Do Not Touch The Hot Plate

Do you remember when your parents said not to touch the plate because it is hot? We all did as a child. Last week, a client I worked for previously reached out looking for new reporting and analysis for both of his sites.

The practice has leveled up significantly, but I am fair because it is a repeat client. We agreed to the engagement, and he sends the access to the Google Analytics account. Once opened, it is Google Analytics 4, and there is no data flowing in.

There was a two-hour conversation, and he states that he thinks he made the switch. The client could not recover the Universal Analytics profile for both sites.

For transparency, currently, I have not invested in learning GA4 because it is still in beta, and it is a different mindset regarding analysis and reporting. Listening to chatter online, I advise all my clients to wait until Google forces them to do it. The client implemented the tracking script that night.

Creating a base for the client to start with, the GA4 account was connected to Google Data Studio, and a basic reporting suite and a glossary of definitions were built. Additionally, Google Search Console reports were created because he wants to work on the site SEO. It was an opportunity to roll out some new features I have designed to improve SEO analysis in Google Data Studio.

Like mom and dad telling you not to touch the plate because it is hot, please do not convert to Google Analytics 4 unless you are confident or hire an expert. For Universal Analytics, aka GA3, please feel free to contact me.