[GA4] How to Use Reports | Introducing Recommended Reports (with a Comparison Chart to UA)

The basic reports in GA4 are designed to help you grasp an overall view of your website or app. In this article, we clearly introduce an overview of the basic reports in GA4, including how to view and use them. We also feature recommended GA4 reports within the article. For those who are unsure where to find reports in GA4 that they used to view in UA, please refer to the comparison chart included.

We also detail the differences and how to use other reports available in GA4 (such as Exploration reports, Looker Studio, and BigQuery) in our "2024 Latest GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Report Creation Guide".

The reports of GA4 consist of "Reports snapshot," "Realtime," and "Report Collections."

First, let me explain the structure of the  reports. The  reports always include "Reports snapshot" and "Realtime," which are fixedly displayed for any property, and "Report Collections," which are displayed based on the settings of GA4. Additionally, the "Report Collections" can be customized, allowing for the addition or deletion of reports. 

 (Quote)GA4 Reports

 In the following section, let's look at what can be done in each report, one by one. 

Reports snapshot

This dashboard provides a list of the status of the entire website or application, including users, incoming routes, events, and conversions. The information displayed can be customized by selecting the pencil mark in the upper right corner.

 (Quote)GA4 Reports snapshot

Realtime

Realtime reporting is a report that allows you to check user activities on websites and apps in real time. In GA4, it takes about 4 to 8 hours for the data to be reflected, but by using this feature, you can analyze user information from the past 30 minutes and immediately improve your marketing measures based on the results.

For detailed instructions on how to use GA4's realtime reports, please see "How to Use GA4 Realtime Report

 (Quote)GA4 Realtime Report

Report Collections

The Report Collection is displayed based on the settings of GA4, choosing from the following five types of templates. For regular websites or eCommerce sites, I believe the templates displayed would be "User", "Lifecycle", or "Business Objective".

• App developer: User information reports for apps connected to Firebase
• Games reporting: Reports specialized for mobile gaming apps
• Lifecycle: Reports related to acquisition and engagement
• User: Reports about users who visited the website
• Business objectives: Reports on business objectives selected during the setup of GA4

  (Quote)GA4 Report collections

The "Report collections" consists of two types of reports: "Overview reports" and "Detail reports."

Each report within the "Report Collections" is categorized into two types: "Overview reports" and "Detail reports." Below, I will describe the characteristics of each type of report so that you can use them according to your needs.

Overview reports

The "Overview reports" is a summary report that compiles data related to a specific topic.

For example, the capture below is an overview report on visitor acquisition, summarizing data related to user numbers, traffic sources, and Google organic search keywords.

Detail reports

The "Detail reports" is used when checking more detailed data. The detail report consists of two graphs at the top of the page and one table at the bottom.

For example, the capture below is a detail report on traffic acquisition, showing the daily changes in user numbers by default channels and detailed breakdowns of the data.

   (Quote)GA4 Detail reports

How to Use GA4 Reports

Let's start by introducing how to use the basic reports. As previously mentioned, the capabilities and usage of "Overview reports" and "Detail reports" differ, so I will explain each separately.

How to Use Overview reports

 (Quote)GA4 User attribute overview report

1.Change Period

You can change the reporting period or compare it with data from a different period.

2.Data Comparison

You can compare data between specific segments. For example, you can compare data by gender.

3.Sharing and Exporting

You can share a link to the report or download the report as PDF or CSV. This feature is available only to editors and administrators of the relevant GA4 property.

4.Insights

The system automatically analyzes data based on machine learning and conditions set by users.

5.Customization

You can customize the overview cards displayed in the Overview Reports. This feature is available only to editors and administrators of the relevant GA4 property. Additionally, changes are applied to all users of the relevant GA4 property, so proceed with caution. 

How to Use Detail reports

1.Period Adjustment

2.Data Quality

3.Filter Application

4.Data Comparison

5.Sharing and Exporting

6.Insights

7.Customization

8.Dimension Change

9.Adding Secondary Dimensions

Recommended GA4 Reports (with Comparison Table to UA)

User Report

 User attribute report

The default dimension is set to "Country," but by clicking on the dropdown to the right of "Country," you can switch to the following dimensions:

• Country
• Region
• City
• Language
• Age
• Gender
• Interests

(Quote)GA4 User attributes Report

(Reference) Comparison Table of GA4 Reports Corresponding to UA's User Attribute Reports 

Regarding "Unknown" for Age and Gender

User attribute data is collected only from users who are logged into a Google account and have also consented to the use of cookies. If the user attributes are unknown, they will be displayed as "unknown." 

