Most Important Reports for Marketers in GA4: An Overview of Google Analytics 4. Part 1.

From July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics will no longer process data, prompting Google's recommendation for users to swiftly migrate to Google Analytics 4.

The primary distinction in the new version of this analytics system lies within its reports. While certain reports bear similarities to existing ones, such as traffic source reports, there are a number of novel additions that considerably streamline the workflows of marketers and analysts.
We are delighted to present ten GA4 reports that will greatly support marketing departments in their endeavors.

The User Acquisition report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides valuable insights into how users are acquired and engage with your website or app. This report focuses on the user journey from the moment they first discover your digital property to their conversion or desired action. By understanding the user acquisition journey and the performance of various marketing efforts, you can optimize your strategies to attract and retain valuable users.

The User Acquisition report allows you to track the performance of different acquisition sources, such as organic search, paid advertising, social media, referrals, and more. This information helps you identify which channels are driving the most valuable traffic and optimize your marketing efforts accordingly.

In the User Acquisition report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you can find a variety of metrics that help you evaluate the effectiveness of your user acquisition efforts. These metrics provide insights into the performance of different acquisition channels and campaigns. Here are some key metrics commonly found in the User Acquisition report:

1. New Users: This metric indicates the number of unique users who visit your website or app for the first time during the specified time period. It helps you track the growth of your user base.
2. Sessions: Sessions refer to the number of visits to your website or app. This metric gives you an idea of the level of user engagement and activity.
3. Bounce Rate: The bounce rate represents the percentage of single-page sessions where users leave your website or app without any further interaction. A high bounce rate may indicate that users are not finding what they're looking for or experiencing a poor user experience.
4. Average Session Duration: This metric measures the average length of time users spend on your website or app during a session. It provides insights into user engagement and can indicate the level of interest or satisfaction with your content or features.
5. Conversion Rate: The conversion rate measures the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or submitting a form. It helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your acquisition channels in driving conversions.
6. Cost per Acquisition (CPA): This metric calculates the average cost of acquiring a new user or customer. It is calculated by dividing the total cost of your marketing campaigns by the number of acquisitions. It helps you assess the efficiency and profitability of your acquisition efforts.
7. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): This metric evaluates the revenue generated from your advertising campaigns compared to the cost of those campaigns. It helps you measure the profitability of your advertising investments.

The Traffic Acquisition report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) aims to provide valuable insights into how users are acquiring traffic to your website or app. Its main objective is to help you understand the sources, channels, and campaigns that drive visitors to your site, enabling you to optimize your marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions.
The Traffic Acquisition report includes various metrics that offer insights into the performance of your traffic sources. Here are some key metrics commonly found in the report:

1. Source/Medium: This metric identifies the specific sources and mediums through which users arrive at your site, such as organic search, direct traffic, referral websites, or social media platforms.
2. Sessions: This metric represents the total number of sessions or visits generated by users from each traffic source. It gives you an overview of the volume of traffic coming from different channels.
3. Users: This metric indicates the total number of unique users who have visited your site from each traffic source. It helps you understand the size of your audience from different channels.
4. New Users: This metric shows the number of first-time visitors or new users coming to your site from each traffic source. It helps you measure the effectiveness of your acquisition strategies in attracting new audiences.
5. Bounce Rate: This metric reflects the percentage of users who leave your site after viewing only one page. It can help you assess the quality and relevance of the traffic from different sources.
6. Average Session Duration: This metric measures the average amount of time users spend on your site per session. It provides insights into user engagement and the stickiness of your content.
7. Goal Completions: This metric tracks the number of times users complete specific goals or conversions on your site, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. It helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your traffic sources in driving conversions.

By analyzing these metrics within the Traffic Acquisition report, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of how different sources contribute to your website or app traffic and optimize your marketing strategies accordingly.

