Understanding Traffic Sources for a Specific Page in Google Analytics 4

[Olivia]

In Google Analytics 4, viewing traffic sources for a particular page is not as straightforward as it was in the previous versions, but it is possible. Using the ‘Compare’ feature along with custom dimensions can help derive the required information. First, it’s advisable to create a new custom dimension if you haven’t yet, named “Page path and screen class,” with ‘Event’ as the scope. After it’s set up, use this custom dimension for creating a new report in the Analysis module. Add the Source/Medium and your page’s URL (under ‘Page path and screen class’) as the variables to compare in the report. This should give you the sources of traffic for the specific page. Don’t forget that GA4 differs significantly from older versions, so it might take some time to get used to this new method.

[Felix]

Yes, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can be complex, but once you get the hang of it, it can yield a lot of useful information. To check the primary traffic sources or medium for a particular page, you may need to create a custom report. Unfortunately, as of yet, GA4 does not provide a dedicated report to view a single page’s traffic sources, unlike Universal Analytics.

Here’s a way around: Start by going to ‘Analysis’ on the left-hand menu, then choose ‘Analysis Hub’. Click on ‘Explorations’ and use ‘Free Form’. There, on the Variables panel, you may put ‘Page title and screen name’ in ‘Rows’ and ‘Medium’ in ‘Columns’. In the ‘Values’, you might use metrics like ‘User Engagement’ or ‘Active Users’ as per your needs.

Filter ‘Page title and screen name’ to the specific page you’re interested in. Now, this exploration should provide you a kind of breakdown of traffic medium/source for the particular page. Remember, GA4 stresses more on the event-based data model, which is a shift from the session-centric model in Universal Analytics. Hence, getting used to it requires a bit of a learning curve but it’s definitely possible.