Google Analytics 4 Key Metrics and Dimensions of Your Website

It’s scary to find out that you’re missing to track an important metric, isn’t it? Whether you’re the head of a marketing department in a big company or a PPC specialist, it’s important for you to constantly carry out the right analytics on your site in order to meet the demands of your potential customers and fix problems right away.

In this article, you’ll learn how to:

• track your website performance with relevant Google Analytics 4 metrics and dimensions; 
• monitor how users interact with your website;
• understand whether your e-commerce website is successful; 
• automate the process of collecting data and making reports based on this data with OWOX BI.

Note: This post was originally published in July 2020 and was completely updated in January 2024 for accuracy and comprehensiveness on recent changes to GA4.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a website analytics tool that allows you to track your site’s performance. For your convenience, reports in Google Analytics 4 consist of two types of data: dimensions and metrics.

Dimensions are attributes of your data. For example, the City dimension indicates the city from which a user accesses your website. The Page dimension indicates the URL of a page that was viewed by a given user. 

Metrics are quantitative measurements: for example, the Pages/Session metric shows the average number of pages viewed per session. 

Here is the guide on the main metrics & KPIs to measure in your marketing:

Google Analytics 4 Dimensions and metrics help you better understand the behavior of your audience on your site. They make it possible for you to understand who your clients are, what interests they have, and from what channels they come to your site.

By analyzing this data, you can see if you’re on the right track and adjust your goals and marketing budget.

Seeing as there are lots of metrics and dimensions in Google Analytics 4, logically, a very important question arises: What kinds of Google Analytics 4 metrics and dimensions should you look at for your business?

• A dimension provides context to a metric, making standalone metrics less meaningful.
• Metrics in GA4 have an 'event' scope, while dimensions can have an 'event' or 'user' scope.
• Dimension values are text or date, whereas metric values are numerical.
• Google Analytics 4 custom metrics require a unit of measurement (e.g., currency, seconds, miles).

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) displays data in reports using data tables, where each row represents a dimension's value and each column a metric's value. Metrics in GA4 are numbers measuring the characteristics of a dimension. For instance, the dimension 'Session source/medium' has metrics like Users, Sessions, Engaged sessions, Average engagement time per session, and Engaged sessions per user.

• Default Metrics: Ready-to-use metrics in Google Analytics 4 reports.
• Custom Metrics: User-defined metrics for specific needs.
  

• Acquisition Metrics: Measure characteristics of acquisition dimensions (e.g., New users, Engaged sessions).
• Engagement Metrics: Related to user engagement (e.g., Views, Users, New users).
• Monetization Metrics: Measure monetization aspects (e.g., Item views, Add to carts).
• Retention Metrics: Offer insights on user retention (e.g., New users, Returning users).
• Demographics Metrics: Related to user demographics.
• Tech Metrics: Measure technology-related aspects (e.g., Browser, Device Model).
  

Dimensions in Google Analytics 4 are attributes of website users, like 'Session source/medium,' 'Gender,' 'Age,' 'City,' etc. Each dimension comprises names and values.

• Default Dimensions: Pre-existing dimensions in GA4 reports.
• Custom Dimensions: User-defined dimensions for specific analysis needs.
  

• User Acquisition Dimensions: Insights on how users were acquired.
• Session Acquisition Dimensions: Information on how sessions were acquired.
• User Engagement Dimensions: Details on user engagement.
• Monetization Dimensions: Related to monetization aspects.
• User Demographics Dimensions: Demographic information of users.
• Tech Dimensions: Technology-related dimensions.
  

• Primary Dimensions: Default dimension applied to a Google Analytics 4 report.

• Secondary Dimensions: Additional dimensions are applied alongside the primary one.

To apply more than two dimensions in a report, use the Exploration reports in Google Analytics 4.

Custom dimensions are created to measure user characteristics not covered by default dimensions. They can be event-scoped or user-scoped.

Google Analytics 4 typically presents its report information using tables. In these tables, each horizontal line corresponds to a specific dimension's value, while each vertical column signifies the value of a particular metric. When you open up your Google Analytics 4 account, you can find data in the following types of reports:

Realtime Reports: These reports provide information about what is happening on your site or app right at the moment. It includes data on active users, the pages or screens they view, triggering events, and the users' locations.

Life Cycle Reports: These reports are centered around the customer life cycle and include

• Acquisition Reports
• Engagement Reports
• Monetization Reports
• Retention Reports

User Reports: These reports provide insights into the characteristics of your users, including demographics, interests, and technology used to access your site or app.

