Migrating from Google Analytics
Moving from GA4 to Quiet Metrics takes half an hour, with no measurement gap. This page gives the method: run both in parallel, compare, then unplug GA and reassess your consent mechanism.
What changes, in a nutshell
Quiet Metrics measures with no identification or tracking cookies and can use server-side tracking to reduce the effect of blockers. This does not automatically remove the need for consent: UTM campaigns, conversions and custom events must be assessed against your purposes. In return, there is no individual tracking over time: reliable orders of magnitude rather than profiles. The method is described on how we count.
Step 1: install side by side
Do not remove GA yet. Add Quiet Metrics next to it (script, WordPress plugin or server SDK) and let both run for two to four weeks: you will compare against your own numbers, not against promises.
Step 2: understand the gaps
Definitions differ; the gaps are normal and documented in Troubleshooting:
| Metric | GA4 | Quiet Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors | "Active users", cookies + consent, deduplicated over time | Unique visitors per day, with no identifying cookie; a visitor returning another day counts again |
| Sessions | Can resume after 30 min, grouped by cookie | Series of page views less than 30 minutes apart |
| Bounce | "Engaged sessions" (inverted) | Share of single-page-view sessions |
| Measured traffic | Whatever consent and ad blockers let through | Up to close to 100% with server-side tracking, depending on your legal basis and configuration |
| Conversions | Key events | Goals: page (wildcards) or exact event |
Typically expect more visitors than consented GA shows (banner and ad blockers), and higher weekly or monthly uniques (no cross-day matching: that is the privacy-by-design principle).
Step 3: carry over what matters
- UTM: your campaign links work as they are (
utm_source,utm_medium,utm_campaign), plus the?ref=shortcut. - Events:
gtag('event', 'sign_up')becomesqm('signup')in the browser, or$qm->event('signup')on the server. Scalar properties replace GA4 parameters. - Conversions: recreate your key events as goals (Sites → Goals), by exact event name or by path with wildcards (
/thank-you). - Reports: schedule the weekly e-mail reports per site, and the read API feeds your internal dashboards.
Step 4: your GA history
We do not import GA4 history: definitions differ, so mixing the series would produce misleading charts. Good practice: export your GA4 reports (or let BigQuery archive them) before closing the property, and note the switch date. Your Quiet Metrics trends become the new baseline from day one.
Step 5: unplug
When the numbers satisfy you, remove the GA tag and update your privacy policy. Only remove or change your consent mechanism after inventorying every other tracker and assessing the legal basis of your Quiet Metrics configuration.
Deliberate differences
No demographics, no advertising audiences, no cross-device tracking, no multi-session funnels: those features rely on individual identification, which contradicts the product's design. If your business depends on them, Quiet Metrics is not the right tool for that job.
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