GA4 Metrics You Need For Your Blog.
The GA4 Now Have Important Metric: That a Blog Must Check — and Why 2025 Update
Hook: Bloggers who watch just 7 metrics in Google Analytics 4 often fix the 80/20 of growth problems—because these numbers reveal where you’re leaking traffic, attention, and conversions. This Blog Analytics Guide shows you exactly which 7 (plus a few pro-level extras), how to find them in GA4, what “good” looks like, and what to do if a number looks bad.
Quick Summary — The 7 GA4 Metrics to Watch Weekly
| Metric | Why it matters (for blogs) | Where to find in GA4 | Action if it’s low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | Shows % of engaged sessions (real attention), the inverse of bounce rate. Core health signal for your content. | Reports > Engagement > Overview and Pages & screens. | Improve first 10 seconds, tighten intros, add table-of-contents, remove intrusive pop-ups. |
| Average engagement time | How long your blog is in focus/foreground—an actual “reading time” proxy. | Engagement > Overview; per-page in Pages & screens. | Improve readability, break up walls of text, add helpful visuals and jump links. |
| Views / Users (by page) | Find posts that truly attract readers; pair with engagement metrics to spot quality. | Engagement > Pages & screens. | Update winners; refactor or merge low-performers; strengthen internal links. |
| Key events (formerly conversions) | Measures success moments (newsletter signup, ebook download, affiliate clicks). | Admin > Data display > Events and Reports > Engagement > Events. | Track real blog goals (email, scroll-depth, outbound/affiliate clicks) and optimize funnel. |
| Session default channel group | Which channels truly bring readers (Organic Search, Direct, Social, Referral, Email). | Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. | Double-down on winners; fix UTM hygiene; create content for channels that underperform. |
| Returning users | Measures loyalty. If new readers don’t return, you’re not building a brand. | Reports > Retention. | Strengthen newsletter CTAs, related posts, content series, and “next article” patterns. |
| Scroll & outbound/affiliate clicks | Proves people are reading and taking action; crucial for affiliate blogs. | Engagement > Events (custom events/parameters). | Add sticky TOCs, comparison tables, and highly visible CTAs above the fold. |
This Blog Analytics Guide gives you an updated GA4 walkthrough: definitions (as GA4 uses event-based tracking and engaged sessions), what changed (e.g., Conversions → Key events), and how to build dashboards that a blogger can check in 10 minutes a week.
Introduction: What This Post Covers
You’re about to get a practical Blog Analytics Guide for GA4, written like a mini-course. You’ll learn the core metrics that matter for a blog (and why), where to find them, how to interpret them, and what to do when they look off. You’ll also see examples, pre-built tables you can reuse, and a few advanced techniques (predictive metrics, consent modeling, and BigQuery) — all explained simply so you can apply them to your blog today.
GA4 Basics You Must Know (in 3 Minutes)
1) GA4 is event-based
Everything is an event. Sessions and page views still exist, but GA4 builds up from events and parameters — great for tracking things bloggers care about, like scrolls, TOC clicks, outbound/affiliate clicks, and video plays.
2) “Engaged sessions” are the new heartbeat
A session is engaged if it lasts 10+ seconds, has 2+ views, or includes a key event. Engagement rate is the % of engaged sessions; bounce rate is its inverse. This is a better attention signal for blogs.
3) Average engagement time ≠ time on page
It measures time your site is in focus (browser tab) / app in foreground — closer to “actual reading time” than old time-on-page.
4) Conversions were renamed to Key events
Google renamed GA4 conversions to key events to reduce confusion with Ads; you now “mark as key event.” Metrics/labels updated accordingly.
