Google Analytics can feel overwhelming the first time you open it. There are dozens of reports and hundreds of numbers. The good news: you only need a handful of metrics to make better decisions.
This guide covers seven that are worth tracking, what they mean and what to do with them. Report names and layouts change over time, so use the ideas here as a guide and check Google’s current documentation for exact menu names.
Before you start: set up the basics
- Install tracking correctly. Confirm that Google Analytics is receiving data from your site.
- Mark your key actions as conversions. For example, a sign-up, a purchase or a contact form submission.
- Exclude your own visits where possible so your numbers aren’t inflated.
Without conversions defined, you can see activity but not results.
1. Users (or visitors)
This is the number of people who visit your site in a period. It is a basic measure of reach. Watch the trend rather than a single number: is it growing, flat or shrinking?
What to do with it: compare month to month, and note what you did when it moved, such as publishing a post or running an ad.
2. Traffic sources
Traffic sources show where visitors come from, for example organic search, direct, social, email and referral websites.
What to do with it: find which channels bring the most people and, more importantly, the best people. Put more effort into channels that bring engaged visitors who convert.
3. Engagement rate (and engaged sessions)
In Google Analytics 4, engagement replaces the old “bounce rate” idea. An engaged session is one where the visitor stayed for a meaningful time, viewed more than one page or took an action.
What to do with it: look for pages with low engagement. They may be attracting the wrong audience, loading slowly or failing to answer the question people came with.
4. Top pages
This report shows which pages get the most views.
What to do with it: learn what your audience cares about. Update your best pages regularly, add clear links to related content and add a next step, such as a sign-up or a related course. Our guide to building a sales funnel shows how to guide visitors forward.
5. Conversions
A conversion is a valuable action you have defined: a purchase, a sign-up, a download or a call booking.
What to do with it: track how many conversions happen, and which sources and pages lead to them. This tells you which marketing is actually working.
6. Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the share of visitors who complete a conversion. It tells you how well your site persuades the people who arrive.
What to do with it: test one change at a time, such as a clearer headline, a shorter form or a stronger call to action, and see whether the rate improves. A small increase can matter more than a big jump in traffic.
7. Device and location
This shows whether visitors use phones, tablets or computers, and where they are in the world.
What to do with it: if most visitors are on mobile, test your pages on a phone first. If a country or city stands out, consider tailoring content to it. For local businesses, pair this with local SEO.
How to build a simple monthly report
Once a month, write down:
- Users, and how that compares to last month.
- Top three traffic sources.
- Top five pages.
- Conversions and conversion rate.
- One thing you learned and one action you will take.
Keeping it short makes it more likely you will actually do it.
Common mistakes
- Looking at vanity numbers, like total views, without asking whether they lead to results.
- Not defining conversions.
- Changing many things at once, so you can’t tell what worked.
- Forgetting to look at the data after making a change.
To learn the tool properly, take the Getting Started with Google Analytics course. Pair it with the free Google Search Console for the search side, and keep learning with the digital marketing roadmap.
Want to go deeper? Browse the AdCoach course library for short, practical lessons on this topic, or start a 7-day free trial.