How to Upgrade Google Analytics

Universal Analytics has officially ridden off into the sunset, and Google Analytics 4 is now the standard. For many, this forced "upgrade" felt abrupt, but it introduces a more powerful, flexible way to understand your audience. This article will guide you through setting up your GA4 property correctly and show you how to start finding value in its new reporting structure, even if you’re coming in after the transition.

Why the Move to GA4? (And Why It’s Actually A Good Thing)

The switch from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 wasn't just a facelift, it was a fundamental rebuild. The old model was built for a simpler time on the internet, one dominated by desktop website sessions. GA4 is designed for the modern user's journey, which is fragmented across websites, mobile apps, and multiple devices.

The biggest change is the shift from a session-based model to an event-based model. In UA, everything revolved around sessions - a period of activity from a user. In GA4, everything is an event. A page view is an event, a button click is an event, a form submission is an event, and a purchase is an event. This might sound like a simple change, but it unlocks a far more granular and user-centric view of behavior.

Key benefits of the new model include:

• Cross-Device and Cross-Platform Tracking: GA4 combines data from your website and mobile app into a single property. This gives you a unified look at how users interact with your brand, no matter which device they’re on.
• Enhanced User Privacy: GA4 was built with privacy at its core. It no longer relies on cookies by default and doesn’t store IP addresses, helping you comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
• Smarter Insights with AI: The new framework allows Google to layer on machine learning features, such as predictive metrics. GA4 can predict which users are likely to purchase or churn, giving you a chance to act proactively.

While the learning curve can be steep, the underlying data model in GA4 is far more future-proof and better equipped to give you the insights needed to grow your business.

What Happened to My Universal Analytics Data?

This is the question that caused the most anxiety. Universal Analytics properties officially stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023. For about a year after that, you could still access your historical reports within the UA interface. However, that access period has now ended, and as of July 1, 2024, the Universal Analytics interface and API are no longer available.

This means your historical UA data is gone unless you previously exported it. This reality check underscores a critical best practice for data management: always have a plan for backing up important analytics data.

If you didn't export your data, unfortunately, there isn't a way to retrieve it from Google now. Looking ahead, this highlights the importance of connecting your GA4 property to tools that allow for raw data export, so you aren't caught in this position again. The simplest, most scalable way to do this is by setting up a link to Google BigQuery, a process that is thankfully free and straightforward in GA4.

How to Get Started with Google Analytics 4

If you're starting fresh or just getting around to properly configuring your account, the process is quite manageable. Many website owners will find that Google automatically created a basic GA4 property for them, providing a solid starting point.

Step 1: Check for an Existing GA4 Property

Before you build anything new, log in to your Google Analytics account. Check the list of properties available. If Google created one for you, you'll see a GA4 property (which lacks a "UA-" prefix in its ID) alongside your old Universal Analytics one. If you see one, you can proceed directly to configuring it. If not, you'll need to create one from scratch.

Step 2: Create a New GA4 Property

Creating a new property is simple:

1. Navigate to the Admin section (the gear icon on the bottom left).
2. In the Property column, click Create Property.
3. Give your property a name (e.g., "My Website - GA4"), select your reporting time zone and currency, and click Next.
4. Provide some basic business information. This is optional but helps Google tailor your experience.
5. Choose your business objectives. This helps customize the default reports shown in your property.

Once you’ve created the property, you'll need to get data flowing into it by setting up a "data stream."

Step 3: Set Up a Data Stream

A data stream is a source of data flowing into your GA4 property. For most, this will be a website.

1. From the property setup screen, choose a platform: Web, Android app, or iOS app.
2. Enter your website URL and give the stream a name (e.g., "My Website").
3. Ensure Enhanced measurement is enabled. This is a huge time-saver, as it automatically captures key events like scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads, and video engagement without you needing to manually tag them.
4. Click Create stream.

