{"id":135520,"date":"2021-09-14T11:00:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=135520"},"modified":"2025-01-10T11:40:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:40:13","slug":"how-to-use-google-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-use-google-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Google Analytics 4 for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-txt\">Building a successful website without data is hard. <em>Really hard<\/em>. Like doing a tightrope walk blindfolded, it <em>is<\/em> possible\u2014but it\u2019s way easier with the lights on.<\/div>\n<p>Enter Google Analytics.<\/p>\n<p>Google Analytics turns on your website\u2019s metaphorical lights to reveal who\u2019s visiting it, how they\u2019re finding it, and what they\u2019re doing there. You can then use this data to confidently put one foot in front of the other to improve your website.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, you\u2019ll learn:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-google-analytics\">What Google Analytics is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#why-use-google-analytics\">Why you should use Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-set-up\">How to set up Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-use\">How to use Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#improve\">How to improve your website with Google Analytics<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Out now: Ahrefs Web Analytics<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>Ahrefs <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/web-analytics\">Web Analytics<\/a> is a simple Google Analytics alternative. Fast, privacy-friendly, and free for up to 1 million events per month per&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/web-analytics\">Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is Google Analytics 4?\" data-section=\"what-is-google-analytics\">\n<h2>What is Google Analytics 4?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Google Analytics 4&nbsp;(GA4) is a web analytics tool from Google that lets you track and measure user traffic and behavior on your website for free. It\u2019s used by an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/trends.builtwith.com\/websitelist\/Google-Analytics\">28.8 million<\/a>&nbsp;websites, giving it <a href=\"https:\/\/w3techs.com\/technologies\/details\/ta-googleanalytics#:~:text=Our%20reports%20are%20updated%20daily,extensive%20Google%20Analytics%20market%20report.\">an estimated 85.9% share<\/a>&nbsp;of the web analytics market.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what it looks&nbsp;like:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135521\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-google-analytics-4-3.png\" alt width=\"1368\" height=\"1163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-google-analytics-4-3.png 1368w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-google-analytics-4-3-500x425.png 500w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-google-analytics-4-3-768x653.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1368px) 100vw, 1368px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div>&nbsp;GA4 <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/marketingplatform\/analytics\/new_google_analytics\/\">replaced Universal Analytics in October 2020<\/a>. It\u2019s now the default for all new Google Analytics properties.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why use Google Analytics?\" data-section=\"why-use-google-analytics\">\n<h2>Why use Google Analytics?<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>You started your website to inform potential customers of your products or services and convert them into loyal customers. To do this effectively, you need to know where visitors come from, what they\u2019re most interested in, and which touchpoints help turn them into customers.<\/p>\n<p>Recording and analyzing your data with GA4 will help you build digital marketing strategies to attract more visitors and make more&nbsp;money.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Google Analytics free?<\/h2>\n<p>Google Analytics is completely free but does have collection and configuration limits. Most SMEs will never exceed these limits. If you\u2019re worried, look for the green checkmark next to each report title; this confirms that you\u2019re not looking at sampled data in the report.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135523\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/2-green-checkmark-1.png\" alt width=\"550\" height=\"192\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div>&nbsp;Google Analytics 360 is the paid version of Google Analytics, which costs on average $150,000 per year. This service supports enterprise-level hit volumes of up to 500 million hits per month, plus implementation and technical support.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to set up Google Analytics\" data-section=\"how-to-set-up\">\n<h2>How to set up Google Analytics<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Just as you can\u2019t catch any fish without first casting your net, Google Analytics can\u2019t collect data without being installed. So the sooner you get things set up, the better.<\/p>\n<p>Follow these three steps to install and test Google Analytics:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Create and set up your Google Analytics account<\/h3>\n<p>Follow these instructions to create your account correctly:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/\">analytics.google.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Start measuring.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Enter an account name (This is for internal purposes. We recommend using your company name.)<\/li>\n<li>Edit data sharing settings (optional).<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Next<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Enter a property name(This is for internal use only and your website domain works well, especially if working with multiple websites under one company.)<\/li>\n<li>Check the reporting time zone and currency (This should be accurate for the business\u2019s location).<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Show advanced options<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Toggle the option to \u2018Create a University Analytics property\u2019 on (This is considered best practice to keep GA4 enhanced measures enabled.)