Analytics are a key part of running any website, and Google Analytics has been a favorite for many thanks to its powerful tools and relatively easy setup. Now, after more than a decade, Google Analytics is pulling the plug on Universal Analytics as it shifts to a new standard.
As of July 1, 2023, Google Analytics will stop counting new hits on properties using Universal Analytics, also known as UA (GA3). This comes after the tool has been the go-to for the industry for well over a decade, with GA3 being fully released in early 2014.
Google explains on a support page that Universal Analytics (UA) will be replaced by Google Analytics 4, GA4, which launched in December 2020 as a cookie-free method of measuring website traffic with additional data such as predictive insights and deeper integration with Google Ads.
Google Analytics 4 is our next-generation measurement solution, and it’s replacing Universal Analytics. On July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits. If you still rely on Universal Analytics, we recommend that you prepare to use Google Analytics 4 going forward.
After Google shuts down UA next year, the company says that existing site data will be available for at least six months, but recommends exporting historical data during that time period. Right now, there’s no set date for when Universal Analytics properties will be inaccessible.
Google Analytics 360 properties are being given an extension here, with historical data and new hits being processed through October 1, 2023.
If you use Google Analytics for a website, Google has a rule of thumb to help tell if a property is using UA or the newer GA4. If the property was created before October 2020, it’s likely using Universal Analytics, while sites created after are probably using GA4. If your site’s property in Google Analytics has a “UA” in its identification number, that means you’re using Universal Analytics. Google has more information on how to identify what your property is using here.
More on Google:
- Google teases I/O 2022 with ‘SVD’ interactive puzzle
- Google sponsorship leads to ‘Chrome wheels’ and Android logo on McLaren Formula 1 cars
- Google prepares ‘ChromeOS’ rebrand to drop the space
Author: Ben Schoon
Source: 9TO5Google
