Understanding User Acquisition Through Google Ads Campaigns
Tracking users by their first Google Ads campaign interaction is crucial for understanding which advertising efforts are most effective at acquiring new users. This analysis helps determine the true impact of your Google Ads campaigns on user acquisition and long-term user behavior. We'll show you how to create this insightful report in Google Analytics 4.Basic Report Structure
- Report Type: Free Form Exploration
- Visualization: Table
- Primary Dimension: First User Google Ads Campaign
- Secondary Dimensions: First User Source, First User Medium
- Metrics: New Users, Engaged Sessions, Average Engagement Time, Conversions
Steps to Create the Report
- Open GA4 and navigate to Explore section
- Click the Blank template to start a new exploration
- Under the Dimensions tab, click the + button and search for First User Google Ads Campaign, First User Source, and First User Medium, check the checkboxes beside them and click Import
- Under the Metrics tab, click the + button and search for New Users, Engaged Sessions, Average Engagement Time, and Conversions, check the checkboxes beside them and click Import
- Drag First User Google Ads Campaign to the Rows section
- Drag First User Source and First User Medium as secondary dimensions to the Rows section
- Drag all metrics to the Values section
- Set your desired date range in the report settings
- Optional: Add a filter to include only traffic from Google Ads
Important Dimensions and Metrics
- First User Google Ads Campaign: Shows the initial campaign that brought the user to your site
- First User Source: Indicates where the user first came from
- First User Medium: Shows the advertising or marketing medium
- New Users: Number of first-time users from each campaign
- Engaged Sessions: Sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds
- Average Engagement Time: How long users from each campaign typically engage
- Conversions: Total conversion events from users first acquired through each campaign
Actionable Insights
- Identify which Google Ads campaigns are most effective at bringing in engaged users and reallocate budget accordingly
- Compare engagement metrics across campaigns to optimize ad content and targeting
- Analyze conversion patterns to determine which campaigns bring in the most valuable users
- Use the insights to adjust bidding strategies based on campaign performance
- Create lookalike audiences based on users from top-performing campaigns
Answers Similar Questions
- Track first touch Google Ads campaigns GA4
- Google Analytics 4 user acquisition by campaign
- GA4 first user source campaign report
- How to see which Google Ads campaign brought users first
- GA4 initial campaign attribution report