Google Ads Reporting:

GA4 brings a powerful tool called the Exploration Tool, which helps unravel complex campaign performance. Understanding the importance of Google Ads reporting in GA4 is like discovering a wealth of insights similar to the default Google Ads report in Universal Analytics (UA).

Creating a Google Ads Report in GA4:

Build a Custom Report to view your Google Ads data on Analytics

• Firstly, make sure the GA4 account is linked to your Google Ads Account. You can do this by Signing in to Ads > Click on Tools & Settings > Click on Linked Accounts under Setup > Click on details next to your GA4 account and click on Link next to the right property.

• Once done, go to your GA4 account and In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.

• You can name your report as Google Ads Report or anything of choice.

• Click on the '+' button next to DIMENSIONS to add new dimensions and search for 'google ads' to find all dimensions related to 'Google Ads'.

• Select all the dimensions you want to see in your report and click on 'Import'. For this scenario, Import the Predefined dimension named Google Ads ad group name, Google Ads ad network type, Google Ads campaign and Google Ads keyword text.
  
  

• Click on the '+' button next to METRICS to add new metrics to your report and search for 'google ads' to find all dimensions related to 'Google Ads'.Select all the metrics you want to see in your report like Google Ads clicks, Google Ads cost, Google Ads cost per click, Google Ads impressions, Conversions and click on 'Import'.

• Now, add the dimensions Google Ads campaign, Google Ads ad group name, Google Ads keyword text, Google Ads ad network type under ROWS and all the metrics Google Ads clicks, Google Ads cost, Google Ads cost per click, Google Ads impressions under VALUES.

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

User:

Creating a Bounce Rate Reporting in GA4:

The Exploration Tool empowers marketers to mirror UA's bounce rate report while enhancing precision. By selecting dimensions like landing pages, traffic sources, and user demographics, and pairing them with metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and pageviews, marketers gain a granular view of bounce rate dynamics.

‘Bounce Rate’ always was the percentage of sessions that just contain a single page view on your website and nothing else.

GA4 counts a session as a "bounce" when the user spends less than 10 seconds on the site and leaves without triggering any other events or visits other pages.

**10 seconds because the default engaged session is 10 seconds. If you engage for more than 10 secs or trigger 1 or more conversion events or trigger 2 or more pageviews (or screenviews), it won't be counted as a bounce!

**You can increase the engaged session on the page by going to Admin > Data Streams > Configure Tag Settings > Adjust session timeout. (by default the value is 10 seconds)

To Create the Bounce Rate report follow the steps below :

• In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.

• Provide the exploration a name.

• Import the Predefined dimension named Landing page + query string,Session source/medium and Predefined Metrics named Views, Active users,Views per user, Engagement rate, Bounce rate and New Users.

• Add the Landing page + query string dimension to the ROWS Tab (you can also add Session source/medium dimension under COLUMNS to group it by source/medium) and add the various imported Metrics to the VALUES Tab.

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

OR

• Alternatively you can also edit the User acquisition report on ga4 by going to Reports > User acquisition under Life Cycle and click on the pencil icon on the top right corner to edit the report.

• Click on Metrics on the top right .

• Click on Add metric

• Search for Bounce rate and click on the option and click on Apply.

• Once done, you will see the bounce rate in your user acquisition report. Click on the Save button to either save the changes to your current report or you can save it as a new report which you can access from your library.

• To access the library, click on Reports on the left and click on Library towards the bottom. You will now have access to the custom reports created on ga4.

• To add your custom report under Life cycle, go to Library and click on edit collection under Life cycle

• Now you will see you custom report under Drag reports to create collection section (second column). Drag and drop your custom report under topics and reports and click on save.

• Once done you should see your custom report in your Life Cycle collection.

Ecommerce:

The Exploration Tool empowers marketers to replicate and surpass the e-commerce reports present in UA, offering heightened precision. By selecting pertinent dimensions such as products, transaction details, and user attributes, paired with metrics encompassing revenue, conversion rates, and average order values, marketers obtain a refined understanding of e-commerce performance.

Creating a Detailed Ecommerce Report:

• In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.

• Provide the exploration a name.

• Import the Predefined dimension named Transaction ID,Page path + query string, Session source / medium and Predefined Metrics named Transactions, Ecommerce Revenue, Ecommerce purchases and First time purchasers.

• Add the Transaction ID, Page path + query string, Session source / medium dimension to the ROWS Tab.

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

Replicating Sales Performance in GA4 Explore:

• In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.

• Provide the exploration a name.

• Import the Predefined dimension named Transaction ID and Predefined Metrics named Ecommerce revenue, Tax amount, Shipping amount, Refunds and Quantity
  

● Add the Transaction ID dimension to the ROWS Tab and add the various imported Metrics to the VALUES Tab.

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

Ecommerce events by Product names:

• In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.

• Provide the exploration a name.

• Import the Predefined dimension named Item name, Event name and Predefined Metrics named
  Total Users.

• Add the Item Name dimension to the ROWS Section, Event Name dimension to the COLUMNS Section and the Total Users Metric to the VALUES Section.

