Understanding all of the options of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is crucial to benefiting from it. Doing so permits you to configure the device to investigate information precisely and effectively. It additionally enables you to draw the very best conclusions for designing, refocusing and defining your digital methods.
GA4 customers can configure many functionalities, together with customized dimensions, which permit for extra detailed and personalised information evaluation.
What are dimensions in GA4?
Google defines a dimension as an attribute of your information. It describes your information, and it’s often written in textual content reasonably than numbers.
An instance of dimensions can be supply/medium, which exhibits how a person arrives at a web site:
One other instance of dimension would even be the Occasion identify, which exhibits the completely different occasions that occur on a web site and the way the person interacts with it:
When creating the GA4 account, the device preconfigures a huge checklist of dimensions robotically by default.
Nevertheless, if this isn’t sufficient in your technique’s evaluation and it is advisable to analyze attributes in additional element and particularly based mostly on the web site’s aims, you’ll be able to create customized dimensions.
Occasions and occasion parameters
To know customized dimensions and the right way to create them, you have to first perceive some GA4 ideas – occasions and parameters.
- Occasions are the metrics that mean you can measure particular person interactions on a web site, corresponding to loading a web page, clicking on a hyperlink or submitting a kind.
- Occasion parameters are further information that website details about these occasions (i.e., further details about how customers work together with a web site).
There are two sorts of occasion parameters in GA4, relying on how they’re captured by the device:
- Robotically collected parameters: These are preconfigured by GA4, which robotically captures a set of parameters (e.g. page_location, page_referrer or page_title). Google offers a checklist of all these occasion parameters created robotically or enhanced measurement.
- Customized parameters: These mean you can gather info that isn’t captured by default. This is applicable to beneficial occasions and customized occasions, the place customized settings are required.
What are GA4 customized dimensions?
Customized dimensions are attributes that mean you can describe and gather information in a personalized approach. Basically, they’re parameters you create in GA4 to seize info that isn’t robotically tracked by the device.
Sorts of customized dimensions
Relying on the knowledge that you just need to gather in a customized approach, you’ll be able to create various kinds of customized dimensions, as indicated by Google:
When is it beneficial to create customized dimensions?
Earlier than creating customized dimensions to investigate information in additional element, it’s advisable to examine whether or not these attributes exist already as automated occasions predefined by GA4 or as choices inside enhanced measurement occasions.
To find out if the info you need to analyze is already supplied by automated occasions, you’ll be able to seek the advice of the checklist that Google Analytics gives beneath Robotically collected occasions. These occasions are collected robotically, so the person doesn’t have to carry out any further actions.
This isn’t the case for the enhanced measurement occasions, these should be activated inside the GA4 account if you wish to gather this info.
To activate these attributes, you’ll do it inside Admin > Information streams > Occasions > Enhanced measurement.
If the knowledge you need to analyze isn’t included inside these automated occasions, it is suggested that you just create it as a customized dimension.
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The right way to arrange customized dimensions
No matter the kind of customized dimension, it should be created through Google Tag Supervisor. Beneath is a step-by-step information for configuring an event-scoped customized dimension.
Earlier than getting began, be certain that the GA4 and Google Tag Supervisor accounts are correctly configured and linked.
Subsequent, it is advisable to outline and create which occasion parameter you need and ship it as a customized dimension in GA4.
On this case, you’ll present within the following picture the right way to create the occasion parameter to investigate the URL of the video {that a} person performs in your web site:
As it’s a manually configured occasion parameter solely included in Google Tag Supervisor, it is not going to be sufficient for GA4 to incorporate it in its reviews robotically. You’ll have to notify GA4 about it by going to Admin > Information show > Customized definitions.
Then, click on on Create customized dimension.
Create the customized definition with the knowledge out of your occasion parameter:
Now that your customized dimension is created, use DebugView to examine whether it is being collected accurately and is correctly configured.
In parallel, inside the Customized definitions part, beneath Quota info, you’ll be able to monitor the entire variety of customized dimensions created in your GA4 account.
What number of customized dimensions can I arrange in my GA4 account?
The variety of customized dimensions {that a} person can create is proscribed, though it’s usually tough to succeed in this restrict.
To make sure you create solely essentially the most helpful dimensions, first outline the highest-priority KPIs in your web site or app after which create and configure solely these dimensions which can be really of curiosity. To keep away from exceeding this restrict, use predefined dimensions and metrics each time attainable.
The right way to analyze customized dimensions
Customized dimensions will offer you further details about your information. This info might be analyzed inside GA4.
Within the case of GA4, you’ll be able to analyze the customized dimensions by way of the identical reviews that the device gives in a personalized approach, both within the site visitors or occasions panel, for instance:
Customized dimensions also can present extra details about your information when utilizing the discover part:
Creating customized dimensions is a beneficial methodology for enhancing your analytics with beneficial insights for your enterprise.
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