Goodbye Google Universal Analytics

Goodbye Google Universal Analytics

Feb 19, 2024

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Your data will be deleted from July 1, 2024

The chances are you migrated away from Google Universal Analytics (UA) and over to the new Google Analytics GA4 platform last year. Everyone felt the effects of adjusting to a new way of handling data, but most of us are feeling pretty comfortable with it now. The UA platform stopped collecting new data on July 1, 2023.

While UA may seem like a distant memory, it is time to revisit it one last time. The years of data you accumulated on your UA Google Analytics account are about to be deleted forever.

Google Analytics Universal Analytics (UA) will completely shut down starting the week of July 1, 2024.

This means:

• You will lose all access to your UA properties and the API, including read-only access.

• All data stored in your UA properties will be permanently deleted.

Remember, long-term web traffic data provides valuable insights into a business’s performance over time. Imagine being in a meeting in five years’ time and trying to answer the following questions without your data to hand:

• How has our international targeting taken effect over the last five years?

• How much traffic did we get before our competitor arrived at market X years ago?

• Are we starting to see more mobile users than we did five years ago?

It would be nearly impossible to answer these types of questions without your historical data.

So, what data should you export?

Essential Data:

• Core traffic data: Number of sessions, session duration, users, new users, bounce rate

• Conversions: amount each month, by type

• Demographics: location, device, language, age

• Acquisition sources: organic, paid, social etc.

Consider Exporting:

• Landing page performance: top landing pages each month

• Ecommerce Data: If applicable, export data on product performance, revenue, and shopping behaviour

• Any data relating to your marketing KPIs

We’d recommend exporting at least five years’ worth of data, although you can export more if you feel it will be useful for your business’s needs.

Our tips:

• Start with the most valuable and frequently used data.

• Do your future self a favour, and don’t wait until the last minute.

• Choose a file format that you find the easiest to handle, whether this is CSV, Excel or Google Sheets.

• Try to stay organised as you name your files. A file named “number of sessions each month” is a lot more informative than a file simply named “traffic”.

• Save your data in the cloud, not locally on your computer, ensuring multiple people have access to the data.

If you need any support with exporting your data or would like to discuss managed SEO services, email Extramile Digital at [email protected] or call us on +44 (0) 1785 850774.