Definition
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is Google's analytics platform that records site and app activity as events and reports on traffic and conversions.
GA4 explained
GA4 replaced Universal Analytics, which stopped processing data in 2023. Its biggest change is the data model: everything is recorded as an event, including page views, scrolls, clicks, form submissions and purchases, rather than as sessions made up of hits. This makes it more flexible but means reports and definitions differ from what many teams were used to.
For SEO and paid search reporting, the essentials are:
- Key events configured for the actions that matter, such as leads, sign-ups and purchases.
- Traffic acquisition reports, to see organic search, paid search and AI assistant referrals separately.
- Landing page reports, to judge which pages bring in engaged visitors and conversions.
- Links to Google Ads and Search Console, so ad and search data sit alongside site behavior.
- Consent mode and filters set up correctly, so numbers are as complete and clean as possible.
AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity often appear as referral sources in GA4. Grouping them into their own channel makes AI-driven visits visible in regular reports.
Example
Your marketing team only looks at total sessions in GA4. Setting up key events for demo requests and adding a custom channel group for AI assistant referrals shows that visits from ChatGPT are few but convert into demo requests at a high rate.
Why it matters
GA4 connects marketing activity to what visitors do on your site, which is the basis for judging SEO, ads and content by results.
Related service
Analytics & Reporting
GA4, Search Console and dashboards that connect organic and AI search to leads and revenue.
SEO analytics and reporting servicesPublished by Vidern, founded and led by Malhar Shah. Updated .
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Related terms
- GA4 eventA GA4 event is a recorded interaction or occurrence on a website or app, such as a page view, click, video play, form submission or purchase.
- Key eventA key event in GA4 is an event you mark as important to your business, such as a purchase, lead or sign-up, so it is reported as an outcome.
- AttributionAttribution is how credit for a conversion is shared among the marketing touchpoints, such as searches, ads, emails and referrals, that led to it.
- UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, such as utm_source and utm_medium, that tell analytics tools where a visit came from.
- Google Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console is Google's free tool showing how a site performs in Search, which pages are indexed, and technical problems Google finds.