Now, let’s take a look at each type of report and define its main metrics and dimensions.

The Real-Time report in Google Analytics 4 provides a live overview of user activity on your site or app. It shows current active users, their viewed pages or screens, triggered events, and geographic locations.

Where to find the Realtime Reports: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Realtime.

Metrics

• Active Users: Number of active users on your site or app.
• Pageviews/Screenviews: Total pages or screens viewed.
• Event Count: Number of events triggered.
• Conversions: Number of conversion events.
• Engagement Time: Duration of active engagement.

Dimensions

• Page Title/Screen Class: Title of the webpage or app screen.
• Event Name: Name of the events triggered.
• Location (Country/City): Geographic location of users.
• Source/Medium: Origin of your traffic.
• User Type: New vs. returning users.

The most important reports in this group are Acquisition, Engagement, Monetization, and Retention.

Where to find the Acquisition Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then Acquisition.

Where to find the Overview Report: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click on Lifecycle, Acquisition, and Overview.

• Users: The total number of unique users who have visited your site or app in the selected time frame.
• New Users: The number of users who visited your app or site for the first time.
• Sessions: The total number of sessions during the selected period. A session is a group of user interactions with your site or app within a given timeframe.
• Average Session Duration: The average length of a session.
• Engagement Rate: The percentage of engaged sessions based on criteria like session duration or interaction with site elements.
  

Acquisition Dimensions

• User Acquisition Channel: The medium through which the user arrives at your site or app, such as organic search, paid search, social, direct, referral, etc.
• Source: The origin/source of your traffic, like a search engine (e.g., Google) or a referring domain (e.g., facebook.com).
• Medium: The source category, such as organic (unpaid search), CPC (cost per click, paid search), referral, email, etc.
• Campaign: If you're using UTM parameters, this dimension shows the specific marketing campaign that directed the user to your site or app.
• Country: The country from which the user is accessing your site or app.
• City: The city from which the user is accessing your site or app.

Where to find the User Acquisition Metrics and Dimensions: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click User Acquisition.

Metrics

• New Users: The count of users who are accessing the platform for the first time within the chosen timeframe.
• Engaged Sessions: The total number of sessions lasting at least 10 seconds, featuring one conversion event, or involving at least two page views.
• Engagement Rate: The proportion of sessions in which users engaged meaningfully with your website or application.
• Average Engagement Time per Session: The average duration of engaged sessions.
• Events count: Average number of events triggered.
• Conversions: The number of times new users completed a goal or conversion.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of new users who complete a conversion.

Dimensions

• First User Medium: The term refers to the first type of marketing medium responsible for attracting the user.
• First User Source: This indicates the original website the user visited, which led them to your site.
• First Source/Medium of User: This combination term specifies both the originating website and the marketing medium that directed the user to your site.
• First User Campaign: This refers to the specific marketing initiative that effectively gained the user's attention.
• First User Google Ads ad network type: This term denotes the category of Google Ads network used when the user was first engaged.
• First User Google Ads ad group name: This is the name of the particular group of ads within Google Ads that succeeded in bringing the user to your website.
  

Where to find the Traffic Acquisition Metrics and Dimensions: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Traffic Acquisition.

Metrics

• Users
• Sessions
• Engaged Sessions
• Average Engagement Time per Session
• Engaged Sessions per User
• Engagement Rate
• Event Count
• Conversions
• Total Revenue

Dimensions

• Session Default Channel Grouping
• Session Source
• Session Medium
• Session Campaign
• Session Source / Medium

The most important reports in this group are Overview, Events, Conversions, and Pages and Screens.

Where to find the Engagement Overview Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Engagement, and then Overview.

Metrics

• Engaged Sessions: The number of sessions that lasted longer than a minimum set duration or had a conversion event.
• Engagements: Total number of engagement events like scrolls, clicks, or video views.
• Engagement Rate: The percentage of sessions that qualify as engaged sessions.
• Average Engagement Time per Session: The average amount of time users spend engaged with your site or app during a session.
• Events: The total number of events recorded.
• Conversions: The number of times users completed a goal or conversion.
• Event Count per User: Average number of events triggered per user.

Dimensions

• Event Name: The names of the events users are triggering.
• Page Title and Screen Class: The title of the webpage or the name/class of the app screen where engagement occurs.
• User Segment: Different user segments based on predefined or custom criteria.
• Country: The country from which the user is accessing your site or app.
• City: The city from which the user is accessing your site or app.
• Device Category: The type of device (mobile, desktop, tablet) used to access your site or app.
• Platform: The system that operates on the user's device.

