Guesswork in SEO is a luxury you can’t afford.
Whether you’re running an ecommerce business or managing a content-rich website, mastering GA4 for SEO is a must to get important insights.
With more than 200 dimensions and metrics provided to help you enrich your data, you can benefit from the power of Google Analytics for SEO optimization.
Here, you will explore:
- How to use GA4 for SEO
- Most important built-in reports
- Creating custom SEO reports
- Adding reports to your navigation
and more to secure reliable data for confident decisions.
Getting Started with GA4 for SEO
Before you start exploring Google Analytics for SEO optimization and diving deeper into insightful SEO reports, you should set up your account correctly.
These include:
- Basic GA4 account settings
- Activating enhanced measurement
- Getting “Site search” toggled on
- Setting up specific events (like certain CTAs)
In addition to applying the essential GA4 settings, you should also link Google Search Console to Google Analytics 4 so you can get more GA4 SEO reports.
To get started with Google Analytics for SEO, you can use our GA4 Guidebook and make all the adjustments that will help you secure powerful SEO insights.
How to Use GA4 for SEO: Detailed Reports
Now that you’ve laid the groundwork with proper GA4 setup, it’s time to learn how to use GA4 for SEO - with detailed reports at your fingertips.
Here, you will dive deep into some essential SEO reports in GA4, which can help you improve your organic rankings by providing more granular data.
By learning how to use GA4 for SEO, you will transform your search engine optimization strategies from guesswork to data-driven precision.
You’ll make more informed decisions by:
- Monitoring changes to overall search traffic
- Pinpointing pages that attract organic high-traffic
- Identifying your content that needs optimization
- Unearthing your top-performing organic keywords
- Discovering organic users’ path on your website
and more to benefit from the real power of Google Analytics for SEO.
We are going to cover important reports regarding Google Analytics for SEO, with detailed and easy-to-follow steps here.
If you like to explore Google Analytics insights by watching videos, you can check out SEO reports in Google Analytics 4 on our YouTube channel.
SEO (Organic) Reports in Google Analytics 4
BONUS: You can start learning more about Google Analytics 4 through our dedicated Free GA4 Training & Courses page, which offers hours of quality content.
GA4 SEO Reports to Compare Organic Search Traffic
This report allows you to compare organic search traffic over different time periods, helping you track the overall performance of your SEO efforts.
Why you should check this report:
You get an overview of your content, which allows you to identify the impact of your SEO strategies over time.
For example, if you’ve recently implemented a new content strategy, you can compare your current organic traffic to previous periods.
If you see a significant decrease, it shows you might need to work on your new approach & strategy and can inform future content strategies.
This insight can help you focus on what’s working and adjust tactics that aren’t delivering results.
How to access this report:
Intermediate
5 min
GA4 Reports to See Pages with High Organic Traffic
This report shows which pages on your site are attracting the most organic traffic, helping you identify your top-performing content.
Why you should check this report:
It helps you understand which types of content are most effective at attracting organic visitors.
For instance, you might discover that a particular blog post or product page is driving a large portion of your organic traffic.
This insight can guide your content creation strategy, allowing you to produce more of what works.
You can also analyze these high-performing pages to understand why they’re successful and apply those lessons to other parts of your site.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minSEO Reports in GA4 for Underperforming Pages
This report highlights pages that are receiving less organic traffic, helping you identify content that may need optimization or updating.
Why you should check this report:
It helps you to spot opportunities for improvement across your site.
For example, once you analyze you might notice that some of your older content is receiving very little organic traffic.
This insight gives you the chance to update and optimize these pages, potentially turning underperforming content into valuable traffic drivers.
It’s also an opportunity to identify and fix any technical SEO issues that might be affecting these pages’ performance.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minDiscovering Keywords Driving Organic Traffic with GA4 SEO Reports
This report, available after connecting Google Search Console to GA4, shows which keywords are driving organic traffic to your site.
Why you should check this report:
It provides insights into the search terms that are bringing users to your site, helping you understand user intent and identify new keyword opportunities.
For instance, you might discover that you’re ranking well for keywords you hadn’t specifically targeted.