The Conversions: Event name report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides insights into the specific events that occur on your website or app and their contribution to conversions. This report focuses on tracking and analyzing user interactions with events that are set up in your GA4 configuration.
The main objective of the Conversions: Event name report is to help you understand which events are driving valuable actions and conversions on your site. By identifying the most significant events, you can optimize your marketing strategies, improve user experience, and drive desired outcomes.
Within the Conversions: Event name report, you'll find various metrics and dimensions that provide insights into event performance. Here are some key elements commonly included in this report:

1. Event Name: This dimension represents the specific name or label assigned to each event that you have set up in GA4. It helps you identify and track individual events.
2. Total Conversions: This metric indicates the total number of conversions that occurred as a result of specific events. It shows the overall impact of each event on driving desired actions.
3. Conversion Rate: This metric calculates the percentage of sessions that resulted in a conversion after triggering a specific event. It helps you assess the effectiveness of events in driving conversions.
4. Revenue: If you have assigned a monetary value to your conversions, this metric represents the total revenue generated from specific events.
5. Unique Events: This metric shows the total number of unique occurrences of each event. It helps you understand the frequency and engagement level of each event.
6. Event Value: If you have assigned a specific value or importance to your events, this metric represents the cumulative value associated with each event.

By analyzing the Conversions: Event name report, you can identify which events are most influential in driving conversions, revenue, and other desired outcomes. This information allows you to optimize your marketing campaigns, improve user engagement, and focus on the events that have the greatest impact on your business goals.

The Pages and Screens report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides valuable insights into the performance of individual pages or screens on your website or app. This report focuses on analyzing user interactions and engagement with specific pages or screens, allowing you to understand user behavior and optimize your digital experiences.

The main objective of the Pages and Screens report is to help you assess the effectiveness and popularity of different pages or screens within your website or app. By analyzing the data in this report, you can identify high-performing pages/screens, track user engagement, and uncover opportunities for improvement.

Within the Pages and Screens report, you'll find various metrics and dimensions that provide insights into page/screen performance. Here are some key elements commonly included in this report:

1. Page Title/Screen Name: This dimension represents the specific titles or names assigned to each page or screen in your website or app. It helps you identify and track individual pages/screens.
2. Pageviews/Screenviews: This metric indicates the total number of times each page/screen was viewed by users. It provides an overview of the overall popularity and traffic volume for each page/screen.
3. Unique Pageviews/Unique Screenviews: This metric shows the number of sessions during which a specific page/screen was viewed at least once. It helps you understand the unique engagement level of each page/screen.
4. Average Time on Page/Screen: This metric measures the average duration of time users spend on a specific page/screen. It provides insights into user engagement and the effectiveness of your content.
5. Bounce Rate: This metric represents the percentage of sessions in which users viewed only a single page/screen and then left. A high bounce rate may indicate a lack of engagement or relevance for that page/screen.
6. Exit Rate: This metric shows the percentage of sessions that ended after viewing a particular page/screen. It helps you identify pages/screens that may have a high exit rate and may require further optimization.

By analyzing the Pages and Screens report, you can identify the most popular and engaging pages/screens on your website or app. This information allows you to optimize your content, improve user experience, and drive desired actions or conversions. Additionally, you can identify underperforming pages/screens and take steps to enhance their performance and user engagement.

The Ecommerce Purchases report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides valuable insights into the performance of your ecommerce transactions. This report focuses on analyzing the key metrics and dimensions related to purchases made on your website or app, allowing you to understand the effectiveness of your ecommerce activities and optimize your sales strategies.

The main objective of the Ecommerce Purchases report is to help you track and analyze the revenue, conversion rate, and other important metrics associated with your ecommerce transactions. By examining the data in this report, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of your customers' purchasing behavior, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to improve your ecommerce performance.

Within the Ecommerce Purchases report, you'll find various metrics and dimensions that provide insights into your sales performance. Here are some key elements commonly included in this report:

1. Revenue: This metric represents the total amount of revenue generated from ecommerce transactions. It includes the value of all products or services purchased by customers.
2. Transactions: This metric indicates the total number of completed transactions. It provides an overview of the volume of purchases made on your website or app.
3. Average Order Value: This metric shows the average value of each transaction. It helps you understand the typical spending behavior of your customers.
4. Conversion Rate: This metric represents the percentage of visitors who completed a purchase out of the total number of visitors. It indicates the effectiveness of your ecommerce efforts in converting visitors into customers.
5. Product Revenue: This metric breaks down the revenue generated by each specific product or product category. It allows you to identify the top-selling products and optimize your product offerings.
6. Sales Performance by Channel: This dimension shows the performance of your ecommerce transactions across different marketing channels, such as organic search, paid advertising, or social media. It helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing efforts in driving sales.

By analyzing the Ecommerce Purchases report, you can gain insights into the revenue, conversion rate, and other key metrics associated with your ecommerce transactions. This information allows you to identify areas for improvement, optimize your marketing strategies, and enhance the overall performance of your ecommerce business.

You can find the 2nd part of the reports guide here