Where to find the Events Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Engagement, and then Events.

Where to find the Conversions Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Engagement, and then Conversions.

Metrics

• Conversions
• Total Users
• Total Revenue

Dimensions

• Event Name

Where to find the Pages and Screens Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Engagement, and then Pages and Screens.

Metrics

• Views
• Users
• Views per User
• Average Engagement Time
• Event Count
• Conversions

Dimensions

• Page Title and Screen Class
• Page Path and Screen Class
• Page Title and Screen Name
• Content group

The most important reports in this group are Overview, E-commerce Purchases, In-app Purchases, Publisher ads, Purchase journey, Checkout journey.

The Monetization Overview report provides insights into the revenue generation and monetization performance of your website or app. This report is essential for understanding how your monetization strategies are performing. 

Where to find the Monetization Overview Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Monetization, and then Overview.

Metrics

• Total Revenue: The total amount of revenue generated from all sources, including e-commerce sales, in-app purchases, and advertising.
• E-commerce Revenue: Revenue generated from e-commerce transactions.
• In-App Purchase Revenue: Revenue from purchases made within an app.
• Ad Revenue: Revenue generated from ads displayed on your site or app.
• Average Revenue per User (ARPU): The average revenue generated per user.
• Transactions: The total number of completed purchase transactions.
• Average Purchase Revenue: The average revenue per purchase transaction.

Dimensions

• Item Name: The name of the item purchased.
• Item Category: The category of the purchased item.
• Affiliation: The store or location where the purchase was made.
• Country: The country from which the purchase was made.
• City: The city from which the purchase was made.
• Date/Time: When the purchase or revenue-generating event occurred.
• Source/Medium: The origin/source and medium of the traffic that led to the monetization event.
• Campaign: The specific marketing campaign associated with the monetization event, identified through UTM parameters.

The E-commerce Purchases report is specifically tailored to track and analyze e-commerce transactions. This report is crucial for understanding the performance of an online store or e-commerce platform.

Where to find the E-commerce purchases Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then Monetization, and then E-commerce purchases.

Metrics

• Item viewed: This is the count of how often the list of products has been looked at.
• Items added to cart: This number reflects how many times users placed products into shopping carts.
• Items purchased: This is the count of purchases made by users on the ecommerce platform.
• Item revenue: The amount of revenue generated over the purchase.

Dimensions

• Item Name: The name of the item purchased.
• Item ID: The unique identifier of the purchased item.
• Item Category: The category to which the purchased item belongs.
• Item variant: A product's specific version or variation, distinguished by attributes.
• Item Brand: The trademark or commercial label associated with the product sold.
  

The In-app Purchases report is designed to track and analyze transactions made within mobile apps. This report is crucial for app developers and businesses that rely on in-app purchases as a revenue stream.

Where to find the In-app Purchases Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then Monetization, and then In-app Purchases.

Metrics

• Quantity: The total number of units of a product sold.
• Product Revenue: The total income generated from a product.
• Average Product Revenue: The mean income earned per product sold.

Dimensions

• Product ID: The unique identifier assigned to each product for tracking and analysis.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the Publisher Ads report is designed for websites and apps that use advertising as a revenue source, particularly those integrated with Google Ad Manager. This report provides insights into the performance of ads published on your site or app.

Where to find the Publisher Ads Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Monetization, and then Publisher Ads.

Metrics

• Publisher ad Impressions: Counts how many times ads from publishers were displayed to users.
• Ad unit exposure: Tracks the visibility and reach of individual ad units.
• Publisher ad Clicks: Tally the number of times users click on publisher ads.
• Total ad revenue: The cumulative earnings from publisher ads.

Dimensions

• Ad Unit: Identifies the specific ad placement or container in GA4 reporting.
• Page path and screen class: Tracks the specific pages or screens where ads appear.
• Ad Format: Classifies the type of ad (e.g., banner, video).
• Ad Source: Specifies the origin or provider of the ad in GA4 analytics.
  

This can be used to analyze the customer purchase journey.

Where to find the Purchase Journey Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Monetization, and then Purchase Journey.

Metrics

• Session Start
• View Product
• Add to Basket
• Begin Checkout
• Purchase

Dimensions

• Device Category
• Country
• Region
• Town/City
• Language
• Browser

This analysis is crucial for e-commerce sites to understand how users interact with the checkout process and where potential drop-offs or issues might occur.

