5 Key Metrics to Track in GA4: An Introduction to Web Analytics

"We installed GA4, but we have no idea where to look." Many business owners feel this way after launching a website. Staring at a screen filled with hundreds of metrics, many become overwhelmed and end up abandoning it.

In this article, we narrow down the essential GA4 metrics that SMB owners and managers should master first to five, explaining "where to view them" and "how to evaluate them" with concrete operating steps. No complex configuration or specialized technical expertise is required. Checking these five metrics once or twice a month will clarify the direction for improving your website.

What GA4 is in the first place

GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is a free web access analytics tool provided by Google. It visualizes the behavior of users visiting your website, allowing you to track "how many people came," "where they came from," and "what they did" with numerical data.

Universal Analytics (UA) was sunset in July 2023, making GA4 the current standard. Because the UI layout and metric definitions changed substantially from UA, many people feel that "UA was easy to use, but GA4 is difficult."

Basic structure of GA4

GA4 measures data across three layers: "Users," "Sessions," and "Events."

Metrics corresponding to UA's "bounce rate" and "pages per session" have changed in GA4, leading to misunderstandings if read with a UA mindset. We will explain how to view them properly in the next section.

How to access GA4 reports

First, let's open the GA4 administration interface.

Steps:

1. Access analytics.google.com
2. Select your target GA4 property using the property selector at the top left
3. Click "Reports" in the left navigation menu

The Reports menu is structured as follows:

レポート
├── 概要（サマリー）
├── リアルタイム
├── ユーザー
│   ├── ユーザー属性
│   └── テクノロジー
├── 集客
│   ├── 概要
│   ├── ユーザー獲得
│   └── トラフィック獲得
├── エンゲージメント
│   ├── 概要
│   ├── ページとスクリーン
│   └── ランディングページ
└── 収益化 / 維持率

The five metrics are primarily housed within the "Acquisition" and "Engagement" reports. Let's review them one by one.

Metric 1: Active users — Understanding the reality of "who visited"

Where to view

This number is displayed at the very top of Reports → Overview (Summary).

Operational steps:

1. Left menu: "Reports" → "Overview"
2. Set the date range in the upper right to "Last 28 days" or "Last month"
3. Check the "Active users" figure

What to evaluate

Active users refers to the "number of users who visited the site and engaged in an engaged session (explained below)." Because it is not counted simply by a page load, it reflects actual engagement more accurately than UA's user count.

Monthly monitoring benchmarks:

• Investigate the cause if there is a fluctuation of ±20% or more month over month
• Identify growth or decline trends year over year
• Although it depends on the industry, 1,000 to 5,000 visitors per month is a typical baseline for an SMB corporate site

Note: "Total users" and "Active users" are different metrics. GA4 uses "Active users" as its primary user metric.

Metric 2: Traffic acquisition channels — Understanding "where they came from"

Where to view

Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition

Operational steps:

1. Left menu: "Reports" → "Acquisition" → "Traffic acquisition"
2. Check traffic sources in the first table column: "Session default channel group"
3. Compare "Sessions," "Active users," and "Key events" across each channel

Channel types and meanings

What to evaluate

Check "which channel's visitors are converting the most." For example, discovering trends such as "Organic Search generates heavy traffic but few inquiries" or "Direct has low traffic but a high inquiry rate" makes it easier to prioritize initiatives.

Metric 3: Engagement rate — Measuring "involvement with content"

Where to view

Reports → Engagement → Overview

Operational steps:

1. Left menu: "Reports" → "Engagement" → "Overview"
2. Check the "Engagement rate" figure
3. Compare with the previous period (using the "Compare" feature in the top right)

Definition of an engaged session

In GA4, an "engaged session" is a session that meets any of the following criteria:

• The session lasted 10 seconds or longer
• At least one conversion event occurred
• The user viewed 2 or more pages

Engagement rate = Engaged sessions ÷ Total sessions

While it corresponds to the inverse of UA's "bounce rate," the measurement logic is different. Even if your bounce rate was high in UA, your performance numbers may appear improved when compared under GA4's engagement rate.

What to evaluate

A typical engagement rate benchmark is 50% to 70%.