<\/li>\n<li>Enter Website URL.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Next<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Enter industry and business size information (optional).<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Create<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Accept the Google Analytics Terms of Service Agreement (Be sure to familiarize yourself with this before agreeing, as there may be specific privacy rules and regulations for your location.)<\/li>\n<li>Check web stream details (Ensure everything is correct, including things like HTTP vs. HTTPS and www vs. non-www. These may skew data accuracy.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>2. Add the GA tag to your website<\/h3>\n<p>You need to install the GA tag on your website before Google Analytics can collect any data. The simplest way to do this depends on your website setup.<\/p>\n<h4>If you\u2019re using WordPress\u2026<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Install the <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/ga-google-analytics\/\">GA Google Analytics plugin<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Go to the plugin settings.<\/li>\n<li>Copy your Measurement ID from Google Analytics.<\/li>\n<li>Paste the Measurement ID into the GA tracking ID box in the plugin settings.<\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>Global Side Tag<\/strong>&nbsp;from the Tracking Method options.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Save Changes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>If you\u2019re using&nbsp;Wix\u2026<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to <strong>Marketing Integrations.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Under Google Analytics, click <strong>Connect<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Connect Google Analytics.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Paste your Measurement ID from Google Analytics in the pop-up.<\/li>\n<li>Tick the IP Anonymization checkbox if you wish to hide visitors\u2019 IP addresses from Google.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>If you\u2019re using another CMS\/platform\u2026<\/h4>\n<p>Google has links to instructions for most CMS\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/10447272?hl=en=\">here<\/a>. However, you\u2019ll notice that not all platforms provide native support for the new \u201cG-\u201d ID in GA4. So in some cases, you\u2019ll need to install manually by copying the full gtag.js code into the <code>&lt;head&gt;<\/code> section of your website.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135524\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-tagging-instructions-1.png\" alt width=\"1758\" height=\"916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-tagging-instructions-1.png 1758w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-tagging-instructions-1-680x354.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-tagging-instructions-1-768x400.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-tagging-instructions-1-1536x800.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1758px) 100vw, 1758px\"><\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, you can use Google Tag Manager (GTM). GTM is a somewhat advanced option for a beginner. Still, it\u2019s my preferred method for adding on-page tags because I usually need to add multiple marketing performance tags (Facebook, HubSpot, etc.)<\/p>\n<p>If you want to learn more about Google Tag Manager, read <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/tagmanager\/answer\/6102821?hl=en_US&amp;utm_id=ad\">this<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Test your&nbsp;setup<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-analytics-tracking-mistakes\/\">Google Analytics tracking mistakes<\/a>&nbsp;are common, so it\u2019s crucial to test your setup before calling it a&nbsp;day.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few ways to do this, but the most straightforward way by far is using Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/tagassistant\/answer\/2947093?hl=en\">Tag Assistant Chrome extension<\/a>. It\u2019s a legacy product, but it still works and is still available for download.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to test your setup with the extension:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Install <a href=\"https:\/\/chrome.google.com\/webstore\/detail\/tag-assistant-legacy-by-g\/kejbdjndbnbjgmefkgdddjlbokphdefk\">the extension<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Open your website.<\/li>\n<li>Click on the extension\u2019s icon in your browser bar.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Enable<\/strong>&nbsp;and refresh your webpage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>An incorrectly installed tag will be sad and&nbsp;red:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135525\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/4-incorrectly-installed-tag-1.png\" alt width=\"902\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/4-incorrectly-installed-tag-1.png 902w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/4-incorrectly-installed-tag-1-680x280.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/4-incorrectly-installed-tag-1-768x317.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 902px) 100vw, 902px\"><\/p>\n<p>A correctly installed tag will be happy and&nbsp;green:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135526\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-correctly-installed-tag-1.png\" alt width=\"904\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-correctly-installed-tag-1.png 904w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-correctly-installed-tag-1-680x286.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-correctly-installed-tag-1-768x323.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px\"><\/p>\n<h2>How to set up goal&nbsp;tracking<\/h2>\n<p>Google Analytics automatically begins measuring traffic to your website and user interactions such as page scrolls, outbound clicks, site searches, video engagement, and file downloads.