Where to find the Checkout Journey Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Monetization, and then Checkout Journey.

Metrics

• Begin Checkout
• Add delivery
• Add Payment
• Purchase

Dimensions

• Device Category
• Country
• Region
• Town/City
• Language
• Age
• Gender
• Browser

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the Retention Overview report is designed to help you understand how well your site or app retains users over time. This report is crucial for assessing user loyalty and engagement. 

Where to find the Retention Overview Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click Lifecycle, then click Retention.

Metrics

• User Retention: The percentage of users who revisit your site or app after their initial visit as new users.
• New Users: The count of users who are accessing the platform for the first time within the specified timeframe.
• Returning Users: The number of returned users after their first visit.
• Retention Rate: The rate at which new users return in subsequent periods (e.g., days, weeks).
• Cohort Size: The size of the group of users (cohort) being analyzed.
• Number of Returning Users: The actual count of users returning in each time period after the first visit.

Dimensions

• Date of First Visit: The date when the user first visited the site or app.
• Cohort: The group of users who share a common characteristic, typically defined by their first visit date.
• Cohort Type: The type of cohort, usually based on time (e.g., daily, weekly).
• User Segment: Segments of users based on predefined or custom criteria.

The User Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides a detailed view of user demographics, behaviors, and engagement on your website or app. It emphasizes user-centric metrics and cross-platform tracking, offering insights into user journeys over time. This report aids in understanding user interactions, facilitating more informed marketing and UX decisions. The most important reports in this group are User Attributes and Tech Reports.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the User Attributes report provides insights into the characteristics and attributes of your users. This report is essential for understanding your audience's demographics, interests, and behaviors. 

Where to find the User Attributes Overview Metrics and Dimensions: click on Reports in the left panel, then click User, then click User Attributes, and then Overview.

Metrics

• Users: The overall count of distinct users who have engaged with your website or application.
• New Users: The number of users who visited your site or app for the first time.
• Returning Users: The number of users who return to your site or app.

Dimensions

• Demographics: Includes age, gender, and other demographic information.
• Interests: User interests based on their online browsing and behavior.
• Geography: Geographic location of users, including country, region, and city.
• Device Category: The type of device used (e.g., mobile, desktop, tablet).
• Language: The language settings of the user's browser or device.
• User Type: Differentiates between new and returning users.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the Demographic Details report provides insights into the demographic composition of your audience. This information is crucial for understanding who your users are in terms of age, gender, and other demographic factors.

Where to find the Demographic details Metrics and Dimensions: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click User, then User Attributes, and then click Demographic details.

Metrics

• Users
• New Users
• Engaged sessions
• Engagement Rate
• Engaged sessions per user
• Average Engagement Time
• Event count
• Conversions
• Total revenue

Dimensions

• Country
• Region
• Town/City
• Language
• Age
• Gender
• Interests

Offers detailed insights into the technology used by your audience, including device types, operating systems, and browsers.

Where to find the Tech Overview Metrics and Dimensions: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click User, then click Tech, and then Overview.

Metrics

• Users: The total number of unique users interacting with your site or app using different technologies.
• New Users: The number of first-time users on your site or app segmented by technology.
• Engagement Rate: The percentage of engaged sessions for each technology.
• Average Engagement Time: The average duration of time users spend on your site or app, segmented by technology.
• Conversions: The number of conversions or goal completions by users, broken down by technology.
• Revenue: Total revenue generated from users, segmented by their technology (relevant for e-commerce or monetized sites/apps).

Dimensions

• Browser: The web browsers used by your audience (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox).
• Operating System: The operating systems of the devices used (e.g., Windows, macOS, Android, iOS).
• Device Category: The type of device used (e.g., mobile, desktop, tablet).
• Screen Resolution: The display resolutions of the devices used.
• App Version (for mobile apps): The version of your mobile app being used.

Where to find the Tech Details Metrics and Dimensions: Click on Reports in the left panel, then click User, then Tech, and then Tech Details.

Metrics

• Users
• New Users
• Engaged sessions
• Engagement Rate
• Engaged sessions per user
• Average Engagement Time
• Event count
• Conversions
• Total Revenue

Dimensions

• Browser
• Device Category
• Device model
• Screen Resolution
• App Version
• Platform
• OS Version
• Platform/Device Category
• Operating System
• OS with version

The E-Commerce reports in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provide a comprehensive view of your online store's performance, allowing you to track and analyze various aspects of customer interactions and transactions. Here's an overview of what you can expect from the GA4 E-Commerce reports.

