Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a GA4 Exploration Report

1. Navigating to the Explore Section

   • Open your GA4 property.
   • Click on „Explore” in the left-hand navigation pane. This section allows you to create custom explorations using various templates and analysis techniques.

2. Choosing a Template

   • GA4 offers several templates such as Free Form, Funnel Analysis, Path Analysis, Segment Overlap, and more.
   • Select the template that best fits your analysis needs. For a general report, the „Free Form” exploration is a versatile choice.

3. Setting Up Your Exploration

   • Technique: Choose the exploration technique. For a standard report, select „Free Form”.
   • Variables: In the Variables panel, you can add dimensions and metrics that you want to include in your report. Dimensions are attributes of your data (e.g., City, Device Category), while metrics are quantitative measurements (e.g., Sessions, Conversions).
   • Tab Settings: In the Tab Settings panel, you can configure rows, columns, and values for your report.

4. Adding Dimensions and Metrics

   • Drag and drop dimensions and metrics from the Variables panel to the appropriate fields in the Tab Settings panel (You can also simply doubleclick it).
   • For example, you might want to analyze user engagement by country. Doubleclick the „Country” dimension and metrics like „Active Users” and „Engagement Rate”.

5. Applying Filters and Segments

   • Use filters to narrow down the data to specific criteria. For instance, you can filter data by a particular date range or user segment.
   • Segments can be created to analyze subsets of your data, such as new users vs. returning users.

6. Customizing the Visualization

   • GA4 offers various visualization options such as tables, line charts, bar charts, and scatter plots.
   • Customize your visualization to best represent your data. For example, a line chart might be ideal for showing trends over time, while a bar chart could be better for comparing categorical data.

7. Saving and Sharing Your Report

   • Once your report is set up and customized, you don’t have to save it. It’s saved automatically when you apply changes.
   • GA4 allows you to share reports with other users who have access to the property. Click on the share icon and choose the sharing options.

Best Practices for GA4 Report Creation

• Define Clear Objectives: Before creating a report, clearly define what you aim to achieve. This helps in selecting the right dimensions and metrics.
• Make sure you are using unsampled report: If you have too much data in the report, it can be sampled. You can read more about sampling here:
• Use Segments Wisely: Segments are powerful tools for comparative analysis. Use them to drill down into specific user behaviors and characteristics.
• Leverage Custom Dimensions and Metrics: If the default dimensions and metrics don’t meet your needs, create custom ones to capture the specific data points relevant to your business.
• Regularly Review and Update Reports: As your business goals and user behaviors evolve, ensure your reports are updated to reflect these changes.

Conclusion

Creating custom reports in GA4 allows businesses to gain deep insights into user behavior and make data-driven decisions. By following the steps outlined above, you can effectively set up and customize reports that meet your specific needs. As you become more familiar with GA4’s capabilities, you’ll be able to leverage its full potential to enhance your analytical insights and improve your business strategies.

For more detailed guidance and advanced techniques, consider exploring Google’s official documentation and resources on GA4.