13 Jan
When running online advertising campaigns, it’s essential not just to focus on metrics within ad platforms but also to understand what happens after users click your ads. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provides valuable insights into user behaviour on your website, helping advertisers answer critical questions like: How much time are users spending on landing pages? Are they engaging with other parts of the site? What channels bring in the most engaged users? This blog will explore key GA4 metrics every advertiser should monitor to optimize their campaigns.
Key Event Counts & Rates
In GA4, events are the cornerstone of user activity tracking, ranging from page views to form submissions. Key events should align with your business objectives, such as lead form submissions, purchases, or event registrations. These metrics help advertisers identify which channels or landing pages generate the most meaningful user interactions. For example, you can compare event rates between paid search and social channels to determine which drives higher-quality traffic. Additionally, attribution models like last-click and data-driven attribution offer insights into how different channels contribute to key events.
General Event Counts & Engagement
Not every event needs to be a key event, but tracking general events can provide clues about user engagement. Enhanced Measurement in GA4 tracks activities like scrolls, video interactions, and file downloads. Advertisers can assess whether users are engaging with embedded videos, scrolling through landing pages, or downloading resources. These insights help determine the value of various content elements, such as videos or below-the-fold content, in driving user interest.
Ecommerce Metrics
For ecommerce advertisers, GA4 provides detailed metrics to analyze the purchase journey. Metrics like transactions, revenue, and add-to-cart rates reveal critical insights into user behavior. For instance, monitoring cart abandonment rates can highlight friction points in the checkout process. These metrics are available in GA4’s Monetization or Sales reports, allowing advertisers to measure return on ad spend (ROAS) and identify areas for improvement in the purchase funnel.
Engagement Metrics
GA4 introduces new engagement metrics, offering a more nuanced view of user behavior than the traditional bounce rate. Metrics like engaged sessions, engagement rate, and average engagement time show how users interact with your site. For example, an engaged session requires a session to last over 10 seconds, include two page views, or trigger a key event. Tracking these metrics helps identify which landing pages or traffic sources attract qualified users who spend meaningful time on the site.
Ad Platform Integrated Metrics
Linking your Google Ads account with GA4 unlocks additional insights, such as engaged sessions and average engagement duration, directly within the Google Ads interface. Advertisers can analyze campaign performance in GA4’s Advertising reports, comparing conversions and key event rates across channels. Importing cost data from non-Google ad platforms further enriches these reports, allowing for a comprehensive view of campaign ROI.
Start Analysing Your Paid Traffic
GA4 metrics provide advertisers with a wealth of information about user behavior post-click. By understanding and segmenting this data, advertisers can optimize their PPC campaigns for better results. Use GA4 to evaluate traffic sources, refine landing pages, and enhance user engagement. Incorporating these insights into your reporting will demonstrate the impact of your efforts beyond basic ad platform metrics, helping you make more informed decisions and drive better results.