This can inform your content strategy, allowing you to create more content around these successful themes.
It can also help you identify gaps in your keyword strategy, showing you valuable terms you’re not yet targeting.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minUsing GA4 SEO Reports to Terms Searches on Your Website
This report shows the terms users are searching for on your website’s internal search function.
Why you should check this report:
It provides direct insights into what your visitors are looking for, helping you identify content gaps and improve your site’s navigation and content strategy.
For example, if you notice many users searching for a topic you haven’t covered, it’s a clear signal that you should create content on that subject.
It can also help you see the language your users use, which can inform your keyword strategy for both on-site optimization and new content creation.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minGA4 SEO Reports for Ecommerce
Google Analytics 4 offers a powerful suite of reports specifically beneficial for ecommerce businesses looking to enhance their SEO strategies.
From analyzing user journeys after organic search to tracking purchase rates, these reports offer a comprehensive view of your SEO efforts.
GA4 SEO reports for ecommerce also reveal geographical trends and device preferences, allowing you to tailor your strategies for maximum impact.
Analyze User Behavior After Organic Search Using GA4
This report allows you to track the journey of users who land on your site from organic search results.
Why you should check this report:
It helps you understand how organic visitors interact with your site, what pages they visit, and where they might be dropping off.
For instance, you might notice that many organic visitors land on your product pages but don’t proceed to checkout.
This insight can guide you to improve your product descriptions, add more compelling calls-to-action, or optimize your checkout process.
By understanding and optimizing this journey, you can increase conversions from your organic traffic.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minTracking Add to Carts from Organic Search in GA4
This report shows how many users from organic searches are adding products to their cart.
Why you should check this report:
It helps you measure the effectiveness of your organic traffic in driving actual purchase intent, a key metric for ecommerce businesses.
For example, you might notice that certain product categories have a higher “add to cart” rate from organic search.
This can inform your SEO and product strategies, suggesting which products to feature more prominently or which categories need expanded SEO efforts.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minGA4 for SEO: Purchase Rates of Visitors from Organic Search
This report shows the conversion rate of organic visitors to purchasers, broken down by product categories in the example.
Why you should check this report:
It directly ties your SEO efforts to revenue, helping you understand which organic strategies are most effective in driving sales.
For instance, you might discover that organic visitors have a higher purchase rate for certain product types.
This insight can guide your SEO strategy, suggesting where to focus your efforts for the biggest impact on your bottom line.
It can also inform your overall marketing strategy, highlighting which products are most appealing to organic searchers.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minOrganic Traffic by Country in GA4 SEO Reports for Ecommerce
This report shows the geographic distribution of your organic traffic.
Why you should check this report:
It helps you understand which countries are driving the most organic traffic, allowing you to tailor your SEO and content strategies for different markets.
For example, you might notice unexpected growth in organic traffic from a particular country.
This could give an opportunity to create localized content, adjust product offerings, or consider expanding business operations to serve that market.
It can also help you identify underperforming regions where you might need to adjust your SEO strategy.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minComparing Organic Traffic by Device Using GA4 for SEO Reports
This report breaks down your organic traffic by device type (desktop, mobile, tablet).
Why you should check this report:
It helps to understand how your site performs across different devices in organic search and optimize accordingly.
For instance, you might notice that while most of your organic traffic comes from mobile devices, the conversion rate is much higher on desktop.
This insight could prompt you to improve your mobile user experience, optimize your mobile site speed, or adjust your mobile content strategy.
By aligning your SEO efforts with user behavior across devices, you can improve both traffic and conversions.
How to access this report:
Intermediate5 minCreating a Folder for SEO Reports in GA4
Creating a dedicated folder for SEO reports in GA4 is a game-changer for organizing & accessing the insights that matter most to you.
Instead of customizing data manually each time, you can create a collection for your SEO reports in GA4 to have a central place for all your reports.
These easy-to-access SEO reports can streamline your analysis and help you make data-driven decisions faster, as they are only a few clicks away.
Let’s walk through how you can save your reports and add GA4 SEO reports to your left navigation on Google Analytics so you can get insights seamlessly.
