measuring traffic properly (GA4 basics) — a beginner's guide for small sites

measuring traffic properly (GA4 basics) — a beginner's guide for small sites

Measuring traffic properly starts with understanding what you need to know about visitors and which metrics matter for your goals. Google Analytics 4 is not just a new version of the old tool; it uses event-driven data, focuses on engagement rather than just pageviews, and handles cross-platform measurement differently. For a beginner, the challenge is to set up GA4 so that the numbers you see reflect real user behaviour and help you make decisions about content, acquisition and technical optimisations.

Begin with the essentials of setup by creating a GA4 property and at least one data stream for your website. Enable enhanced measurement to capture common events automatically, and install the measurement tag with either gtag.js or Google Tag Manager to ensure data flows in. Verify the Measurement ID is correct in your site code, and use the Realtime report to confirm incoming hits. If you manage multiple environments, label them clearly so you can filter or compare test and production traffic later.

Events are central to GA4, so decide early which actions are meaningful and which will be noise. GA4 captures many events by default, but you should define custom events for key behaviours such as form submissions, signups or downloads, and mark the most valuable as conversions. Use consistent, descriptive names and avoid tracking the same action with multiple event names to prevent duplication. Where possible, test custom events with DebugView before you rely on them for reporting or optimisation.

Understanding the primary metrics helps prevent misinterpretation of data, so focus on engagement and quality rather than vanity numbers. Key metrics to watch include user counts, engaged sessions, average engagement time and conversions. Channel grouping and source/medium help you evaluate traffic origin, while new metrics such as engaged sessions per user give a better sense of how visitors interact with your site. Take time to learn each metric's definition in GA4 so that you can compare like with like when reviewing trends.

• Users and new users for audience size.
• Engaged sessions and engagement rate for quality of visits.
• Average engagement time for on-page behaviour.
• Conversions and conversion rate for goals you care about.

Data quality checks are simple but essential and should be part of your regular routine. Use DebugView and Realtime reporting to validate that events fire as expected when you or a colleague perform tracked actions. Exclude internal traffic with IP filters or GTM variables so that staff visits do not inflate metrics. Review event parameters and ensure you are not collecting sensitive data inappropriately, and remember that consent and privacy settings can affect which events are recorded.

Attribution and reporting choices influence how you interpret results, so be cautious when comparing GA4 to Universal Analytics or other tools. GA4 defaults to data-driven attribution for conversions where enough data exists, which can shift credit between channels compared with last-click models. Use Explorations and comparisons to segment audiences, and set appropriate conversion windows that reflect your sales or decision cycles. Keep a short checklist: check tag health, confirm event naming, exclude internal traffic, and verify conversions before making strategic changes based on the data.

Finally, measurement is an iterative process and not a one-time task, so document your tracking plan and review it quarterly to reflect new pages, campaigns and business priorities. Start small with a handful of meaningful events and conversions, validate them, and build out as you learn more about how users behave on your site. For practical tips and follow-up posts about SEO and analytics, see our SEO & Growth tag for related articles and examples. For more builds and experiments, visit my main RC projects page.