5) Traffic channels use Default channel group
Session (and first-user) Default Channel Group uses predefined rules to categorize traffic (Organic Search, Direct, Social, Email, Referral, etc.). You can’t edit defaults, but you can create custom groups.
| Concept | What it means for your blog | Quick win |
|---|---|---|
| Event-based model | Track scrolls, outbound links, table-of-contents clicks, video plays. | Name events consistently (e.g., scroll_90, toc_click, affiliate_click). |
| Engagement rate | A real “are they reading?” signal for each post. | Raise above-the-fold clarity: headline + intro + jump links. |
| Key events | Count real outcomes: email signups, lead magnet downloads, affiliate clicks. | Mark your 2–3 top goals as key events and watch them by page. |
| Default channel group | Know which channels bring new readers that actually engage. | Fix UTM naming, then compare engagement & key events by channel. |
The Must-Check Metrics (with Examples)
Below are the core numbers you should review weekly. As you read, keep the phrase Blog Analytics Guide in mind: you’ll not only know the numbers, you’ll know how to act on them immediately.
| Metric | Target / Benchmark (blog-typical) | Example insight | Immediate next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | Start: 45–60% (depends on niche & source) | Organic Search ER 62% vs Social 38% → social audience skims. | Shorten intros for social; add scannable bullets & “key takeaways” card. |
| Average engagement time | Start: 55–120s per session; 25–70s per page | “How-to” guides hit 90s; listicles stall at 35s. | Break listicles into sections; add TOC and “Jump to best picks.” |
| Key events per user | Start: 0.02–0.15 (varies by CTA & traffic mix) | Signup rate high on tutorials, low on opinion pieces. | Place newsletter panels on high-intent posts; move CTAs above fold. |
| Returning users | Start: 8–20% monthly | Return rate spikes after “series” posts. | Create 3-part series; add “Read next in series” nav. |
| Outbound/affiliate click-through | Start: 2–10% on product roundups | High scroll but low clicks → links buried. | Add comparison tables and sticky “Check Price” buttons. |
Definitions: Engagement rate is the % of engaged sessions; a session is engaged when it lasts 10+ seconds, gets 2+ views, or triggers a key event; average engagement time uses in-focus/foreground time.
Acquisition: Find the Traffic That Actually Stays
Open Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition. Start with the Session default channel group and compare engagement rate, average engagement time, and key events across channels. This is where your distribution strategy gets real. Default channel group is a predefined rule set; you can’t edit defaults but can create custom groups.
| Channel | What it usually means | What to check | Fixes if weak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Search | People with questions; intent-rich. | ER, time, key events by page; queries in Search Console. | Improve E-E-A-T sections, FAQ schema, internal links. |
| Direct | Brand visits (or dark traffic). | Return users trend; homepage ER. | Promote newsletter; add “Start Here” page. |
| Social | Skimmier traffic. | ER vs Organic; scroll depth. | Use “TL;DR” blocks; deep-link to sections with anchors. |
| Warmest audience. | Key event rate (signups-forwards-clicks). | Segment by interest; add “You might also like” blocks. | |
| Referral | From other sites. | Source domains driving Engaged Sessions. | Pitch guest posts; create linkable assets (tools, templates). |
| UTM field | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Platform or site | twitter, newsletter, partner_xyz |
| utm_medium | Channel type | social, email, referral |
| utm_campaign | Campaign or theme | spring_launch, blog_series_ai |
| utm_content | Creative or link label | hero_btn, toc_link |
Tip: After cleaning UTMs for a month, revisit Traffic acquisition → Session default channel group. Your Blog Analytics Guide becomes far clearer once traffic is labeled consistently.
Engagement: Prove They’re Reading
Go to Reports → Engagement → Overview and Pages & screens. Two numbers matter most for posts: Engagement rate and Average engagement time. In GA4, engagement is calculated from engaged sessions — those that last at least 10 seconds, include 2+ views, or trigger a key event; the engagement rate is the % of such sessions. Average engagement time measures how long your page is actually in focus.
| Pattern | What it suggests | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| High views, low ER, short time | Mismatched intent; intro not delivering. | Rewrite first 150 words to promise the outcome; add TOC and anchor links. |
| High time, low key events | Readers enjoy but don’t act. | Insert mid-article CTA, content upgrade, or checklist download. |
| Low views, high ER/time | Hidden gem post. | Internal-link to it from your top 10 pages; add “Read next” modules. |
Pro move: In Explore, build a Free Form report with Page path + query string and add Engagement rate, Average engagement time, and your key events. This Blog Analytics Guide “exploration” becomes your editorial radar.
