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Thank you for a wonderful year of learning together

As we reflect on 2023, the Observatory team and Jellyfish want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you who made our Google Analytics training webinars and drop-in sessions a success, turning our virtual gatherings into vibrant hubs of learning and collaboration.

Together, through 13 virtual training sessions, 4 drop-in sessions and countless GA4 discussions, we delved into the intricacies of Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Looker Studio and beyond, exploring new features that elevated our collective understanding of how web analytics can be leveraged for government.

As we reflect on the milestones we achieved together, we look forward to the continued growth that 2024 promises. You’ll find a round-up of the training delivered within this document, and we look forward to further exploring the exciting possibilities of Google Analytics with you over the next 12 months.

The 2024 Eventbrite training collection can be accessed by clicking on this link:

2024 Observatory Training. 

Google will no longer invest in Universal Analytics (UA) features as they shift their focus to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).  

From 29 January 2024, Realtime reports and API, the Lifetime Value report, the Model Explorer and various other features will no longer be available. 

Beginning from early March 2024, Realtime BigQuery and Universal Analytics 360 advertising features will no longer be supported.

From March 2024, Google recommends that all historical data is exported no later than March 2024 to allow three months to validate data and settings. By March, you should:

• Export historical data using one or more of the following solutions.
• Migrate your Universal Analytics property's Google Ads links to your Google Analytics 4 property.

Starting the week of 1 July, 2024, you won't be able to access any UA properties or the API (not even with read-only access), and all data will be deleted. While the standard sunset took weeks to complete, the full UA shutdown will happen within a week. 

We know your data is important to you, and we recommend that you export your previously processed data before this date.

To stay up to date with the latest changes, favourite these links:

• Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics - Analytics Help
• What's new in Google Analytics - Analytics Help

What’s new in GA4

Google has introduced a new feature in Google Analytics 4 called trend change detection. This feature uses machine learning to automatically detect and surface significant changes in your data. It helps you quickly identify and understand changes in user behaviour, such as an increase in traffic from a particular source or a decrease in conversion rate for a specific goal. This feature is available in the Analysis module and can be accessed by creating an Exploration report. It is a valuable tool for Australian Government agencies to stay on top of data changes and to support informed decisions.

Upcoming Training

The 2024 Eventbrite training collection can be accessed at 2024 Observatory Training. 

If you have any requests for upcoming trainings, please send these through to observatory@dta.gov.au.

Jellyfish sunrise sessions

During the transition period, Jellyfish are also offering a series of sunrise sessions and have extended the invitation to Observatory members.

• How to start building queries to analyse your GA4 data in BigQuery
• Reports vs Explorations - Which should I use?

As always, if you have any questions or if we can assist in anyway, please contact us via email at observatory@dta.gov.au. 

If you are still using Universal Analytics 360, you need to act fast. 

Google is no longer investing in Universal Analytics (UA) and has already started decommissioning features. 

As of 15 March 2024, Google has deprecated App Views in UA that receive data via the UA SDK or Measurement Protocol.

Starting the week of 1 July 2024, you will not be able to access any Universal Analytics properties or the API (not even with read-only access), and all data will be deleted. 

While the standard sunset took weeks to complete, the full UA shutdown will happen within a week starting 1 July 2024. You must export your previously processed data before this date.

Keep up to date with Universal Analytics changes here: 

• Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics - Analytics Help
• What's new in Google Analytics - Analytics Help

New account and property notifications

It is a requirement that if you create a new account or property that you must amend your account and property listing and provide advice to observatory@dta.gov.au. 

Failure to do so may result in a change to your subscription tier and an unexpected invoice for retrospective charges. 

Due to the structure of the Observatory, with no account and property data linked, all agency event actuals and forecasting is undertaken manually and therefore this advice is even more important. 

Please also ensure that you are naming your accounts and properties appropriately in accordance with the naming convention guidelines

Training

The 2024 Eventbrite training collection can be accessed by clicking at 2024 Observatory Training.

If you have any requests for upcoming training, please send these through to observatory@dta.gov.au. 

A huge thank you to agency representatives that completed the recent Pulse Survey. These insights will be valuable to help understand agency needs and considerations for the future.

Is your GA4 property reusing an existing Universal Analytics tag?

The DTA, in collaboration with Jellyfish, has requested formal communications from Google in relation to properties that are reusing existing Universal Analytics (UA) tags and whether they will be impacted by the UA sunset on 30 June 2024.

Unfortunately, to date advice has been contradictory. As a result, to mitigate any potential risks, we are recommending that any GA4 properties reusing an existing UA tag be replaced with a GA4 tag prior to the sunset.

To check if a property is using a site tag from UA, open the GA4 property and go to admin > setup assistant > collect website and app data > navigate to the arrow to the right of this feature, then click import from Universal Analytics. If the setting ‘Enable data collection using existing tags (analytics.js and gtag.js tags)’ is enabled, the property should update its tracking code. 

To find the new GA4 tag to add, go to admin > data collection and modification > click the relevant stream(s) > view tag instructions.  

Conversions and key events

Google announced that they have unified the way conversions are defined across Google Ads and Analytics. This change will create a simpler and more intuitive experience in the way conversions are measured and reported.

Previously, important events that were marked as conversions in Analytics were measured differently from Google Ads conversions, leading to discrepancies.

From now on, events that measure actions that are important to the success of your website are now called 'key events’ – any event you collect can become a key event. Behavioural data from key events can be used to improve the user experience across your websites and apps.

A 'conversion' (conversions are key actions website users take that convert them into customers or subscribers) now refers to an important action that you want to use to measure the performance of a campaign. With an aligned definition of 'conversion' across Google Ads and Analytics, you can now, for the first time, view consistent conversion-based performance metrics in both Google Ads and Analytics reports.

Learn more about conversion vs key events

Reminder

I know, I know, we sound like a pesky parrot on repeat but… 

Starting the week of 1 July 2024, you will not be able to access any UA properties, the API (not even with read-only access) or any associated custom or looker reports. All data will be deleted.

If you haven’t extracted your UA data, you must export your previously processed data before this date. The DTA, Jellyfish and Google are unable to assist if this has not been completed. 

Keep up to date with UA decommissioning here:

• Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics - Analytics Help
• What's new in Google Analytics - Analytics Help

Don’t forget to register for upcoming training

The 2024 Eventbrite training collection can be accessed at 2024 Observatory Training. 

If you have any requests for upcoming training, please send these through to observatory@dta.gov.au.