• Below 50%: A mismatch between content and target audience is suspected. Review traffic sources and landing pages
• 50% to 70%: Standard benchmark. Review differences between individual pages to find opportunities for improvement
• 70% or above: High engagement. This is the phase to further strengthen conversion pathways

Metric 4: Top pages — Discovering "which content is being read"

Where to view

Reports → Engagement → Pages and screens

Operational steps:

1. Left menu: "Reports" → "Engagement" → "Pages and screens"
2. The table defaults to "Page title and screen class," showing page views per URL
3. Sort by "Views" (page views) in descending order to review

Supporting metrics to check alongside

What to evaluate

Checking top pages reveals "which services and content are attracting interest." Updating and reinforcing pages that rank at the top amplifies their impact. Conversely, if a key page you are actively prioritizing receives little traffic, you need to re-evaluate your SEO and internal linking.

Metric 5: Key events (conversions) — Measuring "whether it led to business results"

Where to view

Reports → Engagement → Conversions (or the key events count on the Overview screen)

Prior configuration required: You must first configure key events in the administration console.

Setup steps:

1. Bottom left: "Admin" → "Property" → "Key events"
2. Click "Create new key event"
3. Enter the name of the event you want to track (e.g., generate_lead, form_submit)
4. Save

If you want to measure views of an "Inquiry Completed Page," configure that page view event as a key event.

What to evaluate

Key events quantify the "final business outcomes of your website."

• Which channels generate the most key events (check in combination with the Traffic Acquisition report)
• Monthly trend in key event counts (verify causes of increases and decreases tied to initiatives)
• Conversion rate benchmark: 0.5% to 2% is a typical standard for BtoB corporate sites

Without key events configured, viewing GA4 leaves you in a state of "traffic grew, but it is unclear whether it yielded results." Set this up as your highest priority.

Monthly check flow for the 5 metrics

Here is a recommended monthly review flow for tracking the five metrics. Once you are accustomed to it, it takes only about 15 to 20 minutes.

1. Check Active users month over month and year over year → Confirm there are no dramatic fluctuations
2. Check Traffic acquisition channels → Confirm whether the traffic source distribution has shifted
3. Check Engagement rate → Understand overall numbers and figures broken down by landing page
4. Check Top pages → Review traffic status for priority content
5. Check Key event count → Cross-reference with monthly inquiries to determine website-driven contribution

Simply turning these five steps into a habit at the start of each month enables website improvements based on "data rather than gut feeling."

How to leverage GA4 to improve your website

GA4 is a tool for "viewing" figures; improvement strategies must be planned separately. Here are two key points for interpreting data and translating it into actionable initiatives.

Point 1: Formulate hypotheses around metric changes

For example, when faced with the fact that "traffic from Organic Search increased by 30% compared to last month," formulate a hypothesis such as "the article on ... published last month ranked higher in search," and verify it against Search Console. Developing the habit of asking "why did this change?" rather than just looking at numbers will sharpen your analytical capabilities.

Point 2: Coordinate technical tracking with site configurations

GA4's accuracy depends on the site's tag configuration. For accurate tracking on static site generators such as Astro, refer to "How to Install GA Tracking Tags Exclusively in Production Environments," and for automated aggregation of popular content using the GA4 Data API, refer to "Astro SSG × GA4: Automatically Generating Popular Article Rankings."

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Conclusion

Here is a summary of the 5 essential GA4 metrics that SMBs should master first:

Simply moving from "not looking at data" to "reviewing 5 metrics once a month" dramatically shifts investment decisions for your website. Start by configuring key events (conversions).

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About website analytics and improvement support

GleamHub Inc. provides comprehensive end-to-end support for SMBs and startups, ranging from initial GA4 setup to data analysis and website optimization. We also welcome inquiries from businesses stating, "We installed GA4 but aren't leveraging it," or "We look at the numbers, but don't know how to improve."

Please feel free to contact us.

Contact us here

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References

• [For Beginners] Basic GA4 Usage and Key Metrics to Track — WeBridge Inc.
• Key Points to Review in GA4: An Analytics Guide for Beginners — Tagatame
• What Are the 5 Key Metrics in Website Analysis? Basic Analytical Methods Using GA4 — Alive Inc.
• Engagement Rate and Bounce Rate in GA4 — Google Analytics Help
• Introduction to Website Analytics: How to Read GA4 and 5 Metrics SMBs Should Check [2026 Edition] — Ad Factory Hearts