If you’ve worked with Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you’re probably familiar with custom dimensions—attributes that provide descriptive data about your users or events.
But have you explored custom metrics in GA4? These are powerful tools that allow you to quantify actions or behaviors essential to your business.
In this guide, we’ll dive into what custom metrics are, why they matter, and how to use them to improve your analytics strategy.
Dimensions vs. Metrics: What’s the Difference?
To understand custom metrics, it’s essential to first differentiate them from dimensions.
Dimensions provide descriptive information about users, events, or content, answering questions like “what,” “who,” or “where.” For example:
- User type: Returning visitor
- Device category: Mobile
- Content type: Blog post
- Location: Berlin
Metrics, on the other hand, measure actions or outcomes, answering “how much” or “how many.” They provide numerical values that quantify behavior, such as:
- Total purchases: 75
- Revenue generated: €3,200
- Video completions: 150
- Newsletter signups: 30
For example, dimensions may describe a user as a returning visitor from Berlin, while metrics quantify their activity by showing the number of purchases or the total revenue they contributed.
Not all numerical values are metrics, however. For example, scroll depth percentages (e.g., 50%, 75%) describe user engagement levels, acting more like dimensions than metrics.
Why Use Custom Metrics in GA4?
While Google Analytics 4 offers a rich selection of default metrics, these may not always align with your unique business goals.
Custom metrics enable you to measure specific actions or outcomes that matter most, providing insights tailored to your organization’s needs.
Whether you operate an eCommerce store, a SaaS business, or a media website, custom metrics can help you dive deeper into user behavior and optimize performance.
Here are some real-life examples of how custom metrics in GA4 can benefit different industries:
eCommerce
Custom metrics can provide valuable insights into shopper behavior and help you optimize the purchasing journey:
- Abandoned Cart Recovery: Track how many users add items to their cart but don’t complete the checkout process. Combine this metric with email campaign data to measure the success of your cart abandonment recovery strategy.
- Product Wishlist Engagement: Count the number of times users add products to their wishlist, helping you identify popular items or gauge interest in seasonal promotions.
- Discount Utilization: Measure the frequency of specific coupon codes being used at checkout. For example, track how often “BLACKFRIDAY2025” is applied to assess the effectiveness of seasonal discounts.
SaaS Businesses
Custom metrics can help SaaS companies understand how users interact with their platforms and measure retention strategies:
- Feature Adoption: Track how many users activate specific features within your software, such as a project management dashboard or data export functionality. For instance, a collaboration tool might measure the number of shared documents to gauge user engagement.
- Onboarding Progress: Monitor how many users complete onboarding tutorials or setup wizards, allowing you to identify bottlenecks and improve the onboarding experience.
- Subscription Upgrades: Count the number of free trial users who convert to premium plans within a specific timeframe, providing insights into the effectiveness of your upselling strategy.
Media Websites
For content-driven businesses, custom metrics can help track user engagement and content performance:
- Video Views Beyond 30 Seconds: Measure how many viewers watch a video for at least 30 seconds, distinguishing engaged viewers from casual clickers. This can help assess the quality of video content.
- Content Shares: Count the number of shares your articles or videos receive across different social media platforms. For instance, a media website might track shares of breaking news stories to evaluate audience interest.
- Scroll Depth by Article: Track how far users scroll on long-form content. This can help you determine which topics hold your audience’s attention or where drop-offs occur.
Brick-and-Mortar Integration
If your business operates both online and offline, custom metrics can bridge the gap:
- Store Locator Usage: Track how many users search for physical store locations on your website. For example, a chain of coffee shops might use this metric to evaluate demand in different regions.
- Click-to-Call Interactions: Count the number of users who click a “Call Us” button on your mobile site to measure engagement with local audiences.
Custom metrics allow businesses across industries to align their analytics with specific KPIs, making data more actionable.
By tailoring what you measure, you can better understand your audience, refine strategies, and make informed decisions that drive growth.
Best Practices for Using Custom Metrics in GA4
Custom metrics can significantly enhance your analytics, but their effectiveness depends on how they are implemented and used.
Here are some tips to maximize their value:
1. Align Metrics with Business Goals
Ensure that your custom metrics reflect the actions or outcomes most critical to your objectives. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement with long-form content, track metrics like average time spent on key pages or the number of article shares.
2. Focus on Clarity
Clearly define what each metric represents to avoid confusion in your reports. Use descriptive names and document the purpose of each metric so your team knows how to interpret the data.
3. Monitor Trends Over Time
Custom metrics are most valuable when viewed as part of a larger trend. Regularly analyze how they change over weeks or months, and correlate these trends with your marketing efforts or website changes.
4. Don’t Overcomplicate
While custom metrics can track almost anything, avoid setting up too many at once. Focus on those that deliver actionable insights, and revisit your setup periodically to refine it as your priorities evolve.
Unlocking Insights with Custom Metrics in GA4
Custom metrics in GA4 provide flexibility to measure what truly matters to your business. Whether you’re tracking customer interactions, product engagement, or unique business actions, these metrics offer a tailored way to gain deeper insights into user behavior.
By focusing on alignment with your business goals and regularly analyzing trends, you’ll not only gain a clearer understanding of your audience but also drive more data-informed decisions that fuel growth.