• Add a FILTER for the Event Name dimension with the condition of matches regex and a filter value of ^(view_item|add_to_cart|begin_checkout|purchase)$

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

• Ecommerce Funnel Report(Enhanced Ecommerce has to be implemented)

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/12216232?hl=en&ref_topic=9266525&sjid=1549752476510533843-AP#zippy=%2Csteps


Path Exploration Report Creation:

This report offers insights into how users move around your website and the routes they follow to move from one page to another. This is particularly valuable if your goal is to guide users towards important pages, such as the conversion page for actions like filling out a lead form or completing a checkout.

• Click Explore on the left. Select the Path exploration template at the top of the screen.

• You have the option to save the report as it is or choose the specific data to begin your exploration:

○ On the right side, under STARTING POINT, click on the dimension you prefer, or drag a dimension from the Tab Settings > NODE TYPE list and place it in the STARTING POINT section.

○ Currently, you can choose Event name or Screen name node types. See How path exploration works below for more explanation of steps and nodes.

○ Choose a value for the dimension.

• Change the Date Range as per requirement.

  
  
  

Funnel Exploration:

The Exploration Tool helps marketers create and improve reports that explore funnels, just like in UA. This tool makes the reports more accurate. Marketers can choose specific things to look at, like how users move through a website, where they stop, and the steps they take to complete actions. They can also see how many people actually complete these actions. This detailed information helps marketers understand how funnels work in detail.

Creating a funnel Exploration for Purchases:

• On the left, click Explore.

• Select the Funnel exploration template at the top.

• Name the exploration.

• To create an ecommerce funnel exploration , you need to have set up the add_to_cart, begin_checkout and purchase events set up already on GA4.

• Once done, click on the pencil icon next to Steps

• Now, next to Step 1 you can name what you would consider as a first step for a user to complete a purchase. In this example, I will consider Add to cart as my first step, followed by begin checkout and finally completing a purchase. Once you have named the steps, click on add new condition and select the relevant event. (If you want to add users who have completed step1 and moved to the other steps after a certain time period only, then check the box towards the right hand side of events and select the time period)

• Import the dimensions named Event Name , add it under Breakdown and Next action and enable the toggle for Open Funnel. Keep in mind that funnels can be categorized as "open" or "closed," affecting how users access the funnel: With an open funnel, users can join at any step, while a closed funnel requires users to start from the first step.

• Change the Date Range as per requirement and Save your Report.

User Lifetime Exploration:

This report breaks down users and their predicted lifetime value. It also reveals details about individual user actions, such as their recent purchases and which marketing campaigns influence more sales or attrition. For example, identifying the traffic source that contributes most to user lifetime value allows you to allocate more resources there and refine your marketing budgets.

This report also aids in understanding your successful campaigns and how to attract more valuable customers. By adding demographic segments, you can further understand your most valuable user groups and fine-tune your creative content, messaging, and marketing strategies accordingly.

To Create a User Lifetime Exploration report follow the steps below :

• On the left, click Explore.

• Click Template Gallery at the top, and then User lifetime template.

• Name your report and add the predefined dimensions First user source , First user medium under Rows and change the number of rows as per your

• Click on Save .

Site Search Exploration:

The Exploration Tool provides marketers with the ability to thoroughly explore site search data, offering insights into users' search preferences. By choosing important factors like search terms, user characteristics, and search categories, along with measures such as search frequency and click-through rates, marketers can acquire a comprehensive grasp of user intentions.

• In the Explore tab create a new Blank exploration.
  
  

• Provide the exploration a name.

• Import the Predefined dimension named Search term and Predefined Metrics named Total Users, Event Count and Event count per user.
  
  

• Add the Search Term dimension to the ROWS Tab and add the various imported Metrics to the VALUES Tab.

• Change the Show rows option and Date Range as per requirement.

  
  

Note:Some exploration reports have a limited time window and in these cases you might be unable to set a date range longer than 2 months.

Conclusion:

This tool helps us dive deep into data to uncover valuable information. Throughout our exploration, we've delved into topics like Google Ads, bounce rates, e-commerce, user paths, funnels, user lifetimes, and site searches. Each of these areas provides us with useful insights and strategies that can lead to success.

When it comes to Google Ads reporting, the Exploration Tool is like a hidden treasure. It helps us understand how our campaigns are performing, similar to the way we used to in Universal Analytics (UA). But now, with GA4, we have more ways to analyze and understand the data, making our insights even more valuable.

Bounce Rate Reporting has become more than just a number. It's a way to understand why users might leave our website quickly. The Exploration Tool lets us look closely at this and see how different factors play a role.

E-commerce insights have also gotten a boost with the Exploration Tool. It's like upgrading from a basic report to a supercharged version. We can look at products, transactions, and revenue in a more detailed way.

When we talk about paths and funnels, we mean understanding how users move through our website and complete actions. The Exploration Tool acts like a map, showing us where users go and where they might drop off. This way, we can fix any roadblocks and make the user journey smoother.

The tool also helps us understand user lifetimes and site searches.