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135527\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/6-web-stream-details-1.png\" alt width=\"1090\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/6-web-stream-details-1.png 1090w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/6-web-stream-details-1-680x289.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/6-web-stream-details-1-768x327.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1090px) 100vw, 1090px\"><\/p>\n<p>All of these auto-tracked events have the option to be marked as goals. Any additional goals, like form completions or phone calls, will need to be set up as an event using&nbsp;GTM.<\/p>\n<p>In your GA4 property, click \u201cconfigure\u201d in the left-hand navigation (it looks like a table&nbsp;icon).<\/p>\n<p>You simply slide the toggle named \u201cmark as conversion\u201d for the events you\u2019d like to trigger conversions from this screen.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135528\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/7-mark-as-conversion-1.png\" alt width=\"1259\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/7-mark-as-conversion-1.png 1259w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/7-mark-as-conversion-1-680x246.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/7-mark-as-conversion-1-768x278.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1259px) 100vw, 1259px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to use Google Analytics\" data-section=\"how-to-use\">\n<h2>How to use Google Analytics<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>With everything correctly set up, you\u2019re probably wondering how to use this thing. This question is a difficult one to answer because there\u2019s no single way to use Google Analytics. It can tell you hundreds of things about your website, so the way you use it will depend on the data you need to&nbsp;know.<\/p>\n<p>For that reason, instead of trying to explain every single report here, I\u2019m just going to cover the basics of how you can use GA4 to understand how users get to your site, what they do there, and the multichannel journey customers take to conversion.<\/p>\n<h3>Acquisition<\/h3>\n<p>Acquisition reports tell you how users get to your site. In GA4, this is separated into two categories: User Acquisition and Traffic Acquisition.<\/p>\n<p>User acquisition reports are based on user engagement, while traffic acquisition is based on session engagement. This distinction is important because one user can have multiple sessions. For this reason, we will be explaining the User acquisition report.<\/p>\n<p>To get to the User acquisition report:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to Google Analytics.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Life Cycle<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Acquisition<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>User acquisition<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135529\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/8-user-acquisition-1.png\" alt width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/8-user-acquisition-1.png 646w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/8-user-acquisition-1-492x425.png 492w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can segment your report by adding a comparison for User demographics, Device, or Custom Event like a specific coupon code.<\/p>\n<p>For now, let\u2019s stick to a high-level view and keep this as \u201cAll&nbsp;Users\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135530\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9-all-users-1.png\" alt width=\"1152\" height=\"1064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9-all-users-1.png 1152w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9-all-users-1-460x425.png 460w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9-all-users-1-768x709.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\"><\/p>\n<p>The bar graph and scatter chart will automatically populate using the metrics you set in the table&nbsp;below.<\/p>\n<p>In the example above, we chose \u201cFirst user medium\u201d for the dimension in the first column of the table. This shows us the source by which users were first acquired. For example, \u201corganic\u201d combines traffic from all organic sources: Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.<\/p>\n<h3>Engagement<\/h3>\n<p>Engagement reports tell you what users do on your site. Engagement is measured by the average length of time your site was the focus in the browser, the number of unique users who scrolled at least 90% of the webpage, event count, and conversion count.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at just one of the Engagement reports: Pages and screens.<\/p>\n<p>To get to this report:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to Google Analytics.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Life Cycle<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Engagement<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Pages and screens<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135531\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10-pages-and-screens-1.png\" alt width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10-pages-and-screens-1.png 648w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/10-pages-and-screens-1-393x425.png 393w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\"><\/p>\n<p>Segment your report by adding a comparison for the marketing channel you\u2019re looking to analyze. For example, include dimension \u201cFirst user medium\u201d with a value of \u201corganic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135532\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/11-segment-1.png\" alt width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/11-segment-1.png 630w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/11-segment-1-317x425.png 317w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><\/p>\n<p>The bar graph and scatter chart will automatically populate using the metrics you set in the table&nbsp;below.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135533\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/12-pages-and-screens-graph-1.png\" alt width=\"1364\" height=\"1070\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/12-pages-and-screens-graph-1.png 1364w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/12-pages-and-screens-graph-1-542x425.png 542w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/12-pages-and-screens-graph-1-768x602.