Google Analytics Metrics Reference

Complete reference for Google Analytics 4 (GA4) metrics and dimensions.

tools-only Updated Sep 29, 2026 7 repo stars

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Google Analytics Metrics Reference

Complete reference for Google Analytics 4 (GA4) metrics and dimensions.

Core Metrics

User Metrics

Metric	Description	Use Case
`activeUsers`	Users who engaged with your site or app	Overall audience size
`newUsers`	First-time users	Growth tracking
`totalUsers`	Total number of users	Audience reach
`userEngagementDuration`	Total time users spent engaged	Content quality
`engagedSessions`	Sessions lasting >10s with conversion or 2+ page views	Quality sessions

Session Metrics

Metric	Description	Use Case
`sessions`	Total number of sessions	Traffic volume
`sessionsPerUser`	Average sessions per user	User retention
`averageSessionDuration`	Mean session length	Engagement depth
`bounceRate`	Percentage of single-page sessions	Content relevance
`engagementRate`	Percentage of engaged sessions	Quality of traffic

Page/Screen Metrics

Metric	Description	Use Case
`screenPageViews`	Total page and screen views	Content consumption
`screenPageViewsPerSession`	Average pages per session	Site exploration
`screenPageViewsPerUser`	Average pages per user	User journey depth

Event Metrics

Metric	Description	Use Case
`eventCount`	Total number of events	Interaction tracking
`eventCountPerUser`	Average events per user	User activity level
`conversions`	Total conversion events	Goal achievement
`totalRevenue`	Total revenue from all sources	Monetization

E-commerce Metrics

Metric	Description	Use Case
`transactions`	Number of purchases	Sales volume
`purchaseRevenue`	Revenue from purchases	Sales performance
`averagePurchaseRevenue`	Average transaction value	Revenue per sale
`itemsViewed`	Product detail views	Product interest
`addToCarts`	Items added to cart	Purchase intent
`checkouts`	Checkout initiations	Conversion funnel

Key Dimensions

Traffic Source Dimensions

Dimension	Description	Example Values
`sessionSource`	Source of traffic	google, facebook, direct
`sessionMedium`	Marketing medium	organic, cpc, referral, email
`sessionCampaignName`	Campaign identifier	spring-sale, black-friday
`sessionDefaultChannelGroup`	Channel grouping	Organic Search, Paid Social, Direct
`firstUserSource`	Source of user's first visit	google, twitter, newsletter

Content Dimensions

Dimension	Description	Example Values
`pagePath`	Page URL path	/blog/post-title, /products/item
`pageTitle`	Page title	Home, Product Page, Blog Post
`pageLocation`	Full page URL	https://example.com/page
`landingPage`	First page of session	/home, /blog/article
`exitPage`	Last page of session	/checkout, /contact

User Dimensions

Dimension	Description	Example Values
`country`	User country	United States, United Kingdom
`city`	User city	New York, London, Tokyo
`deviceCategory`	Device type	mobile, desktop, tablet
`browser`	Browser name	Chrome, Safari, Firefox
`operatingSystem`	OS name	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS

Time Dimensions

Dimension	Description	Example Values
`date`	Date (YYYYMMDD)	20260118
`year`	Year	2026
`month`	Month	01, 02, 03
`week`	Week number	01, 02, 03
`dayOfWeek`	Day of week	Sunday, Monday
`hour`	Hour of day	00-23

Common Metric Combinations

Traffic Analysis

metrics = [
    "sessions",
    "activeUsers",
    "newUsers",
    "engagementRate",
    "bounceRate"
]
dimensions = ["sessionSource", "sessionMedium"]

Content Performance

metrics = [
    "screenPageViews",
    "averageSessionDuration",
    "bounceRate",
    "eventCount"
]
dimensions = ["pagePath", "pageTitle"]

User Behavior

metrics = [
    "activeUsers",
    "sessionsPerUser",
    "screenPageViewsPerSession",
    "userEngagementDuration"
]
dimensions = ["deviceCategory", "country"]

