Analytics reports are full of numbers with simple names like ‘sessions’ and ‘users’, but behind the scenes, things are not so simple. Many metrics are far more complex than the simple names suggest. The Misunderstood Metrics series digs into some of the common reporting combinations that are easily misinterpreted.
Google Analytics 4 Bounce Rate
What is bounce rate in Google Analytics? Is higher or lower better? What is typical? Does it affect my search engine rankings?
Google Analytics 4 New vs Returning Users
Confused by the new and returning users metrics in Google Analytics 4? Did you know that the “Returning Users” number in the online reports could be wrong? No wonder you were confused.
Google Analytics 4 Sessions
As people dig into the metrics in Google Analytics 4 for website tracking, they discover that the session counts can sometimes be confusing. My recommendation: stop focusing on sessions — focus on user engagement with your content instead.
Google Analytics 4 Time on Page / Session Duration
You can get classic time on page and session duration measures with Google Analytics 4, but there are better user activity measures available today.
Google Analytics 4 Add a Session Count Dimension
It is easy to get a Session Count fields added to your Google Analytics 4 reports — just add a custom dimension for the existing event parameter! The data doesn’t start collecting until you do this, so do it now!
Google Search Average Position
Google Search Console makes it easy to track the position of your website pages in Google’s search results, but the numbers are averages, and averages don’t tell the whole story. When it comes to search engine ranking, they can be really misleading.