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can edit the dimension that will change the descriptive attribute or characteristic of data in column 1. For example, choosing \u201cPage title and screen class\u201d will show the page title, while \u201cPage path + query string and screen class\u201d will show the&nbsp;URL.<\/p>\n<p>Remaining columns in the table show \u201cmetrics.\u201d A metric is a specific element of the dimension. For example, the dimension for \u201cPage title\u201d can be associated with a metric like new users, unique user scrolls, event counts, and other engagement metrics.<\/p>\n<h3>Conversions<\/h3>\n<p>The conversions report tells you which user activities are contributing to the success of your business. For an ecommerce store, this might be making a purchase. For a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/lead-generation-website\/\">lead generation website<\/a>, it might be submitting a contact form.<\/p>\n<p>In GA4, \u201cgoals\u201d are measured as conversion events. The events data you see in your GA4 reports are triggered as users interact with your website.<\/p>\n<p>To get to the Conversions report:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to Google Analytics.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Life Cycle<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click to expand <strong>Engagement<\/strong>&nbsp;reports.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Conversions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135534\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-conversions-1.png\" alt width=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-conversions-1.png 674w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-conversions-1-409x425.png 409w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div>&nbsp;The Conversions report is technically a type of Engagement report, but I wanted to point it out because it\u2019s one of the most important reports in&nbsp;GA4.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<p>The bar graph and scatter chart will automatically populate using the metrics you set in the table&nbsp;below.<\/p>\n<p>Within the table, you will find events listed by name, number of associated conversions, total users, and event revenue. Click on the name of an event to open a report about that specific event.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135535\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/14-event-name-1.png\" alt width=\"1441\" height=\"868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/14-event-name-1.png 1441w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/14-event-name-1-680x410.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/14-event-name-1-768x463.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1441px) 100vw, 1441px\"><\/p>\n<p>For an eCommerce store, you may want to see additional information about users that start the checkout process. To do that, click on the event name \u2018begin_checkout.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>This will open a new report displaying the traffic source, number of conversions, and value for the selected event&nbsp;only.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135536\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/15-begin-checkout-1.png\" alt width=\"1236\" height=\"1066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/15-begin-checkout-1.png 1236w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/15-begin-checkout-1-493x425.png 493w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/15-begin-checkout-1-768x662.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1236px) 100vw, 1236px\"><\/p>\n<p>Click the dropdown menus in the upper left corner of the line chart to adjust metrics and dimensions in the report.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you can choose to view the number of conversions or event value. You can also choose to see the origin of the events by Event source, Event medium, Event campaign, overtime, or by Google Ads metrics.<\/p>\n<p>Add a secondary dimension, like city, to the explorer table by clicking the blue plus icon next to Column 1.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135537\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16-secondary-dimension-1.png\" alt width=\"1435\" height=\"1117\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16-secondary-dimension-1.png 1435w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16-secondary-dimension-1-546x425.png 546w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/16-secondary-dimension-1-768x598.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1435px) 100vw, 1435px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to improve your website with Google Analytics\" data-section=\"improve\">\n<h2>How to improve your website with Google Analytics<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Setting up Google Analytics and understanding how to configure reports is just the beginning. The advantage of learning how to use GA4 is that you can answer marketing questions with real&nbsp;data.<\/p>\n<p>If you just installed Google Analytics, you need to wait at least 24-48 hours to allow data to populate in reports\u2014although I recommend waiting at least 3-4 weeks before making a decision based on reports.<\/p>\n<p>Below are three simple ways you can use the data in Google Analytics to improve your website.<\/p>\n<h3>Improve traffic: Which channels bring in the most traffic?<\/h3>\n<p>At a very basic level, search engine marketing is about getting more engaged users to a site. To do this, you need to know which channels are bringing in the most traffic in the first&nbsp;place.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to find your best performing marketing channels:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to the <strong>User Acquisition<\/strong>&nbsp;report under <strong>Acquisition<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Set Column 1 to <strong>First user medium<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click the <strong>New Users<\/strong>&nbsp;header to sort the table in descending order by traffic volume.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135538\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-new-users-1.jpg\" alt width=\"1832\" height=\"1740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-new-users-1.jpg 1832w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-new-users-1-447x425.jpg 447w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-new-users-1-768x729.