Google Analytics 4 Transition Checklist

2022 is the year to switch to Google Analytics 4 from Universal Analytics, the current version for most users.

This is my third post addressing GA4. The first was an introduction to the platform. The second offered tactics for getting started, running GA4 alongside Universal Analytics.

In this post, I’ll provide a checklist to ensure a smooth transition so that nothing is left behind.

Google Analytics 4 Transition Checklist

• Compare total sessions. Ensure session counts align between UA and GA4.

• Compare sessions by medium. Ensure channel attribution aligns on UA and GA4.

• Compare engaged sessions in GA4 versus bounce rate in UA. Make sure the metrics are close.

• Confirm Events between UA and GA4. Make sure none were forgotten in the transition.

• Compare total conversions for UA and GA4. Confirm all conversions in UA were set up in GA4 and are reporting correctly.

• Confirm custom dimensions and metrics in UA were created in GA4 and are populating.

• Check Google Ads integration in GA4 if it was done in UA.

• Check Google Search Console integration in GA4 if it was done in UA.

• For ecommerce, compare transactions and revenue between UA and GA overall and by product name, SKU, and category. Also, compare transactions and revenue by any custom dimension in UA.

To assist, I have created a Data Studio report to connect to your UA view and GA4 property and compare the two. The report also includes instructions for accessing both data sources.

The report will likely evolve with new features in Google Analytics 4. I intend to continually improve it so interested users can transition smoothly.

The author’s Data Studio report connects a UA view and GA4 property. It also includes instructions for how to access both data sources.