Last Modified on August 12, 2024
This one will be straightforward, we’ve prepared for you an up-to-date Google Analytics glossary with all the important terms you need to know.
We’ve also linked our guides to many terms so you can dive deeper into those topics.
Is something missing? Let us know in the comments down below and we’ll add!
Let’s dive in!
Terms:
Account
A container that holds properties and provides a way to organize data collection and reporting across multiple websites or apps. It serves as the top-level entity for your analytics setup, allowing for structured management and control.
Acquisition
The process of acquiring traffic to your website, including the various channels and campaigns that bring users to your site. Understanding acquisition helps you evaluate which marketing efforts are most effective.
Active Users
The number of users who have visited your website or used your app within a specified time period. This metric is crucial for gauging the engagement and reach of your site over time.
Advertising Features
Tools and capabilities in Google Analytics that support advertising, such as demographics and interest reports, remarketing, and more. These features help you create targeted ad campaigns and measure their success.
Anomaly Detection
Anomaly Detection in Google Analytics automatically identifies data points that deviate significantly from the expected range. This feature helps in quickly spotting irregularities that may indicate problems or opportunities.
Attribution
The process of assigning credit for conversions to different ads, clicks, and factors along a user’s path to completing a goal. Attribution modeling helps you understand which channels and touchpoints are most effective in driving conversions.
Attribution Path
The sequence of touchpoints that lead to a conversion. Analyzing conversion paths can help understand the most effective user journeys.
Audience
A segment of users grouped together based on common attributes or behaviors, used for analysis or targeting in advertising. Audiences help you tailor your marketing efforts to specific user groups for better results.
Average Engagement Time
The average amount of time users spend engaging with your site or app during a session. This metric helps you assess the quality of user interaction and content effectiveness.
Average Engagement Time per Session
The average engagement time divided by the total number of sessions. This provides a clearer picture of how engaged users are during each visit to your site.
Behavioral Modeling
Using machine learning to predict user behavior based on historical data. This can help in anticipating user needs and optimizing site performance and marketing strategies accordingly.
BigQuery
A web service that enables interactive analysis of massive datasets working in conjunction with Google Storage. Integrating Google Analytics with BigQuery allows for advanced analysis.
Blended Data
Combining data from multiple sources into a single report, which can provide a more comprehensive view of performance metrics.
Bounce
A single-page session on your site where the user leaves without interacting further. High bounce rates may indicate issues with page content or user experience.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of single-page sessions (bounces) compared to total sessions. This metric is useful for understanding the effectiveness of your landing pages.
Calculated Metrics
Calculated metrics are derived from existing metrics and any custom metrics you’ve added to your GA4 account. This is done by using any mathematical formulas/operators and a combination of the metrics.
Campaign Name
A parameter used in URL tracking to identify a specific marketing campaign. This helps in distinguishing traffic sources and measuring campaign performance.
Campaign Tags
Tags added to URLs to track marketing campaigns and analyze traffic sources in Google Analytics. These parameters help you see how users interact with your marketing efforts.
Change History
A log of changes made to a Google Analytics account, property, or view. This is important for tracking modifications and understanding their impact on data.
Channel
A group of related traffic sources, such as organic search, paid search, direct, and referral. Channels help categorize and analyze traffic origins.
Client ID
A unique identifier assigned to each user by Google Analytics cookies. This ID helps in tracking individual users across sessions and devices.
Cohorts
A group of users who share a common characteristic, identified for analysis over a period of time. Cohort analysis helps in understanding user behavior and retention patterns.
Connected Site Tags
Tags that link Google Analytics with other Google products for data sharing and integration. This facilitates a unified data collection and reporting process.
Consent Mode
A setting that adjusts how Google Analytics collects and uses data based on user consent. This is crucial for compliance with data privacy regulations.
Content Group
A way to group pages and content for analysis in Google Analytics. Content grouping helps in understanding the performance of different content categories.
Conversion
A completed activity, such as a purchase or form submission, that is important to the success of your business. Tracking conversions helps measure the effectiveness of your site in achieving business goals.
Comparison
A feature in Google Analytics that allows you to compare data between different segments, time periods, or metrics. This aids in identifying trends and performance differences.
Cookie
A small piece of data stored on a user’s device that helps track and identify returning users. Cookies are essential for maintaining session state and personalized experiences.
CPC (Cost Per Click)
The cost incurred for each click on an ad in a pay-per-click campaign. This metric helps in evaluating the efficiency of your paid advertising efforts.
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)
The aggregate cost of acquiring one customer on a campaign or channel level. It helps in assessing the financial efficiency of your marketing strategies.
Crawl Depth
How far a search engine bot/crawler can navigate into your site’s architecture. This is important for SEO and ensuring that all important pages are indexed.
Custom Channel Group
Custom Channel Groups allow users to create their own traffic source groupings based on specific criteria. This customization helps in tailoring traffic analysis to meet unique business needs.
Custom Definitions
User-defined metrics and dimensions for tracking specific data points in Google Analytics. They provide flexibility to tailor analytics to your unique business needs.
