Setup GA4 with Universal Analytics (for now)

Google Analytics is pushing people into GA4- even though it’s not ready yet. Don’t fall for it! Setup Universal Analytics in the meantime.

Google Analytics will be moving everyone into GA4- probably within the next year. Go ahead and start collecting that data today. However, be sure you are still using the older Universal Analytics in the meantime.

Transcript:

So, for example, if a client set has a newer site and when G8 and they went installed analytics, they didn’t like install the universal and ga4 It’s TGA for to now go back in and and and put the universal on as well because because my understanding is ga4 is not ready for prime time reporting. Yes. You You’re going to have to go into Google analytics and hunt for the universal analytics code and you’re probably have to setup a new profile. That is universal analytics. Compliant Steffi ran into a problem where she did. The exact same thing. She set up a new client with Jay and it tricked her into ga4 and she had to go and find the hidden. To set up Universal analytics. So I when I did that it was like immediately I saw. So I just simply remove just said, delete this and and went back in and found how to do it. This is when someone else set up and it’s been there for a little while and so I want to now be able to show them reports. So I would dig for it, okay, I would start with creating a new profile within the Google analytics account, so when you say profile, so let me Tell you one little part. Hopefully this doesn’t make it tricky so there is the business and they actually have two domains, the one’s been there for a while and has Google analytics Universal. The second one is the one that only has ga4. So when you say set up a new profile, I do remember the way Google analytics accounts are set up. There’s a Google analytics account, large, which you log into, and in that, you see several Google analytics Accounts at. Yes, right. That’s confusing. That’s the nomenclature. Yeah, now, I can teach Google analytics. Can’t you can create several profiles? and with each profile has A different view. Okay, so wait, wait wait, I might getting the nomenclature on. I was gonna say I’m and I’m actually going to log into in, and look at it because I just want to make sure I understand. So right, well, let me, let me make sure I’m getting my nomenclature contract, okay? Yeah, you have accounts properties and applications use properties. Okay, okay, where I said profiles, I meant property, sell your Google analytics, whether it’s Universal or ga4, is associated with your property? Yes. Okay, that’s what. That’s so, if you create a new property, it’s There we go. Okay, so I just, I just went into a Google analytics account, try to create a new property and at its trying to set up a Google analytics for property. There is a little link underneath that. It says show Advanced options, okay? If you click on that, you can from there create Universal analytics property, okay? Because they’ve created a j4. You can go into that account, under that account creating an additional property. Or Universal analytics? Okay, you just have to name the site, different beliefs, likely to get the universal. No. Because what’s going on? Because you haven’t been part of the conversation, Google analytics is moving to a new version called S4. And when you started talking about it, I jumped in one of the ones I just set up. It is GA for right, which is why I have zero analytics on this site. Well, so what we’ve learned is number one, Google is is releasing it but it’s not ready for release yet. They say that you shouldn’t use it yet even though they’re tricking everybody into it, this is very disappointing. Second of all, if you You have your Google analytics, the traditional Google analytics code on your website. It can’t send data into ga4 Because it’s a different code until he’s had a heart attack. I’m so sorry. Someone like a delivery person walked by and it startled a bird and the bird flew into my window and in turn startled me so okay. No one’s hurt. That’s what we’re making sure. Okay, we’re all okay. Okay so this is a brand new site. I just set up the analytics for it so I’m not truly sure if anybody has been to site not But it did set it up as a ga for. So I need to go back and click create property and then use that little link you said, so that I can get the old analytics set up, okay, right? Yes. And just just to be clear. How did you add the Google analytics? Code to the new site you just set up with the Google plugin. See, there you go. So Cannot communicate with ga4. So do you? You probably aren’t going to get any data. Now you can confirm that by viewing the site with real-time analytics to see you. Look at the website Because even ga4 has real-time analytics. Yeah. So I know data. You know that ga4 is not working. Yeah, so I do actually am showing data so my ga for is working but it’s I need to get reports. So that’s why I want to add Universal analytics, right? One thing to that just to make sure that we tell and needed that to leave your or get make sure that j4 is collecting data and leave it because you want, when they change to GTA 4, you’re going to want that data starting now, so don’t remove j4t. Good. Make sure that it’s collecting data by checking real-time and but then go add Universal analytics. Okay? Breakfast, just I just checked and it’s not showing me anything anywhere but like I said, this is a brand new site. I don’t know that it’s actually gotten anything because I haven’t even admitted it to the search engines yet, but I wanted to go ahead and get my analytics in there, you know, from the beginning. Thank you so much for that. Oh, go ahead and get that Universal in there because you know, I don’t want to miss out. Yeah, but definitely like I’m David said on the real time. So if you look at real time and then you hadn’t like another browser, open that website, it should show you. There’s a real time visitor, it would be you and that would be you. So make sure that that’s picking up because that way you can confirm that. Can you up? That makes sense? Okay? Because you’re going to have to run two different, Google analytics codes. One for Universal, which the site could plug-in, automatically adds for you, one for G8. Or. It is a totally different code if you want to collect data and both. Properties. I am recommending that everybody go ahead and set up both just to have the data, but almost everything you can do with Google analytics, you have to do with universal. At this point still you can’t use the new code. So I would definitely set up the universal. Yeah, property. So you can have that code give that to the site kit plug-in. And then you should start seeing visitors even Even if it’s just yourself in real time, then after you can act, you confirm that use those three. So you don’t count yourself as a visitor, correct, right. I do have a question about. Let me get her up real quick. I needed to do. We get that covered for you? Yes, that’s very helpful.