Understanding User Acquisition by Manual Source Platform in Google Analytics 4
Tracking users by manual source platform is crucial for businesses that want to understand how different marketing channels contribute to their user acquisition. This analysis helps validate your channel attribution and ensures your manual UTM parameters are working correctly. We'll show you how to create this report in Google Analytics 4 to gain insights into your traffic sources and their effectiveness.Basic Report Structure
- Report Type: Free Form Exploration
- Visualization: Table
- Primary Dimension: Manual Source Platform
- Secondary Dimensions: Session Source and Session Medium
- Metrics: Total Users, New Users, and Engaged Sessions
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 Manual Source Platform, Session Source, and Session Medium, check the checkbox beside them and click Confirm
- Under the Metrics click the + button and search for Total Users, New Users, and Engaged Sessions, check the checkbox beside them and click Confirm
- Drag Manual Source Platform to the Rows section of your report
- Drag Total Users, New Users, and Engaged Sessions to the Values section
- Add Session Source and Session Medium as secondary dimensions by dragging them below Manual Source Platform in the Rows section
- Set your desired date range in the report settings
- Optional: Add a filter to exclude "(not set)" values if desired
Important Dimensions and Metrics
- Manual Source Platform: Shows the platform from which users originated based on UTM parameters
- Session Source: Indicates the origin of your traffic
- Session Medium: Shows the marketing medium
- Total Users: The total number of users from each source
- New Users: First-time visitors from each source
- Engaged Sessions: Sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds or had a conversion
Actionable Insights
- Compare the ratio of new users to total users across different platforms to identify which sources are best for acquiring new visitors
- Analyze engaged sessions per source to determine which platforms bring the most engaged users
- Identify any discrepancies between manual source attribution and automatic source attribution
- Use the insights to optimize marketing budget allocation across different platforms
- Monitor UTM parameter implementation by checking for "(not set)" values in the manual source platform dimension
Answers Similar Questions
- How to track UTM source platform in GA4
- GA4 manual traffic source reporting
- Track marketing channel attribution in Google Analytics 4
- How to analyze traffic sources by platform in GA4
- Custom source platform tracking in Google Analytics 4
