What Pet Business Owners Need to Know About Switching from Google Analytics Universal to GA4

Mark your calendar, pet business owners! Google Analytics Universal is packing its bags and leaving us all behind on July 1st — time to transfer to the shiny new Google Analytics 4 (aka GA4) ahead of the deadline!

Before we convert your website, let’s talk about some key questions.

What is Google Analytics?

It’s a super cool tool that gives you valuable information about your website traffic, like:

✔️ Where your site visitors are coming from.

✔️ How long they stayed on your website.

✔️ Which web pages they visited the most.

It’s kind of like having a little spy on your website! These insights help you make data-driven marketing decisions for your pet business.

What’s the difference between Google Analytics Universal and Google Analytics 4?

Simply put, GA4 offers better insights for your pet business’ website.

GA3 focuses on sessions and pageviews, while GA4 focuses on users. This means you can now track the engagement of individual users. You can even track their behavior across multiple devices and platforms.
GA4 offers more advanced and customizable reports.
GA4 is a breeze to set up and use.

Yup, no need to panic. Transferring to Google Analytics 4 is easier than you might think!

Take it from a Pet Boss Club® member who has already made the switch:

“I have a Shopify website, and both Shopify and Google Analytics had a very detailed and easy-to-understand direction guide on how to migrate to the new GA4 depending on what platform you use. It took me about 5-10 minutes to make the switch. It was super easy!”
Maddie Shutts, owner of Modern Companion

So, are you ready to join the GA4 paw-ty? We promise it’s not as scary as it seems. You can totally do it yourself, but if you want to outsource, you can also contact your website provider!

How to switch to Google Analytics 4?

First, you need an account, of course!

Create a Google Analytics account if you don’t already have one. If you have an existing account, check which version of Google Analytics you have. (Google has automatically configured some accounts since March.)

How do you know whether you have GA3 or GA4?

If your property ID has only numbers (XXXXXXXXX), then you’re on GA4. If it starts with UA and ends with a number (UA-XXXXXXXXX-1), then you still have GA3. Proceed to Step 1 to start making the transfer.

Step 1: Create a new GA4 property in your Google Analytics account.

Log into your Google Analytics account and look for the Admin settings. (Hint: See that gear icon at the bottom of the page? Click on it.) Then hit Create Property and follow the prompts. This will allow you to start collecting data using GA4’s event-based model. With this new data model, you can find more granular information about your website visitors, like what CTA buttons they clicked on or how far down the web page they scrolled.

Step 2: Add the GA4 tracking code to your website.

Where do you find this code? On the Admin page, go to Data Streams, click the Web Stream Details, and copy the Measurement ID. You now have the code to help you track user behavior on your website. Next, follow the instructions specific to your web host on integrating GA4 into your website, as it varies for each platform.

Step 3: Confirm if GA4 is collecting data.

Once you’ve set everything up, wait 24 to 48 hours for GA4 to start tracking. Then you can begin exploring GA4 and customizing reports that would be most helpful for your pet business.

At first glance, the transfer to GA4 might seem daunting for pet business owners. But it’s quite easy! We can quickly get it off your to-do list together. So, don’t wait until the last minute to make the GA4 switch. Start the process now to ensure you continue to have access to the insights you need to make informed decisions about your pet biz.

Learn more with us!

Need 1:1 support to make massive action now? Book a discovery call with us to see if working 1:1 with Candace is the right fit for you.

Get on the waitlist! You’re passionate about pets. It’s time to have a business that supports the life you want, too! Learn the specific techniques to find new customers, to increase sales and to build a better team for ANY kind of pet business by joining the Pet Boss Club! Get on the waitlist here.