Conversion Tracking

metrics = [
    "conversions",
    "sessions",
    "eventCount",
    "engagementRate"
]
dimensions = ["sessionSource", "sessionMedium", "sessionCampaignName"]

E-commerce Analysis

metrics = [
    "transactions",
    "purchaseRevenue",
    "averagePurchaseRevenue",
    "itemsViewed",
    "addToCarts"
]
dimensions = ["sessionSource", "deviceCategory"]

Date Range Formats

Relative Ranges

yesterday - Previous day
today - Current day
7daysAgo - Week ago
30daysAgo - Month ago
90daysAgo - Quarter ago

Absolute Ranges

Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Example: 2026-01-01 to 2026-01-31

Common Periods

# Last 7 days
start_date = "7daysAgo"
end_date = "yesterday"

# Last 30 days
start_date = "30daysAgo"
end_date = "yesterday"

# Month-to-date
start_date = "2026-01-01"
end_date = "today"

# Compare periods
current_start = "30daysAgo"
current_end = "yesterday"
previous_start = "60daysAgo"
previous_end = "31daysAgo"

Filters

Basic Filters

# Filter by page path
dimension_filter = {
    "filter": {
        "fieldName": "pagePath",
        "stringFilter": {"value": "/blog"}
    }
}

# Filter by country
dimension_filter = {
    "filter": {
        "fieldName": "country",
        "stringFilter": {"value": "United States"}
    }
}

# Filter by session source
dimension_filter = {
    "filter": {
        "fieldName": "sessionSource",
        "stringFilter": {"value": "google"}
    }
}

Numeric Filters

# Sessions greater than 100
metric_filter = {
    "filter": {
        "fieldName": "sessions",
        "numericFilter": {
            "operation": "GREATER_THAN",
            "value": {"int64Value": "100"}
        }
    }
}

Filter Operators

Operator	Description	Example
`EXACT`	Exact match	Country = "United States"
`BEGINS_WITH`	Starts with	Page path starts with "/blog"
`ENDS_WITH`	Ends with	Page path ends with ".html"
`CONTAINS`	Contains substring	Page title contains "guide"
`REGEX`	Regular expression	Path matches pattern

Order By

Sort results by metrics or dimensions:

# Order by sessions descending
order_bys = [{
    "metric": {"metricName": "sessions"},
    "desc": True
}]

# Order by page path ascending
order_bys = [{
    "dimension": {"dimensionName": "pagePath"},
    "desc": False
}]

API Response Structure

{
    "dimensionHeaders": [
        {"name": "sessionSource"},
        {"name": "sessionMedium"}
    ],
    "metricHeaders": [
        {"name": "sessions", "type": "TYPE_INTEGER"},
        {"name": "bounceRate", "type": "TYPE_FLOAT"}
    ],
    "rows": [
        {
            "dimensionValues": [
                {"value": "google"},
                {"value": "organic"}
            ],
            "metricValues": [
                {"value": "1250"},
                {"value": "0.45"}
            ]
        }
    ],
    "rowCount": 1,
    "metadata": {...}
}

Best Practices

Performance

Request only needed metrics and dimensions
Use date ranges that balance detail and performance
Limit results with limit parameter (max 100,000)
Use pagination for large datasets

Accuracy

Allow 24-48 hours for data processing
Use yesterday instead of today for complete data
Be aware of sampling in large datasets
Check metadata.samplingMetadatas in responses

Analysis

Compare periods for context (week-over-week, month-over-month)
Segment by meaningful dimensions (device, source, location)
Focus on engagement metrics, not just volume
Track trends over time, not just snapshots

