Summary
This guide assumes that you are using the Google Analytics dashboard developed for CWU websites in Google Looker Studio.
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3. Total Users
Total Users represents the number of unique individuals who visited your website during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a “user” is counted when someone initiates at least one session on your site. If the same person visits multiple times during the reporting period, they are still counted as one user, not multiple.
What this means in practice
· If one person visits your site 5 times in January, they count as 1 Total User.
· If 100 different people each visit once, that counts as 100 Total Users.
· If someone visits from two different devices (e.g., phone and laptop), they may be counted as two users unless Google can confidently recognize them as the same person.
How to interpret this number
· Higher Total Users generally indicates broader reach.
· If this number increases compared to the previous period, more people are discovering/returning to your web site.
· If it decreases, it may indicate reduced visibility, seasonality, or changes in traffic sources.
This metric helps answer the question: “How many different people visited my website during this time?”
4. New Users
New Users represents the number of people who visited your website for the first time during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a user is considered “new” when their device or browser has not previously recorded a visit to your site. If someone has never interacted with your website before and initiates a session, they are counted as a New User.
What this means in practice
- If a person visits your site for the first time in the selected month, they count as 1 New User.
- If they return later in the same month, they are still counted as only one New User.
- If someone visits using a different device (e.g., phone and laptop) or clears their cookies, they may be counted as a new user again.
How to interpret this number
- A higher number of New Users indicates that your website is reaching new audiences.
- Growth in this metric often reflects successful outreach, marketing campaigns, SEO improvements, or increased visibility.
- If New Users are low but Total Users remain steady, it suggests that most traffic is coming from returning visitors rather than new audiences.
This metric helps answer the question: “How many first-time visitors did my website attract during this time?”
5. Views
Views represents the total number of times pages on your website were viewed during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a “view” is recorded every time a page loads or reloads in a user’s browser. This includes repeat views of the same page by the same person.
What this means in practice
- A single user visiting one-page counts as 1 view.
- If that same user navigates to three different pages, that counts as 3 views.
- If they refresh a page, that refresh also counts as an additional view.
- If one user visits five times during the month and views multiple pages each time, every page load is counted.
How to interpret this number
- A higher number of Views indicates greater overall activity on your website.
- If Views increase while Total Users remains steady, it suggests users are exploring more pages per visit.
- If Views decrease but Users remain stable, visitors may be spending less time navigating through your content.
This metric helps answer the question: “How many total page loads occurred on my website during this time?”
6. Sessions
Sessions represents the total number of visits to your website during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a session begins when a user starts interacting with your site and ends after a period of inactivity (typically 30 minutes by default). A single user can have multiple sessions during the reporting period.
What this means in practice
- If one person visits your site once, that counts as 1 session.
- If that same person leaves and comes back later that day, that counts as 2 sessions.
- If a user visits five different times during the month, that counts as 5 sessions, even though they may still be only one user.
How to interpret this number
- Sessions show how often your website was visited.
- If Sessions increase while Total Users stays steady, it suggests users are returning more frequently.
- If Sessions and Users both increase, your website is reaching more people and being visited more often.
- If Sessions decrease but Users remain steady, users may be visiting less frequently.
This metric helps answer the question: “How many total visits occurred on my website during this time?”
7. Engagement Rate
Engagement Rate represents the percentage of sessions that were considered “engaged” during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), an engaged session is one that meets at least one of the following criteria:
- Lasted longer than 10 seconds
- Included two or more page views
- Triggered a conversion event
Engagement Rate is calculated as:
Engaged Sessions ÷ Total Sessions
What this means in practice
- If 100 sessions occurred and 65 met the engagement criteria, your engagement rate would be 65%.
- A session where someone visits one page and leaves immediately may not be counted as engaged.
- A session where someone reads a page for more than 10 seconds, navigates to another page, or completes a key action would be considered engaged.
How to interpret this number
- A higher Engagement Rate generally indicates that visitors are finding your content relevant and useful.
- If Engagement Rate is increasing, users are interacting more meaningfully with your site.
- If Engagement Rate is low, visitors may not be finding what they expect, or your content may not be encouraging further interaction.
This metric helps answer the question: “Are visitors meaningfully interacting with my website?”
8. Average Session Duration
Average Session Duration represents the average amount of time users spent on your website during a session within the selected date range.
This metric is calculated by dividing the total duration of all sessions by the total number of sessions. It reflects how long, on average, visitors remain actively engaged with your site during each visit.
What this means in practice
- If users collectively spent 1,000 minutes across 100 sessions, the average session duration would be 10 minutes.