Custom Dimensions
Custom dimensions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) are user-defined attributes that allow you to collect and analyze data that Google Analytics does not automatically track. These dimensions can be used to provide additional context about the data collected, such as specific user properties, actions, or other relevant information unique to your business.
Custom Funnels
A feature in GA4 that allows you to create funnels based on any events, providing more flexibility than predefined funnels.
Custom Metrics
Custom metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) are user-defined quantitative measurements that track specific actions or values that Google Analytics does not automatically measure. These metrics allow you to capture data points unique to your business needs.
Data Import
A feature that allows you to import external data into Google Analytics for more comprehensive analysis. This can include offline data, CRM data, and more.
Data Retention
The period during which Google Analytics retains user and event data. This setting impacts how long you can access historical data for analysis.
Data Stream
A flow of data from a website or app to a Google Analytics property. Each data stream represents a distinct source of data, such as a website or mobile app.
DebugView
A tool in Google Analytics for debugging and troubleshooting data collection. It helps in verifying that data is being collected and processed correctly.
Default Channel Group
The predefined channels that group similar traffic sources together in Google Analytics reports. This simplifies traffic analysis and reporting.
Default Reporting Identity
The method used to identify unique users across devices and sessions in Google Analytics. This can include User ID, Google signals, or device-only identification.
Demographics
Data about the age, gender, and interests of your users. Demographics provide insights into the composition of your audience, aiding in targeted marketing.
Device ID
A unique identifier for a device used to access your website or app. Device IDs help track user interactions across different devices.
Dimension
An attribute of your data, such as city or device category, used for organizing and segmenting data. Dimensions help categorize and break down your data for analysis.
Direct
Traffic that arrives at your site without a traceable referral source, such as when a user types your URL directly into their browser. Direct traffic can also include clicks from bookmarks and untagged links in emails.
Drop-off
The point or page where users exit your intended flow of traffic. Understanding drop-off points helps in improving user flow and reducing abandonment rates.
Ecommerce Purchase
A recorded transaction when a user successfully completes a purchase on your website. Ecommerce tracking includes details like purchase value and items bought.
Engaged Sessions
Sessions where users actively engage with your site or app, meeting criteria such as duration, conversions, or page views. Engaged sessions indicate higher user interest and activity.
Enhanced Event Measurement
Automatically tracks specific interactions without additional tagging. This includes actions like scrolls, outbound clicks, and video engagement.
Enhanced Measurement
A feature that tracks user interactions like outbound clicks and file downloads without additional setup. This simplifies tracking important actions on your site.
Engagement Rate
The percentage of sessions that meet engagement criteria, indicating user interaction quality. A higher engagement rate typically signifies more meaningful interactions with your site.
Event
Any interaction or activity tracked in Google Analytics, such as page views or button clicks. Events help measure user interactions beyond standard page views.
Event Count
The total number of events tracked in a specified period. This metric shows the volume of user interactions recorded.
Event Count per User
The average number of events per user. This helps in understanding how actively users interact with your site.
Event Parameter
Additional information collected about an event, such as the value of a purchase. Parameters provide context and details for each event tracked.
Events per Session
The average number of events tracked during a session. This indicates the level of user activity within each visit.
Exit Rate
The percentage of exits from a page compared to the total number of page views. High exit rates on key pages can indicate issues that need addressing.
Explore/Explorations
A section in GA4 for creating custom reports and visualizations using tables and graphs. Explorations provide flexibility for deep data analysis.
Explorations Snapshots
Summary snapshots of custom explorations created in GA4. These snapshots help quickly review key insights from your data analysis.
First User Medium
The medium through which a new user first finds your site. This helps in understanding the initial touchpoint in a user’s journey.
First User Source
The source through which a new user first finds your site. Identifying the first source helps in evaluating the effectiveness of different acquisition channels.
Global Site Tag (or gtag.js)
A single tag used to implement various Google tools across your site. It simplifies the integration of Google Analytics, Google Ads, and other services.
Google Ads
A platform for advertising on Google and its partner sites. It allows businesses to create and manage ads that appear in search results and on other websites.
Google Data Studio
Google Optimizely
A platform for A/B testing and personalization to improve site performance. It allows you to test different variations of your site to see which performs best.
Google Signals
A feature that provides cross-device tracking and demographic reporting based on aggregated data from users who have opted in. This enhances your ability to understand user behavior across different devices.
Google Tag Manager
A tool for managing and deploying marketing tags on your website without modifying code. It allows for easy updates and testing of tags.
Intelligence
Automated insights and alerts generated by Google Analytics’ machine learning algorithms. These insights help you quickly identify significant changes and trends in your data.
Key Event
An important event tracked in Google Analytics, often tied to business objectives. Key events are crucial for measuring progress towards specific goals, such as conversions or user engagement.
Landing Page
The first page a user views in a session. Analyzing landing pages helps you understand which pages are most effective in attracting and retaining users.
Library
A collection of reusable components, such as segments and goals, in Google Analytics. Libraries streamline the setup and management of analytics configurations.
