Migrate Existing Google Analytics Integration to Google Analytics 4

This content is for clients that previously integrated an earlier version of Google Analytics with Monetate prior to April 11, 2023, and now need to update that integration after creating a Google Analytics 4 property.

If you've never integrated your Google Analytics setup with Monetate and use Google tag (gtag.js), then follow the instructions in Monetate Knowledge Base's Integrate with Google Analytics.

If you've never integrated your Google Analytics setup with Monetate and use Google Tag Manager, then follow the instructions in Integrate with Google Analytics When Using Google Tag Manager.

As part of Google's transition to Google Analytics 4, its standard Universal Analytics properties stopped processing data and analytics.js, the Google Analytics script for sending analytics data from webpages to Google's analytics platform, stopped working on July 1, 2023.

If you used Monetate's ready-made option to integrate your Monetate account with your Google Analytics account prior to April 11, 2023, then you must create a custom report in the Monetate platform to integrate with your new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property. How you configure the new custom report depends on how your retail site is configured to integrate with Google Analytics:

If your account has a custom Google Analytics integration created by Monetate's Development Services team, then you must submit a request using the Monetate Technical Support portal (support.monetate.com) for the integration to be updated.

You must have a GA4 property before you can create the custom report in Monetate. Refer to Google's Make the switch to Google Analytics 4 documentation to learn how to create the property.

If you don't create a GA4 property, then your existing Google Analytics integration with Monetate continued to use the legacy version of Google Analytics until July 1, 2023, and then stopped working.

If you have multiple legacy Google Analytics reports in one domain, ensure that you create and test a new GA4-compatible report for each of them.

FAQ for Google Tag Users

Can I determine if my Google Analytics setup is using Universal Analytics or Google Analytics 4 if I'm not logged into Monetate?

When you're logged into the Google Analytics platform, look for these clues to help you determine if you're using UA or GA4:

  • If you're using UA, you should see a blue notification at the top of your account that states UA stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023. If you previously dismissed the notification, it will no longer appear.
  • If you set up a Google Analytics account before October 14, 2020, then you're likely using UA. Otherwise, you're likely using GA4.
  • A UA property ID starts with UA and ends with a number (for example, UA-123456789-1). A GA4 property ID only contains numbers.

For more information see Google's How to check whether you have Universal Analytics or Google Analytics 4 (GA4) documentation.

Can Monetate help me migrate my UA property to my GA4 property?

No, Monetate cannot provide any assistance setting up your GA4 property in the Google Analytics platform and on your site.

Monetate does not make any modifications to your site to make it GA4 compatible. You must ensure that your GA4 property is properly configured and that you're able to send analytics to your GA4 property. If you intend to use dual tagging so that data is reported to both your UA and GA4 properties until the deprecation deadline, you must ensure the tags are configured correctly.

Google has released migration guides targeting everyone from beginners to advanced users. Monetate strongly encourages you to follow one of these guides to migrate your Google Analytics property:

You may also find assistance customizing your GA4 setup in Google's Common reporting solutions in Google Analytics 4.

Setting Up Google Analytics 4

What actions must I take to set up a new GA4 property for my site?

Setting up a GA4 property is the first step for some sites. If you haven't created a GA4 property, Google has automatically created one for you and copied to it your UA configurations unless you opted out.

Google strongly recommends that you manually migrate your settings to the new GA4 property because not all settings are easily migrated between the two properties. See Google's Migration reference for more information.

See Automatically created Google Analytics 4 properties from Google for more information.

You must also add GA4's gtag.js snippet to your site. Like its UA analytics.js counterpart, it allows you to send analytics to your Google Analytics setup. Furthermore, Monetate uses this code to push experience metrics to your Google Analytics account via the third-party analytics integration that either you created in the Monetate platform or that Monetate's Delivery Services team created for you. To learn more about adding gtag.js to your site, refer to the Add a Google Analytics 4 property (to a site that already has Analytics) and Tips for switching from analytics.js to gtag.js guides from Google.

Refrain from setting up a GA4 integration in the Monetate platform until after you've set up GA4, deployed gtag.js on your site, and confirmed the new property is working correctly.

Is my GA4 property connected to my UA property?

To determine if your two properties are connected, load your Google Analytics GA4 property in a browser, click the settings cog, and then select Setup Assistant. If your GA4 property is connected to your UA property, then beside the "Setup Assistant" heading appears Connected to [name of your UA property] in green text. If this green text doesn't appear, then your GA4 property isn't connected to your UA property. See Google's documentation for additional assistance.

Why does data from my site look different in GA4?

Some metrics in GA4 may not align with the metrics collected in UA. These metrics may be impacted:

  • Users
  • Page views
  • Purchases
  • Sessions
  • Session/traffic-based acquisition metrics
  • Conversions
  • Bounce rates
  • Event counts

Learn more about how GA4 functionality compares to UA in Google's Migration reference. See Comparing metrics: Google Analytics 4 vs. Universal Analytics to better understand the extent to which you can and can't compare metrics between the two versions.

Tags

Do I still have to set up GA4 if I already have gtag.js on my site and use it with Universal Analytics?

Using gtag.js on your site doesn't exempt you from migrating to GA4. Refer to How gtag.js for UA maps to GA4 to better understand what you need to do.

Can I use both gtag.js and analytics.js on my site?

Completely switching from analytics.js to gtag.js is the best choice in most situations. However, if you want to keep data reporting that uses advanced UA features until the deprecation deadline, then you can have dual tagging on your site. Google provides more information for developers about dual tagging in Add Google Analytics 4 to an existing Universal Analytics implementation, and its Send events to both your UA and GA4 properties advanced guide provides a thorough overview of this type of implementation.

FAQ for Google Tag Manager Users

Can I keep using Google Tag Manager when I have GA4?

If you've been using Google Tag Manager to collect data for your UA setup, you can use it with GA4. However, you must be aware of certain considerations when implementing GA4 with Google Tag Manager. See Google's tips on this topic to learn more.

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