Content: Identify Winners & What to Fix
| Signal | Why it matters | Threshold to flag | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | Immediate “quality” proxy. | < 40% → review | Rewrite intro, add skim-friendly structure, improve visuals. |
| Avg. engagement time | Are they actually reading? | < 30s → review | Add jump links, bold key lines, better examples. |
| Key events per user | Is the post converting attention to outcome? | < site median → review | Test new lead magnet or affiliate placement. |
| Post | ER | Time | Key events | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Best Travel Adapters 2025” | 37% | 29s | 0.5% | Rewrite intro; move comparison table above fold; add sticky CTA. |
| “SEO Checklist for New Blogs” | 61% | 98s | 2.2% | Spin off into series; add content upgrade PDF. |
| “Affiliate Disclosure Template” | 56% | 70s | 0.9% | Insert product links + tutorial video; retest. |
Key Events (Ex-Conversions): Set Up Real Blog Goals
In GA4, you no longer “create a conversion.” You create an event and then mark as key event (e.g., newsletter_submit, affiliate_click, ebook_download). Google renamed “Conversions” to Key events in 2024–25 to better align with Ads terminology.
| Blog outcome | Event name | Params to send | Mark as key event? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newsletter sign-up | newsletter_submit | form_id, placement, page_path | Yes |
| Lead magnet download | file_download | file_name, content_topic | Yes |
| Affiliate click | affiliate_click | merchant, product_name, position | Yes |
| Deep scroll | scroll_90 | page_path | No (diagnostic) |
| TOC jump | toc_click | heading_id, page_path | No (UX) |
Tip: Use Admin → Data display → Events to generate or rename events (e.g., copy click into affiliate_click when link contains your partner domain).
Consent Mode & Modeled Data (What It Changes)
Privacy rules (especially in the EEA) mean you’ll sometimes see modeled key events in GA4. When users don’t consent to cookies, Google estimates some behaviors/conversions using statistical modeling to keep reporting useful while respecting privacy. If you run Google Ads in the EEA, you’re expected to implement Consent Mode v2.
| Type | What it does | What you’ll see in GA4 | Your action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral modeling | Estimates user behavior for non-consenting traffic. | Engagement & user metrics may include modeled components. | Ensure CMP is sending accurate consent signals; keep volumes healthy. |
| Conversion modeling | Estimates conversions when direct attribution is missing. | Modeled key events, often with notes/thresholds. | Maintain clean tagging; hit modeling thresholds for reliability. |
Reality check: Modeling needs volume (thousands of consenting/non-consenting users over days) to activate reliably. Smaller blogs may see thresholds not met.
Optional Pro Move: BigQuery & Deeper Analysis
If you’re ready to level up this Blog Analytics Guide, connect GA4 to BigQuery (free sandbox exists) to query raw events, stitch with Search Console, and build custom cohort or funnel analyses. Standard GA4 properties have a daily export limit in the free tier; you can still start for free and upgrade as needed.
| Step | What to do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Link GA4 → BigQuery | Enable export (even on sandbox). | Own raw event data; future-proof analysis. |
| Add Search Console | Join by page path/date. | Map queries → engagement → key events; prioritize updates. |
| Build “Topics that convert” view | Aggregate by content cluster. | See which topics drive sign-ups or affiliate clicks. |
| Watch quotas | Monitor event volumes & sandbox limits. | Plan upgrade if you near daily export caps. |
Quick Dashboards You Can Reuse Weekly
| View | How to open | What to check (2 minutes each) | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic acquisition | Reports → Acquisition | Session default channel group: ER, time, key events | Shift promotion time where engagement is strongest. |
| Pages & screens | Reports → Engagement | Top posts: ER & time vs last week | Refresh intros/CTAs on decliners; repromote winners. |
| Events & key events | Reports → Engagement → Events | Newsletter, affiliate, download events per page | Move CTAs, add comparison tables, test placements. |
| Retention | Reports → Retention | New vs returning users trend | Plan a series and a weekly newsletter push. |
| Explore: Free Form | Explore → Free Form | Page path x ER, time, key events | Identify hidden gems to internally link. |
Predictive metrics (optional): If eligible, explore Purchase probability, Churn probability, and Predicted revenue for your audience or productized content. While more e-commerce-oriented, they can inspire lifecycle-based content and email segments.