Lifetime Value (LTV)
The total revenue generated by a user over their lifetime as a customer. LTV helps you assess the long-term value of different user segments.
Lookback Window
The period during which Google Analytics evaluates if an ad interaction led to a conversion. Lookback windows help you understand the time lag between ad exposure and conversion.
Looker Studio
A tool (previously Google Data Studio) for creating customizable reports and visualizations using data from Google Analytics and other sources. It enhances data presentation and sharing capabilities.
Measurement ID
A unique identifier for a data stream in a Google Analytics property, used for tracking and sending data. Each data stream has a specific Measurement ID to ensure accurate data collection.
Measurement Protocol
Allows data to be sent directly to Google Analytics from any internet-enabled device without using tracking code or Tag Manager. This enables tracking from diverse sources like kiosks or point-of-sale systems​​.
Medium
The method by which a user arrives at your site, such as organic search, cost-per-click (CPC), or referral. Medium helps categorize traffic sources for better analysis.
Metric
A quantitative measurement in Google Analytics, such as total users or page views. Metrics are used to assess various aspects of your site’s performance.
New User
A user who visits your site for the first time during a specified date range. New user metrics help gauge the reach of your marketing efforts.
Not Set
A placeholder value in reports when a specific piece of data is not available or was not collected. This often indicates missing or incomplete data.
Organic
Traffic that arrives at your site through unpaid search results. Organic traffic is essential for understanding your site’s visibility in search engines.
Page View
A view of a page on your site by a user. Page views are a basic measure of site traffic and content popularity.
Parameter
Additional information or attributes associated with an event, used for more detailed analysis. Parameters provide context and specificity to events.
PII (Personally Identifiable Information)
Information that can be used to identify an individual, such as a name or email address, which is not allowed to be collected in Google Analytics. This is important for compliance with privacy laws.
Primary Channel Group
Primary Channel Group refers to the main categorization of traffic sources in Google Analytics, such as Direct, Organic Search, Paid Search, and Social. These groups help in organizing and analyzing traffic data.
Property
A component of a Google Analytics account that represents a website or app and contains tracking data. Properties help organize and manage different data sources.
Referral
Traffic that arrives at your site from another site by clicking on a link. Referrals help you understand the impact of external links and partnerships.
Regular Expression (or Regex)
A sequence of characters that define a search pattern, used for matching and manipulating text. Regex is useful for creating advanced filters and segments in Google Analytics.
Reporting Identity
The method used to identify and unify users across devices and sessions in Google Analytics. This can include User ID, Google signals, or device-only identification.
Reporting View
A subset of data from a Google Analytics property, used for customized reporting in Universal Analytics. Views help tailor reports to specific needs and goals.
Sampling
The use of a subset of data to estimate the total dataset, often used to speed up report processing. Sampling is essential when dealing with large volumes of data.
Search Query
The term a user enters into a search engine before arriving at your site. Search query data helps you understand what users are looking for and how they find your site.
Segment
A subset of your data, such as users who have completed a specific action, used for detailed analysis. Segments help you focus on specific user groups for targeted insights.
Session
A group of user interactions with your site within a given time frame, typically 30 minutes. Sessions are used to measure user engagement over a period.
Session Duration
The total time a user spends in a session. This metric helps you understand how long users stay engaged with your content.
Session ID
A unique identifier for a session. Session IDs help track individual sessions and their associated interactions.
Session Key Event Rate Metrics
The Session Key Event Rate Metrics measure the number of key events per session. This provides insight into how often important interactions occur within each user session.
Source
The origin of your traffic, such as a specific website or search engine. Source helps you identify where your users are coming from.
Total Users
The total number of unique users who have visited your site. This metric helps you gauge the overall reach of your site.
Trend Change Detection
Trend Change Detection in Google Analytics identifies significant shifts or trends in data over time. This feature helps in spotting emerging patterns or changes in user behavior.
Unique Visitors
The number of distinct individuals visiting your site during a specific period. Unique visitors help you understand the size of your audience.
URL Builder
A tool for creating trackable URLs with campaign parameters. URL builders help you measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
User
A unique individual who visits your site, identified by a unique ID. Users are the basis for most Google Analytics metrics and reports.
User Engagement
The interactions and behaviors of users on your site, indicating their level of interest and activity. User engagement metrics help you measure the effectiveness of your content and site design.
User ID
A unique identifier assigned to a user for tracking their interactions across devices and sessions. User IDs help create a unified view of user behavior.
User key event rate
The User Key Event Rate measures the frequency of key events (important user interactions such as purchases or form submissions) per user. This metric helps in understanding how effectively users are engaging with critical aspects of your website or app.
User Retention
The percentage of users who return to your site after their initial visit. User retention metrics help you understand user loyalty and satisfaction.
UTM Tag
Parameters added to URLs to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns. UTM tags help you analyze the performance of different marketing efforts.
Views
The total number of times a page or screen is viewed. View counts help you measure the popularity of your content.
Views per User
The average number of page or screen views per user. This metric helps you understand how much content users consume on average.
Feel free to comment if we’ve skipped some terms or if we should change something!
