stop collecting data and be replaced by its successor, Google Analytics 4. That means companies can either learn analytics based on a completely different tracking logic or look for a new platform based on familiar patterns.

The most used analytics tool in the world, Universal Analytics, is about to become history. But before that happens, all those companies that base their business decisions on data gathered with Universal Analytics will face a dilemma.

Piotr Korzeniowski, CEO of Piwik PRO, says: “The organizations can either migrate to GA4, which is not easy when they realize it is based on a completely different tracking logic (sessions vs event-based tracking), or look for a new vendor that offers a solution based on a familiar tracking pattern. What makes this difficult is that you must think about reimplementation, retraining, and loss of historical data.”

For businesses facing this decision, Piwik PRO, a privacy-friendly analytics vendor, prepared this five-step guide to follow to ensure a safe and sound migration to a new analytics product.

First, organizations should evaluate the currently used stack and resources without focusing on the tool to change. This will help them consider whether the technology is nicely integrated with other tools and allows them to collect relevant data to previously set business goals.

After that, it’s time to move on to tidying collected data from the past, as tracked data may lose relevance over time. Analysts should look for duplicated properties as well as missing events and properties.

The third step involves the implementation of a new tool – setting up the tracking code and implementing tags to gather more detailed data through events or connect third-party tools. This is also the place to consider privacy laws in one’s region to run privacy-compliant analytics.

After the implementation, run a new solution in parallel to a previously used tool for a few months before the migration is finalized. This will help in evaluating its performance and spotting potential data discrepancies.

Once it’s done, the final step should involve training team members who will work with a new solution.

Korzeniowski says: “Proper onboarding and user training can be a game changer, especially when short on time. Vendors’ help in that area can speed up the adoption process. Plus, they can help you set everything up according to your business’s needs and look for personalized solutions.”

Migration is a challenging and sometimes frustrating process, which can affect the organization’s efficacy. But following every step of this guide will help avoid data loss, bad implementation, and chaos inside the company.

And the sooner your organization approaches migration, the easier it will be to get used to the new platform, collect data, and optimize their business effectively.

Piwik PRO develops a privacy-first platform, providing an advanced suite of products centered around analytics. The platforms’ vendor-agnostic design ensures seamless integration with all parts of the client’s tech stack.

The company’s client portfolio comprises 400+ brands, including the European Commission, Fitch Ratings and Crédit Agricole.