Google Analytics 4 (GA4) introduces a fresh approach to tracking and reporting compared to Universal Analytics (UA). If you’re wondering how to filter reports by search engine to analyze traffic sources, this guide will walk you through the process step by step. Additionally, we’ll explore related concepts like the GA4 source/medium list and how to utilize tools like Looker Studio for enhanced reporting.
Why Filter by Search Engine in GA4?
Understanding the performance of your organic traffic sources like Google, Yahoo, and Bing can help refine your SEO strategy. GA4’s flexibility allows you to customize reports for granular insights into source/medium data, helping you answer questions like:
- What is the difference between source and medium in GA4?
- How do I pull reports in GA4?
- How to see source medium in Google Analytics 4?
My Challenge as an SEO Manager
I’m Snell Rojas, an experienced SEO manager. My mission is to ensure our organic traffic is growing and accurately distributed across various search engines. Recently, I encountered a puzzling anomaly. While analyzing our organic traffic using GA4’s «organic traffic» filter, I noticed the numbers seemed inflated—showing up to 45% more traffic than what Google Search Console was reporting. This discrepancy raised red flags.
Was GA4 misreporting traffic? Or were there other search engines driving organic traffic that I had overlooked? To get to the bottom of this, I needed a way to filter by specific search engines and pinpoint the source of the discrepancy. Here’s how I tackled the challenge.
Step-by-Step: Filter by Search Engine in GA4
- Navigate to User Acquisition Reports
- Go to Reports in the GA4 interface.
- Select Life Cycle > Acquisition > User acquisition from the menu.
- Edit the Report
- Click on the pencil icon (Customize report) in the top-right corner.
- This will allow you to modify the existing report or create a custom one.
- Add the Source/Medium Filter
- Under the Filters section, add the dimension Source/Medium.
- Use filtering techniques like:
- Contains: Filter for a keyword such as «yahoo» to include variations like «yahoo / organic.»
- Exactly Matches: Use this to focus on specific search engines and exclude noise.
- Create a New Report
- After applying your filters, save the report with a descriptive name like «Yahoo Organic Traffic» or «Search Engine Breakdown.»
- Organize Reports into a Collection
- In the Library section, create a new collection titled Search Engines.
- Add your filtered reports to this collection for easy access.
- Optional: Leverage Looker Studio or Google Sheets
- Looker Studio Integration: Connect GA4 to Looker Studio to build custom dashboards with tables segmented by search engine.
- Google Sheets: Export data from GA4 manually or via the API for detailed analysis.
Key Insights: GA4 Source/Medium List
- Source: Represents the origin of your traffic, such as «google» or «bing.»
- Medium: Describes how the traffic arrived, like «organic,» «CPC,» or «referral.»
Together, the source/medium dimension provides granular insights. For example, «google / organic» tells you the traffic came from organic search results on Google.
FAQs on Filtering by Source/Medium in GA4
How to See Source Medium in Google Analytics 4?
Navigate to Reports > Acquisition > User acquisition and ensure the Source/Medium dimension is added to the table. You can also apply filters for more specific analysis.
What is the Difference Between Source and Medium in GA4?
- Source identifies where the traffic originated (e.g., «google,» «facebook»).
- Medium describes the method or channel of the traffic (e.g., «organic,» «referral,» «CPC»).
How Do I Pull Reports in GA4?
Customize and filter reports directly within the GA4 interface or use integrations like Looker Studio and Google Sheets for exporting data.
How This Helped Me Solve the Discrepancy
By creating filters for individual search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, I could break down the organic traffic into specific sources. This allowed me to uncover that a significant portion of the traffic labeled as «organic» in GA4 was coming from lesser-known search engines and referral sources that Google Search Console does not track.
Armed with these insights, I created a new Search Engine Breakdown report and organized it into a dedicated collection in GA4. This helped me not only reconcile the traffic discrepancies but also improve my understanding of where my organic traffic was truly coming from.
Filtering by search engine in Google Analytics 4 allows you to unlock critical insights into your organic traffic and fine-tune your SEO strategies. By following the steps above, you can create customized reports, organize them for efficient access, and leverage tools like Looker Studio to enhance your analytics capabilities.
For SEO managers like me, this process isn’t just about tracking numbers—it’s about ensuring the accuracy of the data we rely on to make strategic decisions. Start experimenting with the GA4 source/medium report today and see how granular insights can transform your marketing outcomes!
