Understanding User Behavior by Traffic Source Medium in Google Analytics 4
Analyzing users by session medium is crucial for understanding how different marketing channels contribute to your website traffic. This analysis helps you identify which traffic sources (like organic, paid, referral, etc.) are most effective at driving user engagement. We'll show you how to create this report in Google Analytics 4 to better understand your marketing channel performance.Basic Report Structure
- Report Type: Free Form Exploration
- Primary Dimension: Session medium
- Secondary Dimension: User source
- Key Metrics: Total users, Average engagement time, Sessions per user
- Visualization: Table format with optional bar chart
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 medium and Session source, check the checkbox beside them and click Confirm
- Under the Metrics click the + button and search for Total users, Sessions per user, and Average engagement time, check the checkboxes and click Confirm
- Drag Session medium to the Rows section of your report
- Drag Total users, Sessions per user, and Average engagement time to the Values section
- Add Session source as a secondary dimension by dragging it below Session medium in the Rows section
- Set your desired date range in the report settings
- Optional: Add a filter to exclude internal traffic
Important Dimensions and Metrics
- Session medium: Shows the category of traffic source (organic, paid, referral, etc.)
- Session source: Indicates where the traffic originated from
- Total users: Number of unique users from each medium
- Sessions per user: Average number of sessions each user has
- Average engagement time: How long users from each medium engage with your site
Actionable Insights
- Identify which traffic mediums bring the most engaged users by comparing average engagement time
- Optimize marketing budget allocation based on which mediums drive the most valuable users
- Investigate mediums with high sessions per user to understand what drives repeat visits
- Use the insights to adjust your marketing mix and channel strategy
- Compare organic vs paid performance to optimize your marketing spend
Answers Similar Questions
- How to track traffic sources in GA4
- GA4 user analysis by channel
- Google Analytics 4 traffic medium report
- Track marketing channels in Google Analytics
- GA4 source/medium analysis guide
