The Problem with Pageviews: Counting Passersby
Opening Google Analytics 4 can feel like stepping into the cockpit of a 747. There are dials, charts, and endless menus. It’s overwhelming.
So, most business owners focus on the one number that seems simple: Pageviews. It feels good to see that number go up. But a pageview is what we call a vanity metric. It’s like counting how many people walk past your storefront; it doesn’t tell you if anyone actually came inside, looked around, or bought something.
The 3 Actionable Metrics That Tell the Real Story
Your time is your most valuable asset. You don’t need to be a data scientist to understand your marketing. You just need to focus on the few numbers that tell the real story of your business.
Here are three simple, powerful metrics in GA4 that are worth your attention.
1. Engagement Rate
- What it is: This metric answers the question, “Are people actually interacting with my website?” An engaged session is one where a visitor stays for more than a few seconds, interacts with something, or visits more than one page.
- Why it matters: A high engagement rate means your website content is interesting and relevant to your visitors. A low engagement rate tells you that people are landing on your site and immediately thinking, nope, this isn’t for me. It’s a powerful signal of whether your messaging is hitting the mark.
2. Conversions (Key Events)
- What it is: This is the most important metric on the list. You get to tell Google Analytics what a “win” is for your business. A win could be someone filling out your contact form, clicking your phone number, or downloading a guide. In GA4, these are called Key Events.
- Why it matters: This metric directly connects your website activity to real business outcomes. Instead of just tracking traffic, you’re tracking how many potential leads your website is generating. It’s the ultimate measure of your site’s ROI.
3. Traffic Acquisition by Session Channel
- What it is: This report answers the question, “Where are my most valuable visitors coming from?” It breaks down your visitors by how they found you—Organic Search, Paid Search, Social Media, Direct, etc.
- Why it matters: When you look at this report alongside your Conversions, you can see which channels are not just sending traffic, but sending traffic that converts. This allows you to make smarter decisions, like investing more in the channels that deliver real results and less on the ones that only deliver vanity traffic.
From Complexity to Clarity
You don’t need to understand every chart in the cockpit. You just need to know how to read the three dials that tell you if you’re flying in the right direction. It’s about clarity, not complexity.