If you've ever opened Google Analytics 4 and felt confused, you're not alone. Compared to Universal Analytics, GA4 comes with a new data model, a different way of tracking, and a learning curve that throws off even experienced marketers.

So let’s make things simple.

This article walks you through 10 GA4 metrics you should actually care about. Not just because they look good in a dashboard — but because they help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.

The 10 Most Useful GA4 Metrics for Website Optimization

GA4 works on an event-based model. Everything — a page view, a button click, a purchase — is an event. That means you get more flexibility, but also more complexity.

Trying to track everything usually ends up with you tracking... nothing useful.

These 10 metrics are a great starting point to cut through the noise and focus on what really moves the needle.

1. Engagement Rate

This replaces the old "bounce rate" and gives you a better sense of how many sessions were meaningful — where users stayed at least 10 seconds, clicked something, or viewed multiple pages.

Why it matters:
It's one of the best ways to measure the quality of your traffic. If your engagement rate is low, it’s usually a sign that something isn’t working — your page is too slow, not relevant enough, or poorly structured.

2. Average Engagement Time

This metric shows how much time users actively spend on your site — not just keeping a tab open.

Why it matters:
It’s a strong indicator of how engaging your content really is. If your blog posts, landing pages, or product pages are working, you’ll see it here.

3. Conversion Rate by Event

In GA4, conversions are custom. You define them — it could be a form submission, a pricing page view, a sign-up, or an add-to-cart.

Why it matters:
This gives you full control over what success looks like for your site. No need to rely only on standard conversions — track what makes sense for your business.

4. Sessions by Source/Medium

This tells you where your traffic is coming from: organic search, paid ads, social media, email…

Why it matters:
It helps you measure how each acquisition channel is performing. If you're spending on ads or working on SEO, this is how you know if it’s paying off.

5. Users by Landing Page

This shows which pages people land on when they visit your site — and what happens next.

Why it matters:
If a landing page gets a lot of traffic but low engagement or conversions, it’s probably not doing its job. This helps you spot your best and worst entry points.

6. Pages per Session

Even though GA4 is focused on events, this is still a useful metric. It tells you how deep visitors go once they’re on your site.

Why it matters:
It gives you a sense of how much people are exploring. It’s especially relevant if your site has a lot of content or product pages.

7. Scroll Depth (Custom Event)

Not tracked by default, but easy to set up via Google Tag Manager. You can see how far down users scroll — 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%.

Why it matters:
It tells you whether people actually read your content. Useful for blog articles, long landing pages, or anything where you expect users to go further down the page.

8. Events per Session

This measures how many actions (events) users take during a visit — like clicks, scrolls, video plays, downloads.

Why it matters:
If your site is interactive and useful, users will engage. If this number is low, it’s a sign your pages aren’t driving much action.

9. New vs. Returning Users

GA4 segments your users into new or returning based on device or login data.

Why it matters:
This helps you track retention. Are people coming back? Or are you constantly paying to acquire new users who never return?

10. Revenue and Purchase Events (for e-commerce)

If you’ve set up e-commerce tracking, you’ll see revenue, purchases, average order value, and product-level performance.

Why it matters:
This is where you tie your site performance to business results. But the real value comes from breaking it down by channel, campaign, or product to spot what’s driving actual revenue.

Making all of this easier with Uplyt

GA4 is powerful, but it’s not exactly beginner-friendly.

That’s where Uplyt comes in.
We connect to your GA4, Google Ads, and Meta Ads accounts, and show you what matters — without the clutter.

With Uplyt, you can:

See your key metrics in a clean, shareable dashboard
Get weekly summaries of your traffic and conversions
Spot drops or spikes with smart alerts
Get AI-powered recommendations on what to fix
Work as a team and assign insights to teammates

You don’t need to spend hours in GA4 anymore. We built Uplyt so you can spend less time digging, and more time improving.

A few tips before you go

Start with clear goals. Don’t track for the sake of tracking — know what you want to improve.
Customize your events and conversions. The defaults are a good start, but your site has its own priorities.
Look at trends, not just snapshots. Check how your metrics evolve over weeks or months — it’s the best way to catch problems early.