introduction to google analytics 4–
google analytics helps you get essential customer insights. you can get a complete understanding of your customers across devices and platforms. google analytics gives you the tools, free of charge, to understand the customer journey and improve marketing roi.
distinguishing dimensions from metrics in google analytics 4–
google analytics metrics and dimensions help you understand your users, optimize your website for conversions, and measure the roi of your marketing campaigns.
however, with the vast amount of data in google analytics 4 (ga4), deciding which metrics and dimensions to track can be overwhelming.
what are metrics in ga4 —
google analytics’ quantitative metrics quantify website performance, giving you insights into your users’ behavior.
ga4 metrics to track —
the metrics you track will differ based on your goals. average session duration, bounce rate, and conversions are among the most important metrics different businesses track.
what are dimensions in ga4 —
google analytics uses dimensions to segment data. primary dimensions provide high-level insights, while secondary dimensions help you further drill down into your data.
ga4 dimensions to track —
ga4 has various dimensions to analyze user behavior, traffic sources, content interaction, and demographics, so you have a complete picture of how different user segments behave on your website
make the most of ga4 dimensions and metrics —
dimensions and metrics help you understand site performance. however, quantitative data can’t explain why visitors behave the way they do. combine ga4’s data with qualitative data for in-depth behavior analysis and customer feedback.
creating an account on ga4 —
you can create an account on ga4 with your existing gmail id.
linking ga4 to your website —
you can link your website with ga4 with the help of google site kit plugin.
understanding real time reports in ga4 —
real-time reports in google analytics 4 (ga4) provide a snapshot of user activity on your website or app within the last 30 minutes, allowing you to monitor events and user behavior as it happens. you can access this data through the “realtime” section in the a4 reports menu.
the realtime pages report lets you view the pages your users are currently viewing and the number of users viewing each page in realtime. this information can be used to identify popular pages, measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and troubleshoot website issues.
analysis of acquisition reports —
in google analytics 4 (ga4), acquisition reports provide insights into how users discover and engage with your website or app. these reports help understand effectiveness of marketing efforts, understanding high-performing channels, and optimize acquisition strategies. ga4 offers two main acquisition reports: user acquisition and traffic acquisition, each focusing on different aspects of the user journey.
the user acquisition report is a pre-made detail reports that you can use to get insights into how new users find your website or app r the first time. the report differs from the traffic acquisition report, which focuses on where new sessions came from, regardless of whether the user is new or returning.
analysis of engagement report —
in google analytics 4 (ga4), engagement reports provide crucial insights into how users interact with your website or app, going beyond simple page views or sessions. these reports help you understand user engagement by tracking actions like page views, interaction events, and time spent on various pages. they are a key tool for optimizing your digital strategy and maximizing conversions.
analysis of retention report —
in ga4, retention reports help you understand how well your site or app retains users over time. they track the number of returning users, analyze user retention by cohort, and show user engagement metrics.
in ga4, retention reports, specifically the retention overview report, help you understand how well you’re retaining users on your website or app. this report tracks user retention over time, including how many users return after a certain period (7, 14, or 28 days) and how they engage. it also allows you to analyze user behavior by events they trigger.
it reflects the ability of your product to engage users over time, indicating whether users find value in your offering and whether they’re likely to continue using it. a high retention rate is often indicative of a strong product market fit, leading to increased customer loyalty, advocacy, and revenue.
analysis of user report —
in google analytics 4 (ga4), user reports provide insights into website or app users. these reports offer data on user activities, including details like country, time, date of visits, events, revenue, and time spent on the site. the “user explorer” report, in particular, allows you to examine individual user behavior and identify patterns. you can also find user data within the “acquisition” and “engagement” reports.
the user attributes overview report is a pre-made overview report that summarizes data about the people who use your website or app. the user attributes overview report appears on the left only in the user collection.
user segmentation in ga4 —
in ga4, user segmentation involves creating groups of users based on shared characteristics or behaviors, allowing you to analyze specific subsets of your website or app traffic. you can segment users by demographics, engagement, device type, and more.
user segmentation lets you segment your users in the ways that are important to your business. you can segment by dimensions, metrics, and events to include practically any subset of users. as analytics gets new data about users, their audience memberships are reevaluated to ensure they still meet the audience criteria.
exploration fearure in ga4 —
in google analytics 4 (ga4), “explorations” are advanced tools that go beyond standard reports, allowing you to dive deeper into user behavior and uncover insights by analyzing raw event and user-level data. they replace universal analytics’ custom reports and offer a more flexible, customizable reporting and data visualization experience.
explorations is a collection of advanced techniques that go beyond standard reports to help you uncover deeper insights about your customers’ behavior. when you want to explore data in more detail, you can use explorations to: quickly perform ad hoc queries, easily configure and switch between techniques.
types of events in ga4 —
automatically created events
enhanced measurements
recommended events
custom events
— automatically created / collected events — basic events captured by default — page view, session start
— enhanced measurements — pre-defined events for richer engagement data — scroll depth, video start, outbound link click
— recommended events — suggested events for key user actions — purchase, sign-up, add to cart
— custom events — user-defined events for specific interactions — button click, form submission, custom interactions
goals vs conversions in ga4 —
goals —
goals measure how well your website fulfils your business objectives.
goals can be measured via specific events (conversions).
conversions —
a conversion is an event that helps a business assess the success of their marketing efforts.
conversions are now called key events.
when someone triggers a key event (for example, add to cart) by performing the action, the key event is recorded and displayed in your ga4 dashboard.