With the switch from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), publishers and website owners lost easy visibility into quite a few metrics they used to track religiously to understand user behavior on their site, including:

The good news is that Google decided to keep all the standard UA metrics around, they’re just a bit harder to find in GA4 than they used to be.

In this article, we dig into GA4 vs. Universal Analytics, and more specifically, where you can locate the Average Session Duration, now known as Average Engagement Time Per Session in GA4, and the key differences and similarities between each category of data collection.

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GA4 Pillar

GA4 Training: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating Google Analytics 4 

Before we dig into several key GA4 engagement metrics, it’s important to note that if you would prefer to continue using any of the above-noted UA metrics rather than the updated GA4 metrics, the Explore section of GA4 allows you to access custom reports so you may continue reviewing these old standard metrics.

GA4_Explore

Now, let’s examine the metric that Google introduced in GA4 as a “replacement” for Average Session Duration so you understand the differences between each.

 

 

Average Session Duration vs. Average Engagement Time Per Session

Average Session Duration (Universal Analytics): This metric measures the average total time a user spends with your website open.

Average Engagement Time Per Session (GA4): This metric collects the total time an active user spends engaged or looking at your website. This measurement removes time spent with your website open but not in an active tab to provide deeper insight into user engagement and a more accurate picture of your truly engaged sessions.

For several reasons, you will probably want to know both metrics because tracking major changes in either can indicate an important change in user behavior on your site to be aware of. 

But if you run ads, Average Engagement Time Per Session is the best measurement of how much time you’ll be able to spend serving in-view ads to your users.

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GA4 Resource Center

The Complete GA4 Resource Center

How to Locate Average Session Duration in GA4

1. First, head to Explore in the left main navigation menu, then select the Blank Exploration report.

GA4_Explore

2. Click the + next to Metrics.

GA4_Explore_Metrics +-1

3. Navigate to and select Average Session Duration under the Session tab.

GA4_Explore_Average Session Duration-1

4. Choose the line chart visualization.

GA4_Explore_Line Chart-1

5. Then drag the Average Session Duration block from under Metrics to the Values area.

GA4_Explore_Average Session Duration_Values-1

From there, you should be able to adjust your date ranges as desired and see changes in your total session duration metrics over time.

You can also play with other visualization methods like tables, rather than a line chart, and more to combine Average Session Duration with other metrics you want to analyze simultaneously. You can also add Segments in the right-hand menu that narrow your results to a specific category (e.g. just on sessions generated from Organic Traffic or other distinct digital marketing efforts).

Playwire: Helping Publishers Understand User Engagement

At Playwire, it’s our job to help publishers and content creators understand how ads affect user engagement. 

Ensuring you earn the most revenue possible is a balancing act between maintaining user engagement and engaged sessions with strategic ad injection. Too many ads mean shorter and fewer sessions. Too few ads mean you’re probably missing revenue opportunities. We’re here to help you walk the tightrope.

To learn all the ins and outs of maintaining the balance between SEO and ad revenue, ad layout, and user experience, jump into our ad layout course or contact us for help!

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