Preparing for Transition to GA4: Why Evaluating Your Current Measurement Strategy Should Be Your First Step

If you’re like most organizations, you’re gearing up for the transition to GA4 (if you’re not, you should be!) But there’s an important step first step a lot of organizations are skipping – evaluating your current measurement strategy. 

Here’s why: transitioning to GA4 is a big change, and if your measurement strategy isn’t sound, it could cause more problems than it solves. Evaluating your current measurement strategy will ensure your data is ready for GA4, and you won’t lose any valuable insights in the transition or miss any opportunities to take advantage of the new abilities GA4 allows.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss why evaluating your current measurement strategy is so important and how to go about it.

The Importance of Evaluating Your Current Measurement Strategy before the GA4 Transition 

GA4’s primary purpose is to expedite the integration of marketing analytics with the megadata and the cloud. Once you leave UA behind and adopt GA4, you’ll find yourself at square one with your data collection efforts. 

With GA4, Google adopts a new approach to collecting user data on the mobile and web, in addition to upgrading the platform’s interface and functionalities. This means you must develop alternative measurement methods to survive in the cookieless world. 

This presents questions like, “What will happen to your existing data?” and “Will you be able to restore data from the old version in GA4?” 

Considering the looming transition to GA4, you must find answers to these questions quickly. In other words, you must focus on evaluating your current measurement strategy before you start testing the waters of GA4. 

Your team must assess the current landscape and the challenges at hand and develop a transition plan to ensure seamless continuity of data measurement while evolving the analytics practice in line with GA4 operations. 

3 Important Considerations for Your GA4 Transition Plan

A well-planned transition to GA4 will enable the efficient rebuilding of your data. With a proactive approach, you can accumulate a whole year’s worth of data in the new version when UA retires. 

Here are three critical factors to keep in mind when planning your transition to GA4.  

1. Make Sure Your People Are Ready 

As with any new platform launch, getting your team ready to transition to GA4 is critical to success. 

Internal analytics experts need to be prepared for the new platform and understand how it works. They also need to have a solid training plan in place so they can continue to provide support for your business once GA4 is launched.

One of the most important things you can do to prepare your team for the GA4 transition is to ensure they have access to accurate and up-to-date information. Many changes are coming with the new platform, and it’s important that your team members are aware of them. The best way to do this is by creating a central repository of information they can refer to as needed. This should include an overview of the changes in GA, links to helpful resources, and contact information for people who can answer questions.

Another important thing you can do is to provide your team with training and support. The training should cover things like how to use the new interface, create reports, and interpret data. It’s also important to support your team members after the training. This can come in the form of weekly check-ins, a FAQ document, or even just being available to answer questions.

By ensuring that everyone is on board and knows their role in the migration process, you can minimize potential headaches and ensure a smooth transition to GA4!

2. Create a Roadmap for GA4 Transition

Making the transition to GA4 can be daunting, especially if you’re unsure where to start. That’s why it’s important to have a roadmap to guide you from your current to your future situation. Without one, you may find yourself struggling to make the transition and not getting the most out of GA4.

The right way to go about this is by acquiring as much information as possible about the technical and logistical details of the transition. This will help create efficient processes and plans and avoid any potential roadblocks along the way.

3. Perform a Technical Audit of Your Current Platform 

Doing a technical audit of your Google Analytics implementation is an integral part of preparing for the GA4 transition. By taking the time to do a thorough audit now, you can identify any potential issues that could impact your ability to transition to GA4 smoothly.

There are a few key things to keep in mind when doing your technical audit. First, look at your current implementation and make sure it is compatible with the GA for tagging structure. If it isn’t, you’ll need to make some changes.

Next, you’ll want to check your tracking code. It should be up to date and correctly installed on your web pages. If you’re using a third-party tool for tracking, such as Google Tag Manager, now is a good time to double-check that everything is set up correctly.

Finally, take a look at your historical data. If you’ve been using GA for a while, you’ll want to ensure that your data is correctly migrated to GA4. This includes checking custom dimensions and metrics, filters, and goals. Take the time to discuss what information you risk losing and what you need to keep. How will you manage everything? What’s there to gain from the GA4 transition? 

The audit will highlight all data points affected when you switch to GA4, allowing you to make well-informed decisions.

Prepare for the Transition to GA4 With Our Experts! 

The long-awaited GA4 update is finally on the horizon, and you need to start preparing now if you want to make the switch as smooth as possible.

At Napkyn Analytics, our experts understand how overwhelmed and confused you may be regarding the transition. We’re here to help you prepare for the period of change, guiding you at every step of the way. 

Sign up for our monthly GA4 newsletter to stay current on all of the latest GA4 news, feature updates, tips, and how to articles.

Get in touch with us today. A Napkyn GA4 expert can answer any questions you have, complete a health check audit on your current measurement strategy, and help with your transition and training needs.