You may have heard about the big Google Analytics 4 (G4) rollout a few weeks ago. No doubt about it, G4 ushers in a remarkable new world of tools that add AI-driven insights, even better cross device tracking, and deeper data controls.
Having said all of that, there are a few strong reasons why you may want to wait before upgrading.
- G4 won’t connect to most open source publishing platforms, like WordPress, using one of the many common plugins that connect websites to your Google Analytics account. Even Google’s own Site Kit plugin isn’t compatible with G4 unless you also use Google Tag Manager to inject G4’s tracking script.
- G4’s new features and tools require time to review and learn. This is arguably the biggest update in Analytics since it launched, and even experienced users will see a learning curve to get up to speed.
- You may not see all your custom events, dashboard widgets, and reports after the upgrade.
None of this means you shouldn’t upgrade at some point. You should. G4 is filled with all sorts of practical features and will serve as the model for interacting with data for years to come.
Having said all of that, you’ll want to set aside time to learn about migration and all those new goodies. In the meantime, start with Google’s official announcement post in the GA blog from October 14, 2020.
If you’re anxious to jump right into the weeds, you can start combing through the official documentation.
