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This week, the big news in the community came from Google as they announced that Universal Analytics has been given a depreciation date and will stop collecting new data on 1st July 2023.
The big problem for most people is that they simply don't like Google Analytics 4, and most people have remained on Universal Analytics. Many SEOs feel that GA4 is just not ready, it's not user friendly, it is too complex, and it doesn't allow them to see what they need with their websites.
And honestly, I agree.
For me, GA4 can work for larger eCommerce websites etc., but for most SMBs, it is just unusable. GA4 was announced two years ago, and the fact that most people still don't use it is very telling.
Regardless of Opinion, We need to Act Now.
Given the sunset date of 1st July 2023, we need to start having these conversations with our clients now about switching to GA4. Changing now will make the move more manageable, and we can still run it alongside UA for the time being while we get to grips with it.
Most importantly, using GA4 now will mean that we have historical data in GA4 once UA is deprecated.
We essentially have three months to make this change; otherwise, we will not have YoY data in our properties by July 2023.
What else can we do about it?
Ultimately, we either need to embrace GA4 and start learning or look to solutions outside of Google. SEOs and businesses are not limited in their options as we once were. We all just need to find one that works for our needs. Some of the available alternatives include:
- Fathom Analytics,
- Simple Analytics,
- Plausible Analytics,
- Matomo Analytics,
- Clicky Web Analytics.
In light of this news, I'm changing things up this week, and the Actionable SEO Tips and Advice section below is dedicated to resources around GA4 and analytics. I hope you find them useful!
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