- A short session (for example, 10–15 seconds) lowers the average.
- Longer sessions (such as users browsing multiple pages or reading content in depth) increase the average.
How to interpret this number
- A higher average session duration often suggests users are spending more time reading, exploring, or interacting with your content.
- A lower average may indicate that visitors are quickly finding what they need and leaving — or that they are not finding relevant content.
- This metric should be reviewed alongside Engagement Rate and Views to understand overall behavior.
This metric helps answer the question: “How long do visitors typically spend on my website during each visit?”
9. How Are Site Sessions Trending?
The Site Sessions Trending chart shows how the number of sessions (visits) to your website changes over time within the selected date range.
This line graph displays sessions by day, week, or month (depending on the date range selected), allowing you to see patterns, spikes, and declines in traffic.
What this means in practice
- Each point on the chart represents the number of sessions during a specific time period.
- A spike may indicate a marketing campaign, event, announcement, or external referral driving traffic.
- A dip may reflect seasonality, reduced outreach activity, holidays, or technical issues.
- Comparing the trend line to the previous period helps determine whether traffic is increasing or decreasing overall.
How to interpret this chart
- An upward trend suggests growing visibility or increased interest in your website.
- A downward trend may signal reduced engagement, changes in search rankings, or fewer promotional efforts.
- Consistent peaks on certain days may indicate recurring behavior patterns (such as weekday usage).
- Isolated spikes should be investigated to understand what caused the increase.
This chart helps answer the question: “Is overall website traffic increasing, decreasing, or remaining steady over time?”
10. What Are the Top Regions by Sessions? (Table)
The Top Regions by Sessions table shows the geographic locations where your website sessions originated during the selected date range.
This table lists the top states, regions, or countries generating the most sessions, ranked by total visits.
What this means in practice
- Each region listed represents the approximate location of users based on IP address data.
- The number shown next to each region reflects how many sessions originated from that location.
- A higher number indicates stronger visibility or interest from that geographic area.
- If your website serves a local audience, most sessions may come from within Washington State.
- If your site supports recruitment or outreach, you may see traffic from multiple states or countries.
How to interpret this table
- Strong local traffic suggests your primary audience is nearby or affiliated with the university.
- Growth in out-of-state or international regions may indicate expanded outreach or broader awareness.
- Unexpected traffic from unfamiliar regions may warrant investigation (for example, bot activity or unusual referral sources).
- Regional data can help inform marketing, recruitment, and communication strategies.
This table helps answer the question: “Where are visitors to my website located?”
11. Traffic by Device (Chart)
The Traffic by Device chart shows how website sessions are distributed across different device types during the selected date range.
This chart typically breaks traffic into categories such as Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet, displaying the percentage or total number of sessions from each device type.
What this means in practice
- sessions come from laptops and desktop computers.
- sessions come from smartphones.
- sessions come from tablet devices.
- The chart shows how visitors are accessing your website and which devices are most commonly used.
How to interpret this chart
- A high percentage of mobile traffic indicates that your website must be optimized for mobile usability.
- If mobile traffic is growing, you should prioritize responsive design, page speed, and simplified navigation.
- If desktop traffic dominates, your audience may be accessing the site from offices, schools, or institutional settings.
- Sudden shifts in device usage may reflect changes in audience behavior, marketing campaigns, or seasonal trends.
This chart helps answer the question: “What devices are visitors using to access my website?”
12. Channels by New vs. Returning Visitors
The Channels by New vs. Returning Visitors report shows how users are arriving at your website and whether they are visiting for the first time or returning.
“Channels” refer to the traffic sources that brought users to your website, such as Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Social, Email, or Paid Search. This report compares how those channels perform in attracting new visitors versus bringing back returning users.
What this means in practice
- Organic Search includes users who found your site through search engines like Google.
- traffic includes users who typed your URL directly into their browser or used a bookmark.
- traffic comes from links on other websites.
- traffic comes from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
- Each channel is broken down by how many of those visitors were new versus returning.
How to interpret this report
- A strong number of New Users from Organic Search suggests your website is performing well in search results.
- A high number of Returning Users from Direct traffic may indicate loyal or repeat visitors.
- If most channels are bringing in returning users but few new users, your outreach may need to expand.
- Comparing new vs. returning visitors helps you understand whether your site is focused more on audience growth or audience retention.
This report helps answer the question: “How are people finding my website, and are they new visitors or returning ones?”
13. What Pages Are Users Viewing? (Table)
The What Pages Are Users Viewing? table shows the individual pages on your website that received the most views during the selected date range.
