Universal Analytics has an expiration date

That’s right, dear analyst, yesterday, March 16, our father Google announced that Universal Analytics has an expiration date.

I will leave you my recommendation at the end

Context: The Universal Analytics properties of Google Analytics were already deprecated since Google launched its new property finally called “Google Analytics 4” or “GA4” and long before (while Google decided its final name it came to be called “Web + App Property “) so, GA4 exists since mid-October 2020.

Currently: Most websites and mobile applications have both properties implemented:

Universal Analytics (UA)
Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Let’s remember that the difference is that GA4 can be implemented in websites and applications without the need to have several properties for each environment.

So what about Universal Analytics?

Your UA properties will stop collecting data on July 1, 2023, take a look at this:

You will be able to access and view your UA property data for up to 6 months after that date.

After this period, Google includes in its announcement that it plans to delete the Universal Analytics properties so you would lose access to that data.

What will happen to Universal Analytics 360 properties?

Payment properties like Google Analytics 360 will also stop collecting data but the date is October 1, 2023.

They will also show data up to 6 months after that date and you will have to be attentive to any announcement from Google about what will happen next.

We will have to prepare emotionally for what is coming, dear analyst.

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My recomendation

If you haven’t yet installed the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property on your website or app, run and do it right away. Why? Because this way you will collect a lot of data from today until July 1, 2023.

So when your UA property stops processing data, you will not go back to remote times where you did not have a history of important data that helped you make decisions and make your reports.

If you have clients who are in this situation, you should at least inform them of this so that they have the opportunity to decide to implement GA4 in their environments in time.

It would be a complete waste of time to wait until 2023 to implement GA4

If you need help to implement GA4 on your website with Google Tag Manager, contact me directly and I will support you at no cost if your website is made in WordPress.

Josemapelayo