Google has released an all-new version of Google Analytics called GA4 and now sets by default while creating a new account or property. There are a lot of new features in GA4 like cross-domain tracking and default event tracking. However, the user interface has changed quite a bit and won’t have the same default reports and options as the Universal Analytics property (UA).
If you already have a Universal Analytics property and would like to upgrade to GA4 or would like to continue setting up a GA4 property, you can follow this guide.
Set Up Universal Analytics (UA) Property
Follow these steps to set up your new Google Analytics account with a Universal Analytics (UA) property instead of a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property.
Installation TIme: 5 minutes
New Property – Enter Property Name, Time zone and Currency
Go to analytics.google.com, Sign in to the Google account you want to track your analytics on if you don’t you can create a Gmail account for free. Once logged in, click Get started to proceed with the creation of your Analytics (GA) account. We start by creating a property that is what Google refers to as your online property like your website or mobile application.
Enter the website URL for the property name, set the correct timezone and currency.Select “Show advanced options”
Select the Show Advanced Options button without which you can’t create the old dashboard or Google Universal Analytics property. Next, enter the Website URL as requested. Now you have 2 options, you can either create both a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property and a Universal Analytics property or continue with just the Universal Analytics property. For the sake of this tutorial, we will go with the second option and create only a Universal Analytics property.
Fill in your other business information and use of GA
In this next step, fill out your business details which won’t affect your reports but I guess it’s just for Google’s database. Once you select your industry, business size and intended use, you can click Create and your Universal Analytics property with a view for all your website data will be created.
Although Google Analytics 4 seems to be an upgraded version, it is yet to be widely adopted by digital marketers. There are benefits like cross-domain integration, event tracking setup by default, and integration of data from Firebase for Apps and Website data in a single report. However, certain limitations like the removal of the Bounce Rate metric, single view for a property, changes in the reporting dashboard, have made marketers apprehensive of the upgrade to Google Analytics 4. If you would like to try it out, I would suggest enabling both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 properties for your website and then deciding which one you are more comfortable with.
If you found this article useful or have any other queries or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or get in touch.
