Universal Analytics stopped processing data in July 2023. GA4 is now the only option. Here's what changed and how to make sense of your new analytics.

Is Universal Analytics Really Gone?

Yes. As of July 1, 2023:

What Happened

Universal Analytics (UA) stopped processing new data
Historical UA data is still accessible (for now)
UA properties are read-only
All new tracking must use GA4

Why Google Made the Switch

Privacy: GA4 is more privacy-compliant
Cookieless future: Built for a world without third-party cookies
Better insights: Event-based tracking vs. session-based
Cross-platform: Tracks web, app, and offline together

Events vs. Sessions: The Mental Shift

GA4 requires a new way of thinking:

Universal Analytics (Old Way)

Session-based: Tracks user sessions (visits)
Pageviews: Primary metric
Goals: Simple conversions (form submit, purchase)
Limited: Can't track complex user journeys

GA4 (New Way)

Event-based: Tracks every user action as an event
Events: Page views, clicks, video plays, form submissions, etc.
Flexible: Define custom events for anything
Better: See complete user journey, not just sessions

The Key Difference:

UA asked: "How many sessions?" GA4 asks: "What did users do?" This shift enables better insights into user behavior and conversion paths.

Setting Up Key Conversions in GA4

Conversions in GA4 are just events you mark as "conversions":

Default Events (Auto-Tracked)

page_view: Every page load
scroll: User scrolls 90% down page
click: Outbound link clicks
video_start: Video plays
file_download: File downloads

Enhanced Measurement Events

GA4 can automatically track:

Form submissions (if form has "submit" event)
Site search (if search parameter in URL)
Video engagement (plays, progress, completions)
File downloads (PDFs, documents)

Custom Events

Track anything you want:

Button clicks
Newsletter signups
Chat widget opens
Calculator completions
Any user action

Marking Events as Conversions

In GA4, mark important events as conversions:

Go to Admin → Events
Find the event you want to track
Toggle "Mark as conversion"
It now appears in Conversions report

Building Custom Reports That Look Like the Old Ones

GA4's default reports look different. Here's how to recreate UA-style reports:

Recreating "All Traffic" Report

In GA4:

Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
This shows sessions by source/medium
Customize to add more dimensions (campaign, etc.)
Save as custom report

Recreating "Landing Pages" Report

In GA4:

Go to Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens
Shows pageviews and engagement metrics
Add secondary dimension: "Session source"
Filter to show only landing pages

Recreating "Goals" Report

In GA4:

Go to Reports → Engagement → Conversions
Shows all conversion events
Add breakdown by source, medium, campaign
Compare to previous period

Why You Might Need BigQuery

For advanced analysis, GA4 connects to BigQuery:

What is BigQuery?

Google's data warehouse. GA4 can export data to BigQuery for:

Advanced analysis: SQL queries on your data
Data retention: Keep data longer than GA4's limits
Custom reporting: Build reports GA4 can't do
Data integration: Combine with other data sources

When You Need BigQuery

You need data older than 14 months (GA4 free limit)
You want to do complex SQL analysis
You need to combine GA4 data with CRM data
You're building custom dashboards
You have high data volumes (millions of events)

BigQuery Costs

Free tier: 10 GB storage, 1 TB queries/month
After free tier: Pay per GB stored and queried
Typical small business: $0-50/month
Large businesses: $100-500+/month

Conclusion

GA4 is different, but better. The event-based model gives you deeper insights into user behavior. Set up key conversions, build custom reports that match your old UA reports, and consider BigQuery if you need advanced analysis. The learning curve is worth it—GA4 provides better data for better decisions.