This table typically lists page titles or URLs alongside metrics such as total views, users, or sessions, ranked from highest to lowest activity.
What this means in practice
- Each row represents a specific webpage on your site.
- The number of views indicates how often that page was loaded.
- Pages at the top of the table are receiving the most traffic.
- Pages lower on the list may have lower visibility or more specialized audiences.
How to interpret this table
- High-traffic pages indicate content that is popular, useful, or frequently referenced.
- If important pages (such as program pages or key resources) are not appearing near the top, it may signal discoverability issues.
- Comparing this table over time can help you identify growing interest in specific topics.
- Sudden increases in views may reflect marketing campaigns, announcements, or seasonal interest.
This table helps answer the question: “Which specific pages on my website are receiving the most attention?”
14. Where Are Users Coming From? (Table)
The Where Are Users Coming From? table shows the traffic sources that brought users to your website during the selected date range.
This table typically lists acquisition sources such as Organic Search, Direct, Referral, Social, Email, and Paid Search, along with the number of users or sessions generated by each source.
What this means in practice
- Organic Search includes users who found your site through search engines like Google.
- traffic includes users who typed your website URL directly into their browser or used a bookmark.
- traffic comes from links on other websites.
- traffic comes from social media platforms.
- traffic comes from email campaigns or newsletters.
- Paid Search traffic comes from paid advertising campaigns.
Each row in the table shows how many users arrived from that specific source.
How to interpret this table
- A high percentage of Organic Search traffic indicates strong search visibility and SEO performance.
- Strong Direct traffic often suggests returning visitors or brand recognition.
- Referral and Social traffic can indicate successful partnerships or promotional efforts.
- A heavy reliance on one channel may signal a need to diversify outreach strategies.
- Changes over time can help identify which marketing or communication efforts are driving traffic.
This table helps answer the question: “How are visitors finding my website?”
15. What Events Are Being Engaged? (Table)
The What Events Are Being Engaged? table shows the actions users are taking on your website during the selected date range.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), an event is any tracked interaction on your website. This can include actions such as clicking a button, downloading a file, submitting a form, watching a video, or navigating to a specific page.
What this means in practice
- Each row in the table represents a specific event being tracked.
- The number associated with each event shows how many times that action occurred.
- Common events may include page views, file downloads, outbound link clicks, or form submissions.
- Higher counts indicate that users are actively interacting with those elements.
How to interpret this table
- Events with high engagement indicate content or features that users find useful or important.
- If a key action (such as a form submission or application click) has low engagement, it may signal usability or visibility issues.
- Reviewing event trends over time can help measure the effectiveness of campaigns or calls to action.
- Comparing event engagement to total sessions helps determine whether users are taking meaningful actions on your site.
This table helps answer the question: “What actions are users taking while visiting my website?”
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Table
The PII table identifies events or Cascade form fields that may be collecting personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other sensitive user data.
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), collecting PII is strictly prohibited under Google’s terms of service. This table is intended to help monitor and ensure that no personal data is being unintentionally captured in event parameters, URLs, or form submissions.
What this means in practice
- If the table shows flagged entries, it may indicate that personal data is being passed through URLs, query strings, or event tracking.
- Common examples include email addresses embedded in URLs or form fields being tracked improperly.
- Ideally, this table should show no PII being collected.
How to interpret this table
- A clean PII table indicates that your tracking configuration is compliant with privacy and data protection standards.
- If PII appears in this table, it should be investigated immediately.
- Work with Web Services to remove or sanitize any form that captures personal data.
- Regular review helps protect user privacy and ensures compliance with institutional policy and Google Analytics terms of service.
This table helps answer the question: “Is our website tracking configuration compliant and free of personally identifiable information?”
16. What Pages Are Users Viewing? (Table)
The What Pages Are Users Viewing? table shows which individual pages on your website received the most activity during the selected date range.
This table typically lists page titles or URLs along with metrics such as views, users, or sessions, ranked from highest to lowest engagement.
What this means in practice
- Each row represents a specific webpage on your site.
- The metrics displayed indicate how frequently that page was accessed.
- Pages near the top of the table are attracting the most attention.
- Pages lower in the list may serve niche audiences or have lower visibility.
How to interpret this table
- High-traffic pages highlight content that is popular, timely, or essential to users.
- If critical pages (such as program descriptions or key resources) are not appearing near the top, you may need to improve internal linking or visibility.
- Reviewing this table over time can help identify trends in user interest.
- Sudden increases in page views may indicate the impact of a campaign, announcement, or seasonal activity.
This table helps answer the question: “Which specific pages are users spending time on during this reporting period?”