Intermediate5 minFAQ: GA4 for SEO
Here are the most common questions about using GA4 for SEO and the related reports:
What are the most important GA4 SEO reports?
You can use GA4 for SEO and benefit from the reports mentioned above to get powerful insights allowing you to:
- Monitor changes in overall search traffic
- Identify high-performing organic landing pages
- Discover content that needs optimization
- Uncover top-performing organic keywords
- Analyze user behavior after organic search
- Track e-commerce metrics like add-to-carts and purchases from organic traffic
and more.
What countries do my organic users come from?
You can identify the countries that send the most organic traffic to your website by using GA4 for SEO. Please take a look at the ‘Organic Traffic by Country’ report mentioned above.
How can I find my top-performing organic landing pages using GA4 for SEO?
Use the Landing Page report under Engagement, apply a filter for organic traffic, and customize the report to show relevant metrics. You can sort these pages based on various engagement metrics. For more details, see the related report above.
What do my users do after they land on my website via organic search?
You can use the Path Exploration custom report in GA4 to analyze user journeys after landing on your site from organic search. This can help you understand how users navigate your site after arriving from search engines. Check out the related report above.
How do I track ecommerce data for organic traffic in GA4?
You can use GA4 for SEO and customize various reports (like Traffic Acquisition or Landing Page) to include ecommerce metrics such as “Add to cart” events or purchase conversion rates. You can also create segments to analyze organic traffic specifically. Check out the related reports above.
Where can I learn GA4 for SEO?
We offer a Free GA4 Training & Courses page with hours of quality content. Additionally, you can check out our YouTube channel for video tutorials on SEO reports in Google Analytics 4.
Can I see keywords in GA4 to track my organic search results?
Yes, you can use GA4 for SEO insights and track your organic search results. All the reports shared above shed light on your organic search results.
Is Google Analytics good for SEO analysis?
Yes, Google Analytics is an excellent tool for SEO analysis. Here’s why:
Comprehensive data: GA4 provides a wealth of data on user behavior, traffic sources, and engagement metrics, which are crucial for SEO analysis.
Integration with Google Search Console: This integration allows you to see search query data directly in GA4, providing valuable keyword insights.
User journey analysis: GA4’s path exploration features help you understand how organic visitors navigate your site, informing your content strategy and site structure.
Conversion tracking: You can track how organic traffic contributes to your goals and conversions, helping you measure SEO ROI.
Custom report creation: GA4 allows you to create tailored reports focusing on the SEO metrics most important to your business.
Segmentation capabilities: GA4 lets you isolate and analyze organic traffic specifically, allowing for focused SEO analysis.
Cross-device tracking: You can see how your SEO performance varies across different devices and platforms.
While GA4 doesn’t provide all SEO data (like backlink information or keyword rankings), it’s an indispensable tool for understanding the impact of your SEO efforts on actual user behavior and business outcomes.
When used in conjunction with other SEO tools, GA4 provides a robust foundation for comprehensive SEO analysis and strategy development.
How to create SEO reports in GA4?
While you can get many insightful built-in SEO reports in GA4, you can also create custom reports to get microscopic details from your pages. To do that:
- Go to “Explore” and create a new exploration.
- Choose a report type
- Add your chosen metrics and dimensions related to SEO.
- Use different visualization types (tables, line charts, etc.) to present your data effectively.
How can I see SEO results using Google Analytics?
You can see your SEO results in Google Analytics by making some adjustments to several key reports. These reports are mentioned above, along with easy-to-follow instructions.
Conclusion
Mastering how to use GA4 for SEO is important for anyone looking to improve their SERPs.
Throughout this guide, we’ve explored a wealth of GA4 SEO reports that provide invaluable insights into your organic search performance.
From comparing organic traffic over time to analyzing user behavior post-search, these reports offer a comprehensive toolkit for Google Analytics SEO optimization.
For ecommerce businesses, the GA4 SEO reports for e-commerce we’ve covered are particularly powerful.
They allow you to track the entire customer journey from organic search to purchase, helping you fine-tune your SEO strategy for maximum ROI.
By regularly reviewing these reports and applying the insights gained, you can continually refine your SEO efforts and improve your organic search performance.
