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# It’s Time For Google Analytics GA4 Migration
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## You’re Probably Running Universal Analytics
Most websites out there use a version of Google Analytics code called Universal Analytics, which contains a script named *analytics.js*.   Some sites have adopted Google’s latest: Google Analytics 4, which is commonly referred to as GA4, and some sites are concurrently running both GA4 and Universal Analytics.  A smaller number of sites are running even older code, such as ga.js.
GA4 is a seismic shift in data collection and measurement.  Google describes it thusly: “Google Analytics 4 operates across platforms, does not rely exclusively on cookies and uses an event-based data model to deliver user-centric measurement.”
## You Need Data Continuity
Here’s the kicker: Google has announced that Universal Analytics will no longer process new data beginning July 1, 2023.  That means that a website that has been running Universal Analytics will not collect data at all beginning July 1, 2023, such that any report or view will have a total drop-off on that date.
That seems aways away, yes?   Well yes and no.  Continuity of data is really important.  Measuring site performance month-over-month or year-over-year is really important.  Looking up historical data is really important.
And so too it becomes really important to ensure this continuity of data in your new GA4 account, so that by the time that Universal Analytics stops collecting data, you’ll have *at least a year of data* in GA4. This means that you need to set up GA4 by July 1, 2022.
## We Want to Migrate You Sooner Than Later
Migrating over to GA4 is something that we feel is critically important for our clients, so we’re taking the lead.  We’re building process and checklists so that we can prepare you for this transition, which we’ll help manage.  Every one of our clients is now in progress or fully transitioned with GA4.
### For Those With Existing Analytics Accounts
For most of our clients, we’ll be adding GA4 to run concurrently with an existing Universal Analytics account.  This means our clients will have two different Properties in Google Analytics, each of them populating with data.  This ensures that we stay the course with the Analytics we know and love, while collecting data in GA4 and learning how the platform works, what’s different in GA4, and how to maximize actionable insight.
### Implementing in Google Tag Manager
Some clients have implemented Google Analytics code via Google Tag Manager – we have process for that as well, as implementation is different than placing the Analytics code directly on the website.
For our new clients, we’ll be reviewing the existing Analytics setup and charting out a path that ensures continuity of data or, in the case of a brand-new company with a brand-new website, starting solely with GA4 right out of the gate.
## Not Just Flipping a Switch
Some specific challenges in this process are setting up fundamentally different Conversion Tracking (now entirely based on Events) and migrating Ecommerce measurement (which Google calls “high effort”).
## Conclusion: Let’s Do This!
The bottom line is that we’re treating this as the big deal that it is, so that our clients continue to have the data they need to make good decisions about spend, resources and time.  Both clients and prospects alike are welcome to  to discuss this further – we’re here for you!
LAST UPDATED: May 30, 2022
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# 5 Ways a New Site Draws the Short Straw on Web Marketing
Let’s say that a web designer is working with a client to launch a new site for a new company. And everything is going great. At some point, the question comes up: *what about online marketing?*
## Why Marketing Isn’t Always Considered for a New Website
There is a remarkable amount of pain in the ecosystem that makes this a surprisingly difficult question and conversation. A few possibilities:
1. The web designer doesn’t have anyone they can trust enough to recommend. This forces to client to do their own research and take a leap of faith. This causes uncertainty, which is anathema to any business owner.
2. The question may not come up until well into the web design process or even *after* launch, which may compromise the ability of the marketing agency to contribute valuable insight that is frequently outside the purview of the designer.  and  are two good examples of strategies that require foresight in development.
3. Bringing up marketing early on may complicate negotiations on the web design front, so it doesn’t get brought up. This creates a project with blinders – neither the client nor the web developer is choosing to see the entire picture.
4. Marketing packages may be stale. Plenty of designers see the value in offering SEO and Digital Advertising services. However, it takes a LOT of time to stay on top of the latest marketing technologies, practices and trends, just like it takes a LOT of time for a developer to stay on top of code changes, programming languages, theme implementation and the like. So a two year old web marketing package on a designer’s website may be selling the client short, because it simply hasn’t kept pace with the evolution of the web – on the marketing side.
5. The client may ask their designer marketing questions they can’t easily answer. This goes back to domain knowledge – designers know design and marketers know marketing. The result is friction – designers are forced to spend time on researching questions they may not know the answer to, and they may reply with an answer that comes from a blog post, and not from on-the-ground and in-the-weeds knowledge. That’s a disservice to both client and designer.
## Solving the Marketing Question for Web Designers
So how does this pain get solved? Relationships. When good designers can trust and recommend good marketers, and good marketers can trust and recommend good designers, then everyone wins, especially the client!
The client with the new website has the right people addressing the right priorities with the right skill set and core competencies.
The web designer can focus on design, while working with a marketer that can drive future design work based on rational outcomes for that design work.
The marketer has a partner to discuss different ways to implement recommendations, and what’s in scope or not. This allows for a transparent conversation with the client on possible next steps, and not an adversarial relationship where one might say “tell your designer to do this.”
A good designer, a good marketing agency and a willing client are all needed for a successful web project. Creating an environment of trust, based on setting and meeting expectations with quality work and integrity is essential to making these relationships work. This is a hugely important step in addressing the pain of resolving the marketing question for a new company with a new website.