Common Calculations

Conversion Rate

conversion_rate = (conversions / sessions) * 100

Average Order Value

aov = purchaseRevenue / transactions

Pages per Session

pages_per_session = screenPageViews / sessions

Engagement Rate

engagement_rate = (engagedSessions / sessions) * 100

Revenue per User

rpu = totalRevenue / activeUsers

Resources

---name: google-analytics-metrics-referencedescription: Complete reference for Google Analytics 4 (GA4) metrics and dimensions.---# Google Analytics Metrics ReferenceComplete reference for Google Analytics 4 (GA4) metrics and dimensions.## Core Metrics### User Metrics| Metric | Description | Use Case ||--------|-------------|----------|| `activeUsers` | Users who engaged with your site or app | Overall audience size || `newUsers` | First-time users | Growth tracking || `totalUsers` | Total number of users | Audience reach || `userEngagementDuration` | Total time users spent engaged | Content quality || `engagedSessions` | Sessions lasting >10s with conversion or 2+ page views | Quality sessions |### Session Metrics| Metric | Description | Use Case ||--------|-------------|----------|| `sessions` | Total number of sessions | Traffic volume || `sessionsPerUser` | Average sessions per user | User retention || `averageSessionDuration` | Mean session length | Engagement depth || `bounceRate` | Percentage of single-page sessions | Content relevance || `engagementRate` | Percentage of engaged sessions | Quality of traffic |### Page/Screen Metrics| Metric | Description | Use Case ||--------|-------------|----------|| `screenPageViews` | Total page and screen views | Content consumption || `screenPageViewsPerSession` | Average pages per session | Site exploration || `screenPageViewsPerUser` | Average pages per user | User journey depth |### Event Metrics| Metric | Description | Use Case ||--------|-------------|----------|| `eventCount` | Total number of events | Interaction tracking || `eventCountPerUser` | Average events per user | User activity level || `conversions` | Total conversion events | Goal achievement || `totalRevenue` | Total revenue from all sources | Monetization |### E-commerce Metrics| Metric | Description | Use Case ||--------|-------------|----------|| `transactions` | Number of purchases | Sales volume || `purchaseRevenue` | Revenue from purchases | Sales performance || `averagePurchaseRevenue` | Average transaction value | Revenue per sale || `itemsViewed` | Product detail views | Product interest || `addToCarts` | Items added to cart | Purchase intent || `checkouts` | Checkout initiations | Conversion funnel |## Key Dimensions### Traffic Source Dimensions| Dimension | Description | Example Values ||-----------|-------------|----------------|| `sessionSource` | Source of traffic | google, facebook, direct || `sessionMedium` | Marketing medium | organic, cpc, referral, email || `sessionCampaignName` | Campaign identifier | spring-sale, black-friday || `sessionDefaultChannelGroup` | Channel grouping | Organic Search, Paid Social, Direct || `firstUserSource` | Source of user's first visit | google, twitter, newsletter |### Content Dimensions| Dimension | Description | Example Values ||-----------|-------------|----------------|| `pagePath` | Page URL path | /blog/post-title, /products/item || `pageTitle` | Page title | Home, Product Page, Blog Post || `pageLocation` | Full page URL | https://example.com/page || `landingPage` | First page of session | /home, /blog/article || `exitPage` | Last page of session | /checkout, /contact |### User Dimensions| Dimension | Description | Example Values ||-----------|-------------|----------------|| `country` | User country | United States, United Kingdom || `city` | User city | New York, London, Tokyo || `deviceCategory` | Device type | mobile, desktop, tablet || `browser` | Browser name | Chrome, Safari, Firefox || `operatingSystem` | OS name | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |### Time Dimensions| Dimension | Description | Example Values ||-----------|-------------|----------------|| `date` | Date (YYYYMMDD) | 20260118 || `year` | Year | 2026 || `month` | Month | 01, 02, 03 || `week` | Week number | 01, 02, 03 || `dayOfWeek` | Day of week | Sunday, Monday || `hour` | Hour of day | 00-23 |## Common Metric Combinations### Traffic Analysis```pythonmetrics = [ "sessions", "activeUsers", "newUsers", "engagementRate", "bounceRate"]dimensions = ["sessionSource", "sessionMedium"]```### Content Performance```pythonmetrics = [ "screenPageViews", "averageSessionDuration", "bounceRate", "eventCount"]dimensions = ["pagePath", "pageTitle"]```### User Behavior```pythonmetrics = [ "activeUsers", "sessionsPerUser", "screenPageViewsPerSession", "userEngagementDuration"]dimensions = ["deviceCategory", "country"]```### Conversion Tracking```pythonmetrics = [ "conversions", "sessions", "eventCount", "engagementRate"]dimensions = ["sessionSource", "sessionMedium", "sessionCampaignName"]```### E-commerce Analysis```pythonmetrics = [ "transactions", "purchaseRevenue", "averagePurchaseRevenue", "itemsViewed", "addToCarts"]dimensions = ["sessionSource", "deviceCategory"]```## Date Range Formats### Relative Ranges- `yesterday` - Previous day- `today` - Current day- `7daysAgo` - Week ago- `30daysAgo` - Month ago- `90daysAgo` - Quarter ago### Absolute Ranges- Format: `YYYY-MM-DD`- Example: `2026-01-01` to `2026-01-31`### Common Periods```python# Last 7 daysstart_date = "7daysAgo"end_date = "yesterday"# Last 30 daysstart_date = "30daysAgo"end_date = "yesterday"# Month-to-datestart_date = "2026-01-01"end_date = "today"# Compare periodscurrent_start = "30daysAgo"current_end = "yesterday"previous_start = "60daysAgo"previous_end = "31daysAgo"```## Filters### Basic Filters```python# Filter by page pathdimension_filter = { "filter": { "fieldName": "pagePath", "stringFilter": {"value": "/blog"} }}# Filter by countrydimension_filter = { "filter": { "fieldName": "country", "stringFilter": {"value": "United States"} }}# Filter by session sourcedimension_filter = { "filter": { "fieldName": "sessionSource", "stringFilter": {"value": "google"} }}```### Numeric Filters```python# Sessions greater than 100metric_filter = { "filter": { "fieldName": "sessions", "numericFilter": { "operation": "GREATER_THAN", "value": {"int64Value": "100"} } }}```### Filter Operators| Operator | Description | Example ||----------|-------------|---------|| `EXACT` | Exact match | Country = "United States" || `BEGINS_WITH` | Starts with | Page path starts with "/blog" || `ENDS_WITH` | Ends with | Page path ends with ".html" || `CONTAINS` | Contains substring | Page title contains "guide" || `REGEX` | Regular expression | Path matches pattern |## Order BySort results by metrics or dimensions:```python# Order by sessions descendingorder_bys = [{ "metric": {"metricName": "sessions"}, "desc": True}]# Order by page path ascendingorder_bys = [{ "dimension": {"dimensionName": "pagePath"}, "desc": False}]```## API Response Structure```python{ "dimensionHeaders": [ {"name": "sessionSource"}, {"name": "sessionMedium"} ], "metricHeaders": [ {"name": "sessions", "type": "TYPE_INTEGER"}, {"name": "bounceRate", "type": "TYPE_FLOAT"} ], "rows": [ { "dimensionValues": [ {"value": "google"}, {"value": "organic"} ], "metricValues": [ {"value": "1250"}, {"value": "0.45"} ] } ], "rowCount": 1, "metadata": {...}}```## Best Practices### Performance- Request only needed metrics and dimensions- Use date ranges that balance detail and performance- Limit results with `limit` parameter (max 100,000)- Use pagination for large datasets### Accuracy- Allow 24-48 hours for data processing- Use `yesterday` instead of `today` for complete data- Be aware of sampling in large datasets- Check `metadata.samplingMetadatas` in responses### Analysis- Compare periods for context (week-over-week, month-over-month)- Segment by meaningful dimensions (device, source, location)- Focus on engagement metrics, not just volume- Track trends over time, not just snapshots## Common Calculations### Conversion Rate```conversion_rate = (conversions / sessions) * 100```### Average Order Value```aov = purchaseRevenue / transactions```### Pages per Session```pages_per_session = screenPageViews / sessions```### Engagement Rate```engagement_rate = (engagedSessions / sessions) * 100```### Revenue per User```rpu = totalRevenue / activeUsers```## Resources- [GA4 Dimensions & Metrics Explorer](https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/dimensions-metrics-explorer/)- [GA4 API Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/data/v1)- [GA4 Query Explorer](https://ga-dev-tools.google/ga4/query-explorer/)

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