How to upgrade your Google Analytics account

Why do I need to upgrade?

Google’s Universal Analytics (UA) will stop working as of 1 July 2023, as Google has developed the next generation of analytics – Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

You must upgrade your account to GA4 to continue tracking users across your website by this date.

Benefits of GA4

GA4 offers enhanced features and capabilities. GA4 uses more comprehensive and intelligent decision-making and will provide deeper insights into user behaviour on your website.

GA4 focuses much more on privacy and consent management, meaning it aligns with the most recent data protection regulations.

What do I need to do?

Follow our easy-to-use steps below to upgrade your account. The process should take you less than 20 minutes.

If you use our website template, please let us know you have upgraded by emailing digital@healthwatch.co.uk, and we can update your website to track the new GA4 account.

Please upgrade your account and send us the new information by the close of play on Friday 2 June 2023, to give us time to upgrade your website and check the new account is working before Universal Analytics stops tracking.

How do I upgrade?

Setting up your account

1. Log in to your analytics account – if prompted to update automatically, please click ‘No thanks’.
2. Select the correct UA property by clicking on the top bar next to ‘Analytics’ ‘All accounts’, then select ‘Properties & Apps’ and then select ‘Views’. A UA property is identified by a tag similar to UA-12345678-1. 
3. Go to ‘Admin’ by clicking on the cog icon on the left corner of the screen. 
4. Find ‘GA4 Setup Assistant’ in the middle column of the screen and click on it. Select ‘I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property’. Click ‘Get Started’.
5. You will be prompted to ‘Create a new Google Analytics 4 property’. Please click ‘Create and continue’ (do not tick anything else). Then click ‘Confirm’ to create your new GA4 property (you do not need to copy/insert any code). You have made your new GA4 property. 
6. Please click the blue button in the centre of the screen to ‘Go to your GA4 property’. 
7. Now you will finalise the setup of your GA4 property. Under the ‘Setup Assistant,’ you will notice the headers ‘Data collection’ ‘, Property settings’ and ‘Google Ads’. Under each, there are seven properties in all listed. All properties currently say ‘Not started’. Please click on the chevron to the right and select ‘Mark as complete’. Please do not worry if the first property says ‘Data not flowing’ – that is correct for now. You have now completed the setup.  

Sharing your account information with us

Please select from the menu to your left the 4th item called ‘Data Streams’, Select the ‘Web’ tab and then click on the chevron to the right. You should see the GA4 ‘Steam ID’ and ‘Measurement ID’.

Please copy and paste your ‘Steam Id’ and ‘Measurement ID’ into an email and send it to us at digital@healthwatch.co.uk

For screenshots to help you with each step please download the resource at the end of this article.