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/17-new-users-1-1536x1459.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1832px) 100vw, 1832px\"><\/p>\n<p>These marketing channels are bringing in the most new users (first-time visitors) to your website.<\/p>\n<p>Explore other metrics in the table to further understand each marketing channel\u2019s contribution to your website\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<p>For example, clicking on engagement rate or average engagement time tells you which marketing efforts are winning visitors\u2019 confidence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Engagement rate<\/strong>&nbsp;is the percentage of sessions that interacted with your website divided by all sessions. In contrast, <strong>engagement time<\/strong>&nbsp;is the average length of time your website was in the forefront of the user\u2019s browser window.<\/p>\n<p>To measure improvement add a comparison for your benchmark date range in the top right corner.<\/p>\n<h3>Improve content effectiveness: Which pages bring in the most traffic?<\/h3>\n<p>Understanding which content brings in the most organic traffic will help you fine-tune your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-marketing-strategy\/\">content marketing strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do&nbsp;it:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Pages and Screens<\/strong>&nbsp;report under <strong>Engagement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>All users <\/strong>at the top of the screen.<\/li>\n<li>Change the dimension to <strong>First user medium.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>organic<\/strong>&nbsp;as the dimension value.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Apply<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click the <strong>New Users<\/strong>&nbsp;header to sort the table in descending order by traffic volume.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135539\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/18-improve-content-effectiveness-1.png\" alt width=\"1164\" height=\"1074\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/18-improve-content-effectiveness-1.png 1164w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/18-improve-content-effectiveness-1-461x425.png 461w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/18-improve-content-effectiveness-1-768x709.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1164px) 100vw, 1164px\"><\/p>\n<p>These organic landing pages are bringing in the most new users (first-time visitors) to your website. You will want to create more articles like&nbsp;these.<\/p>\n<p>On the flip side, click the header a second time to sort the table by ascending value. If there are organic landing pages with zero user traffic, you will want to reevaluate their relevance to your business goals and adjust your strategy accordingly. This may include <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/republishing-content\/\">republishing the content<\/a>&nbsp;or removing it from your&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n<h3>Improve geographical targeting: Where do my best customers come&nbsp;from?<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re investing in ads or multi-location SEO, you need location-specific insights to understand where to increase or decrease marketing efforts. You can use the Demographic details report for&nbsp;this.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do&nbsp;it:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Demographic details<\/strong>&nbsp;report under <strong>Demographics<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Sort the table by engagement rate, specific event, or total revenue.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-135540\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/19-demographics-1.png\" alt width=\"1127\" height=\"1096\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/19-demographics-1.png 1127w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/19-demographics-1-437x425.png 437w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/19-demographics-1-768x747.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1127px) 100vw, 1127px\"><\/p>\n<p>This report is very useful for fine-tuning Ads location targeting.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to get more specific with your segmentation, click the <strong>Country<\/strong>&nbsp;dropdown in the first column of the table and change it to <strong>Town\/City <\/strong>or <strong>Region<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Setting up Google Analytics may feel like learning Klingon, but a basic report setup is all you need to get started. Investing twenty minutes of your day to learn how to set up GA4 and how to pull a handful of reports will pay for itself time and time&nbsp;again.<\/p>\n<p>Success is in the&nbsp;data.<\/p>\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaylelarkin?lang=en\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enter Google Analytics. Google Analytics turns on your website\u2019s metaphorical lights to reveal who\u2019s visiting it, how they\u2019re finding it, and what they\u2019re doing there. You can then use this data to confidently put one foot in front of the<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":135543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[417],"class_list":["post-135520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Use Google Analytics 4 for Beginners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a free web analytics tool from Google that lets you track and measure user traffic and behavior on your website.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-use-google-analytics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use Google Analytics 4 for Beginners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Use data to improve your website.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-use-google-analytics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-14T16:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-10T16:40:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" 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