Related article:[GA4] How to Set Up User Attributes

Device Report

Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Tech" > "Tech details"

In the Device Report, you can check information about the environment used by users who visit your website, such as their device and browser. The default dimension is "Browser", but you can switch to the following dimensions by clicking the dropdown menu to the right of "Browser":

• Browser
• Device category
• Device model
• Screen resolution
• App version
• Platform
• OS version
• Platform / device category
• Operating system
• OS with version 

Acquisition Report

In GA4, the acquisition reports have been significantly enhanced, allowing for easy evaluation of the traffic sources that contribute to new user acquisition. In UA, it was possible to identify the originating traffic sources through attribution analysis using the "Model Comparison Tool," but the process was complex, preventing many users from fully utilizing it. In GA4, this process has been greatly simplified, so let's make active use of it.

Traffic acquisition Report

Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Acquisition" > "Traffic acquisition"

The Traffic Acquisition Report analyzes all traffic sources visiting a website or app, including both new users and return visitors. It evaluates which channels are driving the most traffic and assesses the quality of the traffic in terms of engagement and conversions.

The default dimension is set to "Default Channel Grouping for Sessions", but you can switch to the following dimensions by clicking on the dropdown menu to the right of "Default Channel Grouping for Sessions":

• Session default channel group
• Session source/medium
• Session medium
• Session source
• Session source platform
• Session campaign

Description of each dimension: [GA4] Traffic Acquisition Report

(Quote)GA4 Traffic acquisition Report

User acquisition Report

 Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Acquisition" > "User acquisition"

In GA4, the acquisition reports have been significantly enhanced, allowing for easy evaluation of the traffic sources that contribute to new user acquisition. In UA, it was possible to identify the originating traffic sources through attribution analysis using the "Model Comparison Tool," but the process was complex, preventing many users from fully utilizing it. In GA4, this process has been greatly simplified, so let's make active use of it.

This user acquisition report allows you to see which traffic sources have acquired new users. It assesses which channels are bringing in the most new users and evaluates the quality of these users in terms of how much they engage and convert.

The default dimension is set to "Session Default Channel Group," but you can switch to the following dimensions by clicking the dropdown to the right of "Session Default Channel Group":

• First user default channel group
• First user medium
• First user source
• First user source/medium
• First user source platform
• First user campaign
• First user Google Ads ad network type
• First user Google Ads ad group name

Description of each dimension: [GA4] User acquisition report 

 (Quote)GA4 User acquisition Report 

Google Ads campaign Report

 Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Acquisition" > "Overview"

The Google Ads campaign report allows you to view the performance of your Google Ads within GA4 by linking your GA4 and Google Ads accounts.

The default dimension is set to "Session's Google Ads Campaign," but by clicking the dropdown to the right of "Session's Google Ads Campaign," you can switch to the following dimensions:

• Session Google Ads campaign
• Session Google Ads ad group name
• Session Google Ads keyword text
• Session Google Ads query
• Session Google Ads ad network type
• Session Google Ads account name

Description of each dimension: [GA4] Google Ads campaigns report

(Quote)GA4 Google Ads campaign Report

 Search Console Report

 Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Search Console"

The Search Console report allows you to check the performance of Google organic search keywords and landing pages in GA4 by linking GA4 with the Search Console.

In particular, the Google Organic Search Landing Page report allows you to see how much each landing page contributes to conversions, so those working on SEO should actively utilize this information.

(Quote)Organic Google Search query Report

(Quote)Google organic search traffic Report

(Reference) Comparison Table of GA4 Reports Corresponding to UA's Acquisition Reports 

Engagement Report

 Landing page Report

 Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Landing page"

A landing page is the first page that users visit when they come to a website. The landing page report allows you to assess which landing pages are bringing the most traffic, as well as how much they are contributing to engagement and conversions.

Understanding this enables you to comprehend what needs users visiting your site have, and also allows you to make modifications to pages that are attracting a lot of traffic but not leading to conversions, thereby gaining more conversions.

 Related article:Learn how to analyze landing pages in GA4 and create reports using the Looker Studio

(Quote)GA4 Landing page Report 

 Pages and screens Report

 Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Pages and screens"

In the Pages and Screens report, you can evaluate which pages are being viewed the most and how much they are contributing to engagement. 

 (Quote)GA4 Page Report 

(Reference) Comparison Table of GA4 Reports Corresponding to UA's Engagement Reports 

 Conversion Report

  Report location: Left menu "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Conversion"

In the conversion report, you can check the number of conversions for each event that is set as a conversion.

Naturally, if there is an error in the settings for conversions, the conversion report will not display correctly. Particularly, if you leave the method of counting conversions set to Google's recommended "once per event," and a user reloads the target page multiple times, achieving five conversions in a single session, then the conversions will be counted five times.

If you are unsure about the settings, please take a look at [GA4] conversion settings, where we provide a clear explanation on how to set it up.

 (Quote)GA4 Page Report 

 Ecommerce Report

 Monetization Report

In the monetization (e-commerce) report, you can not only check which channels, referrers/media, campaigns, devices, user attributes, and regions are generating the most revenue, but you can also visualize which products are selling well.

 (Quote)GA4 Monetization Report 

(Reference) Comparison Table of GA4 Reports Corresponding to UA's Monetization Reports