Fortra is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, offering a robust suite of products and services, including automation, monitoring, training, implementation, and analytics. As a data-driven organization that prioritizes cutting-edge marketing technology, Fortra needed a seamless transition from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to maintain data accuracy and reporting consistency.
What's going on?
The Challenge
In early 2022, Google announced that Universal Analytics (GA3) would sunset in July 2023, requiring businesses to migrate to GA4. While this seemed like ample time, GA4’s architecture is fundamentally different, making it impossible to compare data 1:1 between platforms. For businesses like Fortra that rely on year-over-year data, time was of the essence to ensure GA4 was properly set up before UA stopped processing new data.
Fortra’s analytics setup was particularly complex, involving a large network of internal web traffic, a detailed content grouping strategy, hundreds of lead forms, and an integration with a Cookie Management Platform. Additionally, Fortra aimed to store their analytics data in a data warehouse for advanced reporting. While their internal marketing team had deep expertise in UA, they didn’t have the bandwidth to fully implement GA4 correctly and on time. That’s where Marcel Digital stepped in.
How Marcel Digital Helped
The Solution
Migrating Fortra’s analytics to GA4 required a multi-layered approach tailored to their unique needs. Marcel Digital worked closely with Fortra’s team to ensure a smooth transition, prioritizing the following key areas:
Recreating Fortra’s Custom Reporting Structure in GA4
Since GA4 reports data differently than UA, replicating Fortra’s reporting structure required strategic planning. Marcel collaborated with Fortra to identify key metrics and dimensions, ensuring that their new GA4 setup provided the same critical business insights as their previous system. By carefully aligning the reporting framework, Fortra’s in-house marketing team could continue tracking performance without disruption.
Establishing a Scalable Event Tracking Schema
GA4’s event-based tracking system required Fortra to rethink how they collected user interactions. Marcel helped define and implement a structured event tracking schema, setting up clear naming conventions and documentation. This ensured consistency in data collection across all future GA4 instances, giving Fortra’s team the ability to maintain and expand their tracking efforts with confidence.
Organizing and Tracking Hundreds of Lead Forms
With hundreds of lead forms in place, Fortra needed an efficient way to track submissions while grouping similar forms for high-level analysis. Marcel Digital’s Data & Insights team developed a tracking framework that categorized lead forms based on shared attributes and applied consistent tracking parameters. This approach allowed Fortra to report on individual form performance as well as trends across different form categories, providing deeper insights into lead generation efforts.
What Happened After Launch?
The Results
Despite the complexities of GA4’s evolving features, Marcel Digital successfully implemented Fortra’s new GA4 instance within just a few weeks. The migration included:
- Recreating complex UA content groupings in GA4
- Replicating Fortra’s custom reporting structure
- Establishing standardized event tracking and naming conventions
- Implementing scalable lead form tracking for over 100 forms
By taking the time to understand Fortra’s unique analytics needs, Marcel Digital ensured a seamless transition while setting them up for long-term success. Now, Fortra’s marketing team has a fully functional GA4 setup that provides a comprehensive view of user behavior, enabling them to make smarter, data-driven decisions about their website and digital strategy.
Key Takeaways
The Conclusion
Marcel Digital didn’t just migrate Fortra to GA4 - we provided a structured, scalable approach that empowers their marketing team to continue evolving their analytics strategy. With a properly implemented GA4 setup, Fortra is well-positioned to leverage advanced insights, optimize lead generation, and drive business growth in a data-driven world.
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