Using google analytics effectively

Here are some suggestions for GA4 metrics and dimensions for an open-source software project’s website, along with useful ways to visualize them. The key is to align tracking with the primary goals of such a site: attracting users, facilitating downloads/usage, providing documentation, and fostering community/contributions.

Core Goals of an Open Source Project Website

1. Increase Awareness & Adoption: Get people to know about and use the software.
2. Provide Support: Offer clear documentation and help resources.
3. Build Community: Encourage interaction, contributions, and feedback.
4. Showcase Project Health & Activity: Demonstrate ongoing development and value.

Appropriate GA4 Metrics & Dimensions

Here’s a breakdown, categorized by goal:

Awareness & Adoption

Type	Name	Description
Metrics	Users	Total unique users visiting the site.
	New Users	Users visiting for the first time. Tracks growth.
	Sessions	Total number of visits.
	Event Count (for download event)	Crucial. You’ll need to set up a custom event to track clicks on download links/buttons.
	Conversions (based on download event)	Mark the download event as a conversion for easy tracking.
	Views	Total page/screen views.
Dimensions	Session Source / Medium	How users arrived (e.g., google / organic, github.com / referral, direct / none). Essential for understanding acquisition channels.
	First User Source / Medium	The channel that first brought the user to the site. Good for understanding initial discovery.
	Landing Page + query string	The first page a user saw in their session. Helps identify popular entry points.
	Country / City	Geographic location of users.
	Device Category	Desktop, mobile, tablet usage.

Providing Support (Documentation)

• Metrics:
  • Views (filtered by documentation pages): How often are specific documentation sections viewed?
  • Average Engagement Time per Session/Page (filtered): Are users spending time reading the docs, or quickly leaving?
  • Event Count (for view_search_results): If using the site’s search for docs, how often is it used? (Enhanced Measurement)
  • Scrolls (filtered by documentation pages): Are users scrolling down long documentation pages? (Enhanced Measurement)
• Dimensions:
  • Page Path and Screen Class: The specific documentation pages being viewed.
  • Search Term: What are users searching for on your site? (Requires setup)
  • Session Source / Medium: Do users arriving from specific channels engage more with docs?

Building Community & Contributions

• Metrics:
  • Event Count (for outbound_click or custom events): Track clicks leading to:
    • Code Repositories (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) - Custom Event like view_repository recommended.
    • Issue Trackers - Custom Event like view_issues recommended.
    • Community Forums/Chat (Discourse, Slack, Discord) - Custom Event like join_community recommended.
    • Contribution Guides - Can be tracked via Views, or a custom event view_contribution_guide.
  • Conversions (based on the above custom events): Mark key community link clicks as conversions.
• Dimensions:
  • Page Path and Screen Class: Which pages are driving clicks to community resources? (e.g., the “Contribute” page).
  • Outbound Link URL: The specific external URL clicked (useful if not using custom events, though less precise).
  • Session Source / Medium: Are certain channels bringing in more potential contributors?

Showcasing Project Health & Activity

• Metrics:
  • Views (filtered by Blog/News/Release Notes): How often are updates being read?
  • Average Engagement Time per Session/Page (filtered): Are users reading the content?
  • Users / New Users: Overall site growth indicates project interest.
• Dimensions:
  • Page Path and Screen Class: Which specific blog posts or release notes are most popular?
  • Session Source / Medium: How are people finding out about updates?

General Engagement & Technical

• Metrics:
  • Engagement Rate: Percentage of sessions that lasted longer than 10 seconds, had a conversion event, or had 2+ page views. Indicates quality visits.
  • Average Engagement Time per Session: Overall time users are actively engaged.
• Dimensions:
  • Browser: Technical dimension for compatibility checks.
  • Operating System: Technical dimension.
  • Language: User’s browser language.

Important Considerations

• Custom Events are Key: GA4’s automatic tracking is good, but you must set up custom events (e.g., via Google Tag Manager) to track crucial actions like downloads, clicks to GitHub/issue tracker, etc.
• Mark Conversions: Identify the most important events (like download, view_repository) and mark them as conversions in the GA4 interface. This makes reporting on key goals much easier.
• Filters & Segments: Use GA4’s “Explore” section heavily. Create reports filtered by specific page paths (e.g., /docs/, /blog/) or user segments (e.g., users from specific countries, users who downloaded the software).

Good Plots and Tables for Summarization

1. Acquisition Overview Dashboard:
   • Table: Sessions, Users, New Users, Engagement Rate, Conversions (Downloads) by Session Source / Medium. (Shows effectiveness of channels).
   • Time Series Chart: Users and New Users over time (daily/weekly). (Shows growth trends).
   • Pie Chart: New vs. Returning Users. (Shows audience composition).
   • Geo Map: Users by Country. (Shows geographic reach).
2. Content & Engagement Report:
   • Table: Top Pages (Page Path and Screen Class) by Views, Users, Average Engagement Time, Scrolls, Event Count (download or other key actions initiated from that page). (Shows popular/effective content).
   • Table: Top Landing Pages (Landing Page + query string) by Sessions, Engagement Rate, Conversions (Downloads). (Shows effective entry points).
   • Table (Filtered for Blog/News): Pages by Views, Average Engagement Time. (Shows blog performance).
3. Download Performance Report:
   • Time Series Chart: download Event Count over time. (Shows download trends).
   • Table: download Event Count (or Conversions) by Session Source / Medium. (Shows which channels drive downloads).
   • Table: download Event Count (or Conversions) by Landing Page + query string. (Shows which entry pages lead to downloads).
   • Table: download Event Count (or Conversions) by Country.
4. Documentation Usage Report:
   • Table (Filtered for /docs/ path): Top Documentation Pages by Views, Average Engagement Time, Scrolls. (Shows most used/engaging docs).
   • Table: Search Term by Usage Count. (Shows what users are looking for).
5. Community & Contribution Funnel:
   • Table: Event Count for view_repository, view_issues, join_community etc. by Session Source / Medium. (Shows channels driving community engagement).
   • Table: Event Count for these custom events by Page Path (Shows which pages drive these actions, e.g., “Contribute” page effectiveness).
   • (Advanced): A Funnel Exploration report showing users moving from viewing a contribution page -> clicking the repository link.
6. Technology Overview:
   • Pie Chart: Users by Device Category.
   • Table: Users by Browser and Operating System. (Useful for identifying potential compatibility issues if specific tech groups have low engagement).