Case Study · Education · University

From Universal Analytics chaos to a coherent GA4 model across faculties and programs.

We guided TMU through a complex GA4 migration, unifying measurement across multiple sites, faculties, and marketing teams while maintaining flexibility for future campaigns and initiatives.

Toronto, CanadaHigher EducationLarge institutionCanada

Properties consolidated

Many → Few

Rationalized into a manageable GA4 structure.

Core events

Standardized

Shared schema across faculties and campaigns.

Reporting effort

Down

Less manual stitching, more time for analysis.

Toronto Metropolitan University

Education · University

Primary goals

Clean, compliant analytics that matched internal numbers and unlocked confident decision-making.

TAO focus areas

Track: measurement architecture. Analyze: reconciled reporting. Optimize: budget + funnel decisions.

01 · Company context

Why they came to Analytico.

TMU runs multiple web properties and campaigns across faculties, research programs, and central marketing. Universal Analytics setups had grown organically over the years with inconsistent goals and events.

With UA being sunset, the university needed a GA4 setup that could handle complex structures without turning into another ungoverned mess.

02 · Key challenges

What wasn't working before we started.

Multiple UA properties with different tracking patterns, goals, and views.
No single, unified measurement model across faculties and central marketing.
Lead and application flows spanned different domains, tools, and forms.
Stakeholders from different teams needed consistent reporting without losing necessary nuance.

03 · How we approached it

Track, Analyze, Optimize—applied to a real-world stack.

We didn't just patch tags. We engineered the measurement layer, verified it against reality, and then used it to guide budget and product decisions.

Track

Engineer the data foundation.

Performed a full UA inventory: properties, views, goals, events, filters, and integrations.
Designed a GA4 property architecture that balanced central governance with faculty-level flexibility.
Created a standardized event and parameter schema for key actions like program interest, inquiries, and applications.
Implemented cross-domain tracking and structured tagging for core recruitment and information flows.

Analyze

Turn events into decisions.

Mapped legacy UA goals to GA4 conversions, with clear documentation on what changed and why.
Built executive and team-level dashboards showing performance by faculty, program family, and channel.
Enabled deeper analysis of prospective student journeys: from first touch to inquiry and application intent.

Optimize

Invest where it truly moves the needle.

Equipped internal teams with frameworks for testing landing pages, program pages, and campaign messaging.
Set up guardrails and governance so new microsites and campaigns could be added without compromising structure.
Provided documentation and training so TMU could own and evolve the measurement setup internally.

04 · Outcomes

What changed after implementation.

TMU avoided a rushed, one-to-one UA → GA4 migration and instead used the moment to modernize its entire measurement stack.

Marketing and faculty stakeholders gained a shared language around events, conversions, and KPIs.

Future campaigns and microsites now have a clear playbook to plug into, instead of reinventing tracking from scratch.

Properties consolidated

Many → Few

Rationalized into a manageable GA4 structure.

Core events

Standardized

Shared schema across faculties and campaigns.

Reporting effort

Down

Less manual stitching, more time for analysis.

05 · Stack & architecture

The measurement stack we worked with.

We don't push a single vendor stack. We work with the reality of your tools and evolve toward a clean, resilient architecture over time.

GA4Google Tag ManagerLooker StudioCRM / admissions tools

Services included

This engagement pulled from multiple parts of our Track, Analyze, and Optimize framework.

UA → GA4 migration
Property & event architecture
Education-specific measurement strategy
Dashboards & stakeholder training

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Next step

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