GA4's essential reports, the screens that come built into Google Analytics 4, are enough for most companies. The problem is that the interface is crowded and it isn't obvious which numbers really matter. Sessions, users, engagement rate, event count... This article is written for a manager looking for an answer to the question "is our website bringing in business?" You don't need to be an expert; setting aside half an hour a month is enough.
A note before we start: GA4 figures only mean something if measurement is set up correctly. If forms and phone clicks aren't marked as key events, half of the reports below will be empty. For setup, see our article on conversion tracking.
1. Traffic acquisition: where do visitors come from?
Where: Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
This report breaks sessions down by channel group: organic search, paid search, direct, referral (links from other sites), organic social, email and so on.
What to look for:
- Which channel produces the most key events? What matters is the number of inquiries, not the number of visits.
- If the "Direct" channel is very high, that doesn't always mean "people type our name and come in." Untagged email links, in-app browsers and visits without consent can also end up here.
- If you use UTM parameters in your campaign links (short tags added to the end of a link to identify its source), newsletter and social media traffic will show up separately here.
2. Landing page: which door do people come in through?
Where: Reports → Engagement → Landing page (if it isn't in the menu, it can be added from the Library)
This shows the first page visitors land on when they enter your site. Many companies are surprised to see that the home page isn't always the biggest door; a product page or a guide article may be bringing in more visitors than the home page.
What to look for:
- Pages that get lots of visits but produce no key events: is a way to get in touch visible on these pages, and is the message right?
- Pages that get few visits but produce a disproportionate number of inquiries: these are worth growing. Bringing more people to these pages through ads or content is usually the quickest win.
3. Key events: how many inquiries came in?
Where: Reports → Engagement → Events (the ones marked as key events are also listed separately)
This is where you track how events such as form submissions, phone clicks and WhatsApp clicks change from month to month.
What to look for:
- If a key event suddenly drops to zero, the first suspect is measurement, not the market. Form tracking breaks easily after a site update.
- Compare the event count with the number of inquiries that actually reached the sales team in the same period. If there is a big gap, either the measurement or the follow-up on inquiries has a problem.
4. Tech: mobile or desktop?
Where: Reports → Tech → Tech overview (or under User attributes, depending on the version)
This shows how visits and events are distributed by device category.
What to look for:
- If mobile visits are high but mobile inquiries are low, there may be a problem with the mobile form or page speed. Mobile site speed and mobile form design are the first things to check at this point.
- On B2B sites, the desktop share is usually higher; this is not a reason to neglect mobile, but a clue for deciding what takes priority on mobile.
5. Search Console link: what are you found for on Google?
Where: The Search Console reports you can add from the Library once GA4 is linked to Search Console
On its own, GA4 doesn't show which search terms bring you in from organic search. That information lives in Search Console. Linking the two tools lets you see the "which search → which page → inquiry" chain in one place. We have prepared a separate guide to reading Search Console on its own.
Monthly check table
| Question | Report | Healthy sign |
|---|---|---|
| Which channels do inquiries come from? | Traffic acquisition | No excessive reliance on a single channel |
| Which pages bring in business? | Landing page | You know which pages generate inquiries |
| Is measurement working? | Events | No sudden drops to zero |
| Is the mobile experience good enough? | Tech | Inquiries also come in on mobile |
| What are we found for in search? | Search Console | Visits also come from non-brand terms |
A few settings, done once
- Data retention period: In GA4, the default retention period for detailed exploration reports is short; it can be extended (to 14 months) under Admin → Data retention.
- Internal traffic filter: So your own office's visits don't pollute the figures.
- Unwanted referral filter: If sites such as your payment provider show up as "referrals," add them to the list.
How we do it at Globya
What companies usually need isn't a new dashboard but measurement that is set up correctly and easy to read. We sort out the GA4 setup, key events and the Search Console link, and we decide together on the few screens a manager will check once a month. This is part of our digital IT consulting approach: we put your decisions at the center, not the tools. If your site data needs to be read together with finance and sales data, the ERP and reporting side is handled by the same team.
Frequently asked questions
Is bounce rate gone in GA4?
It is still there, but GA4's main metric is engagement rate. Bounce rate is defined as the percentage of sessions that were not engaged, and it can be added to reports.
Why isn't the user count in GA4 exact?
Because of visitors who don't give cookie consent, use different devices or have browser blocking, GA4 doesn't produce an exact count. It is reliable for tracking trends, not for counting individual people.
How often should we look at these reports?
For most corporate websites, once a month is enough. If an ad campaign is running, it is a good idea to track key events weekly.
Can you interpret the reports for us?
Yes. You can reach us at +90 850 432 55 13 or through our contact page.
The Globya assistant is online 24/7; it answers right away and passes your question to the team if needed.