Welcome to Datatrics' Help Guide on using custom dimensions and explorations in Google Analytics 4 to measure touchpoint performance. In this guide, we'll walk you through adding custom dimensions, creating explorations, and comparing segments for better insights into your data.
GA4 will only track the dimensions from the moment you add them. You cannot retroactively build reports even if the data has been shared with GA4 for some time. This is a limit of GA4.
Adding Custom Dimensions
Event-scoped custom dimensions help you enrich event data in Google Analytics 4. In Universal Analytics the event_action and event_label events were automatically tracked. In GA4, you need to add them manually. Let’s do that first!
Event-Scoped Custom Dimensions
Follow these steps to add event_action and event_label custom dimensions.
Login and Access Property Settings: Log in to your Google Analytics account and click the gear icon at the bottom left to access the Admin section.
Configure Event-Scoped Custom Dimensions:
Navigate to "Custom Definitions" and remain in the "Custom dimensions" tab.
Add
event_actionDimension:Click the blue "Create Custom Dimension" button.
Fill in:
Dimension name:
event_actionScope: Event
A description is optional
Event parameter:
event_action
Save Changes: Click "Save" to create the custom dimensions.
Add
event_labelDimension:Click "Create Custom Dimension"
Fill in:
Dimension name:
event_labelScope: Event
A description is optional
Event parameter:
event_label
Save Changes: Click "Save" to create the custom dimensions.
Your Custom definitions overview with the dimensions added should now look like this:
User-Scoped Custom Dimension
User-scoped custom dimensions enhance user-level insights. At Datatrics, we use it to set the A/B testing group. The value of this custom dimension can be set to either show (the Datatrics group) or hide (the control group).
Here's how to add the datatrics_group custom dimension.
Access Property Settings and Custom Definitions: Follow the steps from the previous section.
Add User-Scoped Custom Dimension:
Click the blue "Create Custom Dimension" button.
Fill in:
Dimension name:
datatrics_groupScope: User
A description is optional
Event parameter: datatrics_group
Save Changes: Click "Save" to create the custom dimension.
Your Custom definitions overview with the dimensions added should now look like this:
Creating Explorations
With GA4 explorations, you can analyze data using customizable segments, metrics, and dimensions to uncover patterns, trends, and insights that inform your business decisions.
Comparing Datatrics Show & Hide Segments (Datatrics vs. Control group)
To access Explorations: In your Google Analytics 4 property, navigate to "Explore" in the left navigation bar. Now create a Blank Exploration with the big Plus sign:
Create Segments:
On the left pane, click on the plus sign next to SEGMENTS on the left variables pane.
For the "Datatrics Show group" segment:
Create a Session segment.
Click “Add new condition”, search, and add “
datatrics_group”.Add a filter with the condition “contains” and the value “show”.
Apply the filter.
Name the segment “Datatrics Show group”.
Save and apply the segment.
Example:
For the "Datatrics Hide group" segment:
Follow the same steps as the “Datatrics Show group” segment, but change the filter value to “hide”.
Add Metrics:
Click the plus icon next to "METRICS" on the left variables pane and select metrics like Total Users, Sessions, Purchases, and Session Conversion Rate. You can add more metrics as you need them.
Segments should have been automatically added to your exploration:
You need to add the metrics to the exploration’s values manually:
To create a nicer overview in your exploration, we recommend you pivot to the last row:
You can now name your Exploration and start comparing both groups with the metrics of your liking. Remember that the segments are session-scoped, and you only compare sessions where touchpoints have been shown or should have been shown in the control group.
Comparing Touchpoint Performances
Unfortunately, GA4 doesn’t support a touchpoint overview like Universal Analytics did. You must create a segment for every combination of a touchpoint and an A/B testing group.
To create an Exploration: Follow the first steps from the previous section.
Create Segments:
On the left pane, click on the plus sign next to SEGMENTS on the left variables pane.
For "Datatrics {{touchpoint name}} - Show group" segment:
Create a Session segment.
Click “Add new condition”, search, and add “
datatrics_group”.Add a filter with the condition “contains” and the value “show”.
Apply the filter.
Add another condition by clicking the blue “And” button.
For the new condition, click “Add new condition”, search, and add “
event_label”.Add a filter with the condition “contains” and the value “{{your touchpoint name}}”. You can search and select touchpoint names from the list.
Name the segment “Datatrics {{touchpoint name}} - Show group”.
Save and apply the segment.
Example of adding the second condition:
For "Datatrics {{touchpoint name}} - Hide group" segment:
Follow the same steps as the “Datatrics {{touchpoint name}} - Show group” segment, but change the filter value to “hide”.
Add Metrics:
Click the plus icon next to "METRICS" on the left variables pane and select metrics as needed, like Total Users, Sessions, Purchases, and Session Conversion Rate. You can add more metrics as you need them.
Also, for this exploration, segments should have been automatically added to your exploration:
You need to add the metrics to the exploration’s values manually:
You can now name your Exploration and start comparing both touchpoint groups with the metrics of your liking. Remember that the segments are session-scoped, and you only compare sessions where touchpoints have been shown or should have been shown in the control group. You can repeat the above process for all touchpoints you want to compare.
By following these steps, you can harness the power of custom dimensions and explorations in Google Analytics 4 to gain valuable insights into your data, compare segments, and analyze various metrics according to your business needs. If you need any more help, don't hesitate to contact our support team. Happy exploring!