Starting July 1st, 2023, Google will discontinue Universal Analytics (UA), making Google Analytics 4 (GA4) the default analytics tool for website tracking.
To switch from UA to GA4 tracking in WordPress using a plugin, you can follow these steps. Please note that the steps below use the MonsterInsights plugin, but numerous Google Analytics plugins are available for WordPress.
- Install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin
- Go to Insights > Settings in your WordPress dashboard
- Click on Connect MonsterInsights
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account and authorize MonsterInsights
- MonsterInsights will automatically detect your Google Analytics 4 property. If not, you can manually enter the property ID
- Click on Save
MonsterInsights will now start tracking your website using Google Analytics 4. You can view your GA4 reports in Insights > Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind when switching from UA to GA4:
- Google Analytics 4 is a new platform, so getting used to the new interface and reports may take some time.
- GA4 uses a different tracking code than UA, but you can connect your GA4 property to your UA property in your Google Analytics account.
- GA4 collects data differently than UA, so your reports may look different.
- Google will continue to support UA for the foreseeable future, but it’s recommended that you start using GA4 as soon as possible.
- It may take up to 24 hours for your website to start tracking with GA4. Once it’s running, you can use GA4 to track your website’s traffic and performance.
It might be possible that Google does extend the GA4 deadline back, but as set currently, the deadline is still the 1st of July.
Did You Know? MainWP has a Google Analytics Extension that allows you to view Google Analytics data of all your sites directly from a centralized MainWP Dashboard.
Useful Links
- https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11583528?hl=en
- https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/10759417?sjid=3910481172998610708-NA
- https://www.monsterinsights.com/google-analytics-4-upgrade-how-to-upgrade-why/
- https://www.monsterinsights.com/docs/google-analytics-4-versus-universal-analytics/
