Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is key to understanding how people use your website, helping you improve SEO. As we head into 2025, it’s important to know which metrics to focus on to boost traffic, improve search rankings, and enhance the user experience.

Here are the top 11 GA4 metrics you should track for SEO success.

1. Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to visitors who land on your website through search engines like Google. This is a core SEO metric because it directly indicates how well your site ranks in search results.

• Why It Matters: Organic traffic reflects your SEO efforts’ effectiveness. Increasing organic traffic suggests better visibility and higher search engine rankings.
• How to Track: Navigate to “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition” in GA4 to see traffic from organic search sources.

2. Engagement Rate

Engagement rate in GA4 replaces bounce rate as a key metric. It measures how actively users interact with your content (e.g., clicks, scrolls, and conversions).

• Why It Matters: High engagement signals that users find your content valuable. It can influence SEO because Google considers user behavior when ranking pages.
• How to Track: In the “Reports” section, go to “Engagement” > “Overview” to check your site’s engagement rate.

3. Average Engagement Time

This metric tells you how much time users spend on your website, specifically interacting with your content.

• Why It Matters: Longer engagement times often indicate more relevant and high-quality content. Search engines may rank your site higher if users stay longer.
• How to Track: You can view this in the “Engagement” > “Overview” report in GA4.

4. Pages per Session

Pages per session measures the average number of pages a user visits during one session. It helps you understand how users navigate your website.

• Why It Matters: More pages viewed per session could mean your internal linking structure is effective and your content is engaging. This can lead to improved SEO performance.
• How to Track: In GA4, go to “Engagement” > “Sessions” to view pages per session.

5. Conversions

Conversions in GA4 refer to the key actions users take on your site, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter.

• Why It Matters: While conversions are primarily a business goal, they can also indicate how well your website content aligns with user intent, which is critical for SEO.
• How to Track: Go to “Engagement” > “Conversions” to track specific conversion goals set in GA4.

6. User Demographics

GA4 provides insights into user demographics such as age, gender, and location. Knowing who your audience is can help tailor content that resonates with them.

• Why It Matters: By understanding your audience better, you can optimize your content for their preferences and behaviors, improving engagement and SEO performance.
• How to Track: Head to “Demographics” in GA4 to get detailed reports on user profiles.

7. Device Category

This metric tracks which devices users are using—mobile, desktop, or tablet. Understanding the device preferences of your audience is crucial for optimizing your website’s responsiveness.

• Why It Matters: Mobile-friendliness is a key ranking factor for SEO. Knowing what percentage of users visit your site via mobile can help prioritize mobile optimizations.
• How to Track: Under “Tech” > “Device” in GA4, you’ll find a breakdown of device categories.

8. New vs. Returning Users

This metric compares how many new visitors come to your site versus returning ones. It helps you understand your content’s ability to attract new users and retain old ones.

• Why It Matters: Balancing new and returning users is essential for SEO success. Returning users signal that your content is valuable, while new users reflect growth in organic reach.
• How to Track: Go to “Reports” > “Lifecycle” > “Retention” to see the breakdown of new and returning users.

9. Top Landing Pages

This metric shows the most visited pages where users first land on your website. These are the entry points that attract the most organic traffic.

• Why It Matters: Knowing your top-performing landing pages can help you optimize them further for SEO, ensuring they rank even higher.
• How to Track: Navigate to “Engagement” > “Pages and Screens” to see the performance of your landing pages.

10. Event Tracking

In GA4, events are actions taken by users, such as clicks, video plays, or form submissions. Setting up custom events can give deeper insights into user interactions.

• Why It Matters: Event tracking helps you understand specific user actions, which can inform how you improve user experience and optimize for SEO.
• How to Track: You can set up and track events in the “Events” section of GA4.

11. Session Source/Medium

Session Source/Medium tells you where your traffic is coming from (e.g., Google, social media, referral). Understanding the sources of your traffic can help fine-tune your SEO strategy.

• Why It Matters: By tracking your top traffic sources, you can identify opportunities to optimize content for different channels and improve your search rankings.
• How to Track: Go to “Acquisition” > “Traffic Acquisition” and look at the “Source/Medium” report to analyze this metric.

Conclusion

GA4 offers an array of powerful metrics that can help you optimize your SEO strategy for success in 2025. By focusing on organic traffic, engagement rate, conversions, and other key metrics, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how users interact with your website and where to make improvements. Tracking these metrics regularly will enable you to refine your SEO efforts, boost rankings, and ultimately drive more organic traffic.