Step 4: Install the GA4 Tag on Your Website

With your stream created, Analytics will provide you with a Measurement ID (formatted like "G-XXXXXXXXXX"). You now need to add this to your website. You have two main options:

Option A: Global Site Tag (gtag.js)

If your website doesn't use a content management system (CMS) with a dedicated Google Analytics integration or Google Tag Manager, you can add the tag directly. Analytics will provide a JavaScript snippet. You'll need to copy this snippet and paste it into the <head> section of every page on your site. This is effective but can be cumbersome to manage over time.

Option B: Google Tag Manager (Recommended)

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is the most flexible and robust way to manage analytics and marketing tags. Instead of placing dozens of code snippets on your site, you just install GTM once. Then, you can add, edit, and remove tags like GA4 from the GTM interface.

To set it up:

• In GTM, create a new tag and choose the Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration tag type.
• Paste your Measurement ID ("G-...") into the corresponding field.
• Set the tag to fire on all pages by choosing the Initialization - All Pages trigger.
• Save, preview, and publish your container.

Your site is now sending data to GA4.

Must-Do Configurations After Setup

Just installing the tag isn't enough. There are a few key settings you need to adjust to ensure you're collecting useful, long-term data.

1. Set Your Data Retention Period

This is the most critical post-setup step. By default, GA4 only stores user-level data (like the data used in Explore reports) for two months. You should immediately change this to the maximum setting:

1. In Admin, go to Data Settings > Data Retention.
2. Change the Event data retention dropdown from "2 months" to "14 months."
3. Save your changes.

This ensures you can perform year-over-year analysis down the road.

2. Define Your Conversions

UA "Goals" do not automatically migrate to GA4. You need to tell GA4 which events are your most important business outcomes. Any event being collected can be marked as a conversion.

For example, if you have a thank-you page after a lead form submission, you might want to create an event called generate_lead. Once GA4 registers that event, you can:

1. Go to Admin > Data > Events.
2. Find your important event in the list (e.g., generate_lead).
3. Toggle the switch under the Mark as conversion column.

That's it. GA4 will now track this event as a conversion in your reports.

3. Link Your Other Google Services

To get a complete picture, connect GA4 to your other Google tools:

• Google Ads: Essential for seeing how your ad campaigns drive on-site behavior and conversions.
• Google Search Console: Brings in organic search query data and landing page performance right into GA4.
• BigQuery: Lets you access your raw, unsampled event data for deep analysis (and serves as a backup!).

You can find these options in Admin > Product links.

A Quick Tour of the All-New GA4 Reporting Interface

If you're used to Universal Analytics, the GA4 interface can be jarring. Many familiar pre-built reports are gone. Instead, GA4 prioritizes a concise default experience while pushing more complex analysis into its "Explore" section.

The Default Reports

The left-hand navigation is organized around the customer lifecycle:

• Acquisition: How are users finding you? You'll find reports on user and traffic sources here.
• Engagement: What are users doing? This replaces "Behavior" from UA, focusing on events, conversion, and page views.
• Demographics: Who are your users? Standard reports covering user attributes like geography, gender, and age.

The Real Powerhouse: The "Explore" Tab

The Explore section is where GA4 truly shines. It allows you to build custom reports, funnels, and segment comparisons that go far beyond what was readily available in UA. While the default reports give you high-level summaries, Explore lets you ask specific, targeted questions of your data.

You can build things like:

• Funnel explorations to see where users drop off in your conversion process.
• Path explorations to visualize the steps users take on your site.
• Segment overlaps to understand how traits of different audience groups intersect.

It takes some getting used to but it is an incredibly powerful tool for anyone willing to move beyond basic reporting.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading to Google Analytics 4 is a non-negotiable step for anyone who relied on Universal Analytics. It's a shift in mindset from tracking sessions to tracking people, and once properly configured, its flexible, event-based model offers far deeper business insights. Take the time to set up the essentials like data retention and conversions, and you'll build a solid data foundation for the future.

Switching to a whole new analytics platform can feel overwhelming. We know building reports and dashboards often turns into a manual, time-consuming chore that detracts from actual analysis. At Graphed, we built an AI data analyst to eliminate all that friction. Instead of learning the ins and outs of a new tool, you can just connect your Google Analytics account with our software and then use plain English to ask questions and get real-time answers and dashboards in seconds.