Let's learn the basic concepts of Google Analytics 4

Hi, I'm Lovefield.

With Google Analytics upgrading from 3 to 4, the use of 3 versions was limited to October 2023. So, you forcibly have to study 4 versions. I like new things and this article is an arrangement of what I’ve found out.

This article was written on the promise that you know how to use Google Analytics. It does not describe how to set up an Account or Property. If you’re completely new to Google Analytics, I recommend that you read other articles that explain the basics first.

1. Segment

Segment is the foundation for gathering information from Google Analytics 4. Segment has three items, User, Session, and Event, and each collects that information. Actually, the User segment and Session segment are not yet useful. Because there is a very high probability that the User and Session specified by Google Analytics 4 do not match the User and Session of the actual service. Based on the information currently provided by Google Analytics 4, I think you can only see significant values in Page pre User.

2. Event

In Google Analytics 4, most user interactions are based on the Event segment. If you set nothing to an Event, basic features such as page_view, session_start, user_engagement, first_visit, scroll, click, view_search_results. These Events, everything the user enters the site and interaction is recorded.

Each Event has a Parameter when recorded. Events have Parameters such as Page path and Page title, and you can request the development team to input additional Parameters. This allows Google Analytics 4 to track events on its own without the help of Google Tag Manager, which was used to track events.

But, when you actually open the Event page, you can see that there is not as much data as you think. The only data we want here is the Event count and the Page path hidden in the User engagement penal. Even that gives us a better view of the data we want in "Reports > Engagement > Page and Screens".

Google Analytics 4 allows you to add a total of 50 events, including existing ones. It is very useful to set up a CTA or a separate VIEW and view the values.

Now, you know what is Event. By the way, if you look at the main menus that Google Analytics 4 offers, you'll notice that they're significantly less than the existing Google Analytics 3. Except for Page view, User tech, and Event, which are basically required to be viewed, almost all of them have disappeared. This is because Google Analytics 4 recommends the Explorer menu by default.

3. Explore

Google Analytics 4 requires you to use the Explorer menu to view the data you want.

You can create a diagram of your choice using Dimension and Metric based on User, Session, and Event Segment. Dimension is a value that can be the sorting criterion for the data. Country, region, device, screen size, etc. Metric is a numerical value. It has the same value as "353 visits by countries other than Korea occurred." From there, it is filtered through Dimension's sub-items, and Morocco will see a figure of 63 visits. Dimension can add 50 Event-based, 25 User-based, and Metrics can add 50.

I explained about Segment, Event, and Explore. Now, if you know these three values, you can see the user behavior you want through data collection and purification on the site.