How Metrics are different in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), updated 18 July 2022

 

As of 11 July 2022, GA4 now has the bounce rate metric. However, GA4’s calculation of bounce rate is different in UA.

To recap, bounce rate is a GA metric used by marketers to review if website (or app) content is performing well. 

 

How is “bounce rate” different in GA and GA4?

Bounce Rate metric differences Counting Methodology Example
GA4
  • Based on percentage of sessions that were not “engaged sessions, which is defined as:
  • Stayed on page for 10 sec or longer OR
  • Viewed more than 1 page OR
  • Triggered a conversion event
 User visits the website,  reads content on the landing page for under 10 seconds and leaves.
UA
  • Based on percentage of single page sessions where there is no interaction
    • Interaction examples are clicking of links on landing page, or triggering events on page
 User visits the webpage for a few minutes, and leaves. Did not click on anything on page.

 

Is Bounce Rate irrelevant now?

In GA4, using bounce rate alone to review content performance of an app and/or website may not be enough. This is because a user’s behaviour in an app or site has evolved.

  • E.g – it is possible for a user to view a page, get all the info they need, and leave without triggering an event — in GA, this would count as a bounce. 

In such a context, bounce rate and engagement rate should both be used to review overall content performance of an app and/or website.

 

Including Engagement Rate as part of content review

A GA4 metric to review content performance  of app and/or website is engagement rate – which is measured when user had an engaged session, i,e:

  • Stayed on page for 10 sec or longer OR
  • Viewed more than 1 page OR
  • Triggered a conversion event

Engagement rate gives insight on how audiences value the content on your site/app: so marketers should switch focus on improving engagement rate, instead of looking at bounce rate alone as it’s the opposite of engagement rate.

Engagement rate and other metrics are available in GA4.

 

Sunsetting of Google Analytics (UA)

Google is officially sunsetting Google Analytics (UA) in July 2023. This means, new data will not be collected from July 2023 onwards. Marketers are already starting their migration to Google Analytics 4 to prepare themselves for the platform’s changes.

It’s understandable that marketers are new and a little uneasy on how to migrate to GA4. Drop us a note here to review your next steps, or read our consultants’ deep dive on what to expect with the sunsetting of Google Analytics UA.

Learn more about the sunsetting of Universal Analytics >