Common Issues & Quick Fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate collapsed after consent changes | Consent Mode not sending signals; modeling thresholds not met. | Check CMP integration; validate tag firing; confirm thresholds. |
| Traffic sources look wrong | Messy UTMs; reliance on “Direct.” | Standardize UTMs; review Default channel group mapping. |
| Great time on page but few signups | CTAs buried or mismatched to intent. | Move CTA above fold, try checklist/cheatsheet as lead magnet. |
| Affiliate clicks undercounted | Outbound links not tracked; redirects strip parameters. | Track with affiliate_click + merchant param; use uncloaked test links in staging. |
| BigQuery export paused | Hit free event export limit. | Reduce noisy events or upgrade; monitor volume. |
Mini Walk-throughs (Examples You Can Copy)
Example 1 — Find “Hidden Gem” Posts
- Go to Pages & screens. Add columns: Views, Engagement rate, Average engagement time, Key events.
- Sort by Average engagement time, then scan for posts with low views but high ER/time.
- Internal-link to those posts from your top 10 pages; add “Read next” modules.
Example 2 — Prove Social Visitors Skim (and Fix It)
- Open Traffic acquisition by Session default channel group.
- Compare Engagement rate and Average engagement time for Social vs Organic.
- If Social is weaker, add a one-screen TL;DR at the top of posts shared most on social.
Channel groups are rule-based; expect Social to behave differently from Organic Search.
Example 3 — Track Affiliate Clicks As a Key Event
- In Admin → Data display → Events, create or generate an event for affiliate clicks (
affiliate_click) with parameters likemerchant,product_name,position. - Mark it as a key event.
- In Pages & screens, add Key events to see which posts drive clicks — then re-layout those posts to put CTAs earlier.
FAQ: Clarifying GA4 Definitions (Fast)
| Term | Definition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Engaged session | Session with 10+ seconds, or 2+ views, or a key event. | Google Help |
| Engagement rate | % of engaged sessions (inverse of bounce rate). | Google Help |
| Average engagement time | Time page/app is actually in focus/foreground. | Google Help |
| Key event | Renamed from “Conversion” (you mark events as key events). | Google Help |
| Default channel group | GA4’s predefined rules that classify traffic channels. | Google Help |
Resources to Go Deeper
- Engagement rate & Bounce rate — official definitions.
- Engagement overview — average engagement time explained.
- Conversions vs Key events — the rename and what changed.
- Default channel group — channel definitions and notes.
- Set up BigQuery Export — start free with sandbox limits.
- Predictive metrics — purchase & churn probability.
- About modeled key events — consent modeling basics.
Wrap-Up & What to Read Next
You now have a practical Blog Analytics Guide to GA4. If you only do three things this week, do these:
- Open Traffic acquisition and identify the two channels with the best and worst engagement. Shift your promotion time accordingly.
- In Pages & screens, sort by Average engagement time and rescue one hidden gem post with internal links and a stronger intro.
- Create or mark the key events that actually matter for your blog (newsletter, download, affiliate clicks). Watch them by page each week.
| Week | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | UTM hygiene + channel review | Simple UTM standard; list of top 3 channels to prioritize. |
| Week 2 | Key events | Newsletter, affiliate, and download events marked as key events. |
| Week 3 | Content refresh | Update intros, add TOCs, add mid-content CTAs on 5 posts. |
| Week 4 | Advanced (optional) | Enable BigQuery export and build a “Topics that Convert” view. |
If you enjoyed this, keep leveling up with these related guides:
- Understanding Engagement Rate in GA4 — Databox explainer.
- Acquisition Reports in GA4 — Analytics Mania.
- Default Channel Groups — Analytics Mania deep dive.
- Rename & Generate Events — Google Help.
Persuasive nudge: Bookmark this Blog Analytics Guide, and every Friday spend 10 minutes on the weekly dashboard above. You’ll catch issues early, double-down on winning posts, and build a blog that grows predictably.
“What gets measured gets improved — but only if you look at it every week.”