Originally published on 2 December 2022. This English translation preserves the original article’s historical context. Dates and technical recommendations below reflect the original 2022 text and have not been updated.
The version of Google Analytics used at the time, GA3, was due to be discontinued on 1 July 2023 and replaced by GA4.
What changes?
- Cross-device measurement.
- Flexible event measurement.
- Greater attention to privacy and GDPR.
- Machine learning to identify useful insights into the customer journey.
- Better integration with Google Ads.
Why move to GA4, and when?
The question was not whether to migrate, but when. Our advice at the time was simple: as soon as possible.
The original article described GA3’s cookie-based technology as outdated and raised concerns about its compliance with data protection legislation.
It also reported a planned deletion of GA3’s historical data on 31 December 2023, underlining the need to migrate early enough to build up a minimum amount of history in GA4 before GA3’s final closure. This date is reproduced as part of the original article’s historical context.
Last but not least, GA4’s collection model is based on events, whereas the article described GA3 as relying on cookies. This means the figures in GA4 may not match those in GA3 exactly. Running GA4 alongside GA3 was intended to help users understand those differences and maintain consistent reporting between versions.
If you were unsure how to carry out the migration, worried about losing data or simply did not have time to handle it, Wikafi offered support throughout the process.