The metrics related to items in an e-commerce context provide valuable insights into customer behavior and revenue generation. 

'Items viewed' reflects the number of times customers click on items for more details, highlighting popular products. 

'Items added to cart' signifies purchase intent, indicating the items customers are considering buying. 

'Items purchased' directly measures successful transactions, revealing the actual number of items bought. 

Finally, 'Item revenue' serves as a key financial indicator, representing the total revenue generated from the sale of items, providing a comprehensive view of the e-commerce performance.

The Purchase Journey Report in GA4 tracks the customer's path through stages like product views, cart additions, and purchases. It highlights where customers drop off and which stages drive conversions, offering insights into different user behaviors and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. This customizable report is key for understanding and improving the e-commerce purchase process.

The Checkout Journey Report in GA4 focuses on the checkout process, detailing user progression from cart addition to purchase completion. It emphasizes checkout abandonment, identifying stages where users drop off. This report is essential for pinpointing checkout issues and optimizing the process to enhance user experience and increase conversions.

These reports in GA4 provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, helping businesses optimize their e-commerce strategies for better engagement and increased sales. They play a crucial role in pinpointing obstacles within the purchasing journey and in guiding data-driven choices to improve the overall user experience on your website.

If you’re using not only Google Ads but also other ad platforms and you want to monitor their main performance metrics, the Cost Analysis report is exactly what you need as this is one of the most important reports for marketers. 

This report shows session, cost, and revenue performance data for your paid marketing channels. It compares the cost of each campaign with its associated revenue (from e-commerce and/or goal value) to calculate ROAS (return on ad spend) and RPC (revenue per click).

To generate a Cost Analysis Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you need to follow these steps:

1. Ensure Cost Data Import is Set Up: Before you can analyze cost data in Google Analytics 4, you need to make sure that cost data from your advertising platforms (like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.) is being imported into Google Analytics 4. This can be done through direct integration for platforms like Google Ads or through Data Import for other sources.
2. Access Google Analytics 4: Log in to your Google Analytics account and make sure you are viewing the Google Analytics 4 property.
3. Navigate to the Reports Section: In Google Analytics 4, the interface is different from Universal Analytics. You need to navigate to the 'Reports' section in the left-hand menu.
4. Custom Reports for Cost Analysis: Google Analytics 4 emphasizes custom reports more than predefined reports. To analyze cost data, you might need to create a custom report.
5. Create a Custom Report:
• Go to the 'Explore' section in Google Analytics 4.

• Select 'Blank' to initiate a new exploration.
  
• In the exploration, you can add various dimensions and metrics. For a cost analysis report, you would typically include dimensions like Source, Medium, and Campaign and Google Analytics 4 Custom metrics like Cost, Impressions, Clicks, Conversions, etc.
  

6. Configure the Report: Arrange the Google Analytics 4 dimensions and metrics as per your analysis needs. You can use various visualization formats like tables, line charts, bar charts, etc.
7. Apply Segments and Filters: If you want to analyze specific campaigns or traffic sources, apply segments and filters to your report.
8. Analyze the Data: Once your report is set up, analyze the data to understand how your marketing spend translates into traffic and conversions.
9. Save and Share the Report: You can save your custom report for future use and share it with your team or stakeholders.
10. Regular Updates: Remember that if you import cost data from non-Google platforms, you may need to regularly update the import to keep the cost data current in Google Analytics 4.

The availability and accuracy of cost data depend on the proper setup of data import and integration with advertising platforms.

1. How to set up Google Analytics 4, the most popular web analytics tool, and how to use it as effectively as possible.
2. A Simple Guide to Website Traffic Analytics. All the knowledge you need about web traffic and tools to analyze it, using Google Analytics and OWOX BI as examples.
3. How to set up automatic updating of reports in Google Analytics and how to receive timely notifications about critical changes in KPIs that are important for your business.
4. A Comprehensive Guide to Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking in Google Analytics.
5. How to add data from non-Google services to a Cost Analysis report in Google Analytics and how to compare the profitability of different advertising channels.
   

In short, Google has created a product that can really open your eyes to web analytics and help you optimize your website. 

However, you need to keep in mind that Google Analytics 4 helps you understand the behavior of your users and clients only on your website.

And if you want to set up end-to-end analytics based on user behavior from Google Analytics 4, cost data from ad platforms, and offline orders from your CRM, try OWOX BI. We offer a trial period. During this time, you can set up data collection in your Google BigQuery project to create reports on ROPO and other marketing indicators.