Understanding User Behavior from Google Ads Queries
Analyzing how users interact with your website based on their Google Ads search queries is crucial for optimizing your advertising spend and improving conversion rates. This analysis helps you understand which search terms bring in engaged users and contribute to meaningful sessions. We'll show you how to create this insightful report in Google Analytics 4.Basic Report Structure
- Primary dimension: Session Google Ads Query
- Secondary dimensions: User source and medium
- Key metrics: Users, Average engagement time, and Conversions
- Visualization: Table format with user engagement metrics
- Segments: Google Ads traffic only
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 Session Google Ads Query, Session source, and Session medium, check the checkbox beside them and click Confirm
- Under the Metrics click the + button and search for Users, Average engagement time per session, Conversions, and Sessions, check the checkbox beside them and click Confirm
- Drag Session Google Ads Query to the Rows section
- Drag all metrics to the Values section
- Create a filter by clicking the + button in the Filters section
- Set filter condition: Session source exactly matches "google" AND Session medium exactly matches "cpc"
- Set your desired date range in the report settings
Important Dimensions and Metrics
- Session Google Ads Query: Shows the actual search terms users entered
- Users: Number of unique visitors from each query
- Average engagement time per session: How long users from each query engage with your site
- Conversions: Number of goal completions from each query
- Sessions: Total number of sessions initiated from each query
Actionable Insights
- Identify high-performing queries with strong engagement times and optimize ad spend towards these keywords
- Find queries with high user counts but low conversions to optimize landing pages or ad relevancy
- Use queries with high conversion rates to inform organic SEO strategy
- Adjust bid strategies based on queries that bring in the most engaged users
Answers Similar Questions
- How to track Google Ads keywords performance in GA4
- View user engagement by search query GA4
- Google Analytics 4 search terms report
- Track PPC query performance in Google Analytics
- GA4 Google Ads query analysis guide
