Understanding Revenue by First User Source/Medium in Google Analytics 4
Tracking revenue by first user source/medium is crucial for understanding which marketing channels are driving the most valuable customers over their lifetime. Unlike last-click attribution, this analysis reveals which channels bring in customers who generate the most revenue throughout their entire relationship with your business. We'll show you how to create this insightful report in Google Analytics 4.Basic Report Structure
- Report Type: Free Form Exploration
- Primary Dimension: First User Source/Medium
- Metrics: Total Revenue, Average Revenue per User
- Visualization: Table format with optional bar chart
- Time Range: Recommended 6-12 months for meaningful data
Steps to Create the Report
- Open GA4 and navigate to Explore section
- Click the Blank template to start a new exploration
- Under the Dimensions click the + button and search for First user source / medium, check the checkbox beside it and click Import
- Under the Metrics click the + button and search for Total revenue and Average revenue per user, check both checkboxes and click Import
- Drag First user source / medium to the Rows section
- Drag Total revenue and Average revenue per user to the Values section
- Click the Plus icon in the top right to add a visualization
- Select Bar chart to create a visual representation
- Set your date range to at least 6 months for meaningful data
- Optional: Add a filter to exclude internal traffic or specific sources
Key Dimensions and Metrics Explained
- First user source / medium: Shows the original channel that brought the user to your site
- Total revenue: The complete revenue generated from users who first came from each source
- Average revenue per user: Shows the average value of customers from each acquisition channel
- User count (optional): Helps understand the volume of users from each source
Actionable Insights from This Report
- Identify high-value acquisition channels that bring in customers with the highest lifetime value
- Reallocate marketing budget to channels that bring in the most valuable customers, not just the most customers
- Compare paid versus organic channels to determine ROI on advertising spend
- Identify underperforming channels that might be bringing in low-value customers
- Use insights to adjust targeting and messaging on different channels based on customer value
Answers Similar Questions
- How to track customer lifetime value by acquisition source GA4
- View revenue by original traffic source Google Analytics 4
- Track first touch attribution revenue GA4
- How to see which marketing channels bring highest value customers
- GA4 revenue report by initial traffic source
