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The Exact GA4 Migration Steps That Saved Our Tracking (and How They Can Save Yours Too)


If you’ve been struggling with migrating from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you’re not alone. When Google officially sunset UA in July 2023, the panic was real. Marketers, business owners, and analysts across the globe were scrambling to save their data and reconfigure their tracking. 

We were in the same boat. But after countless hours of testing, auditing, and adjusting, we found a simple, step-by-step process that not only saved our tracking but also gave us cleaner, more actionable data.
Here’s exactly how we did it—and how you can too.

Step 1: Audit Your Current UA Setup

Before touching GA4, we documented our existing UA setup:

  • What goals were being tracked?

  • What events and conversions mattered most?

  • Which pages were tagged?

  • How were we using custom dimensions?

We exported everything using the Google Analytics Spreadsheet Add-On, creating a detailed inventory. This helped us avoid missing key elements during the migration.

Pro Tip: Identify redundant or outdated events—you don’t want to carry junk data into GA4.

Step 2: Set Up GA4 From Scratch (Don’t Just Use Auto-Migration)

Google offered an "auto-migration" feature. Sounds helpful, right? Not exactly.

We quickly realized that auto-migration duplicated events, misclassified conversions, and didn’t replicate goal logic properly. So, we set up GA4 manually with:

  • Clean event names

  • Custom parameters

  • Streamlined conversion tracking

Doing it from scratch gave us complete control over the structure.

Step 3: Use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to Bridge the Gap

We didn’t want to rely on native integrations alone. Instead, we used Google Tag Manager to:

  • Trigger GA4 events

  • Add custom event parameters

  • Track scrolls, outbound clicks, video plays, and form submissions

This modular setup made it easier to test and tweak specific tags without risking the entire setup.

Step 4: Configure Events & Conversions Carefully

Unlike UA, GA4 tracks everything as an event. So, we had to redefine what a conversion meant:

  • Page_view? Not a conversion.

  • Purchase or form_submit? Definitely.

We marked our critical events as conversions in GA4 and set up detailed funnels in Exploration Reports. This helped us analyze drop-offs and user paths in ways UA never allowed.

Step 5: Link GA4 to All Your Tools

Next, we linked GA4 to:

  • Google Ads (for better attribution and remarketing)

  • BigQuery (for advanced data analysis)

  • Looker Studio (for custom dashboards)

These integrations opened up new insights we couldn’t get with UA. For example, BigQuery helped us spot trends in session duration across different channels.

Step 6: Test Everything—Then Test Again

After setup, we didn’t assume anything. We tested every:

  • Event

  • Conversion

  • Report

  • Funnel

Using the GA4 DebugView and real-time reports, we checked every user interaction and ensured the data flowed as expected.

And yes—we caught a few missing scroll depth events and a duplicated form submission tag. Testing saved us from skewed reports down the road.

Step 7: Train the Team and Update Stakeholders

GA4 looks and feels different. We trained our team to:

  • Build custom explorations

  • Understand event-based tracking

  • Find key reports

We also updated internal dashboards and stakeholder presentations using Looker Studio, replacing old UA data with real-time GA4 data streams.

Step 8: Monitor and Optimize Regularly

Our job wasn’t over after launch. We set a recurring monthly review to:

  • Audit data accuracy

  • Add new events as business needs changed

  • Update filters and segments

GA4 isn’t “set and forget”—it’s an evolving platform. Regular optimizations keep our tracking future-ready.

Final Thoughts: GA4 Is Not a Headache—It’s an Opportunity

Yes, GA4 requires a mindset shift. But it also gives you:

  • More flexible reporting

  • Cross-platform tracking

  • Smarter insights with machine learning

Once we embraced the change, we ended up with a better analytics system than we had before.

So if you haven’t fully migrated yet, or you’re unsure if you did it right—start now. Follow these steps. Your data (and your future self) will thank you.

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