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Migrating from Google Analytics 4 to Sealmetrics

Moving from Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to Sealmetrics takes most teams 1–2 weeks end to end. This guide walks through what to prepare, how GA4 concepts map to Sealmetrics, and how to run both platforms in parallel so you can validate data before cutting GA4 off.

Before you start​

Document the following from your current GA4 property:

  • Core metrics you rely on (sessions, users, pageviews, conversions, revenue).
  • Custom events and the parameters they carry.
  • E-commerce tracking implementation (GA4 events or GTM-based).
  • Audiences and custom definitions.
  • Connected integrations (Google Ads, Search Console, Data Studio, BigQuery export).
  • Retention settings and historical data you need to export before shutdown.

How GA4 concepts map to Sealmetrics​

GA4Sealmetrics
SessionSession (cookieless, ~2-hour inactivity window)
Engaged sessionEngaged session (configurable engagement threshold)
UserVisitor (first-party, consent-free identifier)
EventEvent (typed: pageview, conversion, micro-conversion, custom)
ConversionConversion (native) + Micro-conversion
AudienceSegment
Data streamsSites
Custom dimensions / metricsCustom properties on events
BigQuery exportExports API

Migration steps​

  1. Install the Sealmetrics tracker alongside GA4 — see Tracker installation. Both can run in parallel without conflict.
  2. Map events. Re-declare your GA4 custom events as Sealmetrics events. See Conversion tracking.
  3. Configure attribution. Set channel groupings, attribution windows, and excluded domains via the Platform settings — see Bypass POS or referrer.
  4. Validate in parallel for 2–4 weeks. Expect Sealmetrics to report 5–8× more traffic in EU markets because it captures consent-rejected visitors.
  5. Export GA4 history you want to keep — raw events via BigQuery, reports via CSV. Sealmetrics retains data for 24 months without consent; GA4 maxes out at 14 months under consent-free operation.
  6. Update dashboards. Rebuild Data Studio / BI reports against Sealmetrics exports or the Batch API.
  7. Cut GA4 off once parallel validation passes your QA.

What's different​

  • No cookies, no consent banner. Sealmetrics captures 100% of traffic without collecting personal data, so there is nothing to obtain consent for.
  • Google Ads tracking, no audience sync. Sealmetrics tracks Google Ads campaigns via UTM parameters end-to-end (source, medium, campaign, term, content) and provides ROAS reporting. What it does not do is push audience segments back to Google Ads for automated bidding — that requires GA4 with consented users. Teams commonly run both: GA4 for Ads audience/bidding, Sealmetrics as the source of truth for total traffic and conversions.
  • No predictive metrics (purchase probability, churn probability). Sealmetrics reports observed behavior.
  • Simpler attribution model. Last non-direct click by default; configurable.
  • Reporting in the account's timezone, not UTC. Every preset ("today", "7d", "this month") is resolved with "today in the account's timezone" — matching how GA4 calls it the "reporting timezone". Set it correctly in Site settings → General before you start validating side-by-side; a mismatch between GA4's reporting timezone and Sealmetrics's will shift daily rollups by up to a day at the seam.