Google Analytics (GA4) flashcards
Google Analytics (GA4) · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Event-based data model
- GA4 records every user interaction as an event with a name and parameters, replacing Universal Analytics hit types such as pageview, event, and transaction.
- Automatic collected events
- Events collected by default without extra configuration, including first_visit, session_start, user_engagement, and page_view, generated by the GA4 tag or SDK.
- Enhanced measurement
- A GA4 data stream setting that automatically tracks scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, file downloads, and form interactions without additional tagging.
- Recommended events
- Predefined GA4 event names such as login, sign_up, add_to_cart, and purchase that must be implemented manually but unlock standard reports and dimensions.
- Custom event
- An event with a name you define and send via gtag or the SDK; it appears in reports but requires custom dimensions to be used as report filters.
- Event parameters
- Key-value pairs attached to an event (maximum 25 per event) that describe it, such as item_id or value; they must be registered as custom dimensions to appear in reports.
- Session timeout
- The inactivity period, 30 minutes by default and adjustable in the data stream settings, after which a new session begins for the same user.
- Engaged session
- A session lasting longer than 10 seconds, containing at least one key event, or containing at least two page_view or screen_view events.
- Engagement rate
- Engaged sessions divided by total sessions, expressed as a percentage; it replaces the Universal Analytics bounce rate as the primary engagement metric.
- Bounce rate in GA4
- The inverse of engagement rate: non-engaged sessions divided by total sessions, meaning sessions that failed all three engaged-session criteria.
- Active users
- The number of distinct users who had an engaged session during the reporting period; it is GA4's headline user metric in most reports.
- Total users
- The number of distinct users who visited the site or app in the period, regardless of whether their sessions were engaged.
- New users
- Users recorded by the first_visit or first_open event, meaning the first time GA4 identified that user on the property.
- Key events
- Events marked as important in GA4 admin, formerly called conversions; they drive conversion reporting and can be used for bidding in linked ads products.
- Session source/medium
- The traffic source credited for a session, based on the last non-direct click within the campaign timeout, or direct if no campaign is present.
- User source/medium
- The first source and medium ever recorded for a user, used to attribute acquisition to the channel that originally brought the user in.
- UTM parameters
- Query string tags (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_id, utm_term, utm_content) appended to URLs so GA4 can attribute sessions to non-Google campaigns.
- Data-driven attribution
- GA4's default attribution model, which distributes conversion credit across touchpoints using machine learning based on observed paths rather than fixed rules.
- Attribution lookback window
- The period before a conversion during which touchpoints can receive credit: 30 days for acquisition conversions and 90 days for all other conversions by default.
- Reporting identity
- The setting that determines how GA4 stitches user data across devices: blended (default), observed, or device-based, using User-ID and Google signals.
- Google signals
- A feature that uses signed-in Google user data for cross-device reporting, demographics, and remarketing; enabling it has privacy and thresholding implications.
- Data retention period
- How long GA4 keeps user-level and event-level data: 2 months by default, optionally 14 months, and for 360 properties up to 38 months.
- Explorations
- A GA4 analysis workspace offering free-form, funnel, path, segment overlap, cohort, and user exploration techniques that standard reports do not provide.
- Funnel exploration
- An exploration type that shows how users progress through ordered steps, with optional open or closed funnels and breakdown by dimension.
- Path exploration
- An exploration that visualizes the sequence of events or pages users take before and after a chosen starting point or event.
- Cohort exploration
- An exploration that groups users by the date they were first acquired and tracks their retention or behavior over subsequent periods.
- Audience
- A user segment defined by conditions such as events, dimensions, or sequences; GA4 audiences can be shared to linked Google Ads accounts for remarketing.
- Consent Mode
- A framework where the tag communicates the user's consent state to Google; in advanced mode, cookieless pings provide modeled data when consent is denied.
- Data stream
- The data source in GA4 representing a website, Android app, or iOS app; each stream has its own measurement ID and settings.
- Measurement Protocol
- An HTTP API that sends events directly to GA4 from servers, offline systems, or devices not covered by gtag or the SDKs.
- DebugView
- A GA4 admin tool that shows events in real time as they are received, used to validate tagging implementation and parameter values.
- Realtime report
- A report showing activity in the last 30 minutes, including users by source, event count by event name, and top pages or screens.