Google Analytics 4 in plain words
The Google Analytics 4 terms people ask about most, from active users to (not set), explained in plain words, with the SimpleDash word for each.
Google Analytics 4 uses a lot of words that mean something slightly different from what you'd expect. This glossary explains the ones people ask about most, in plain words, with where to find each in GA4 and what SimpleDash calls it.
The quick table
| In SimpleDash | In Google Analytics or Search Console |
|---|---|
| Visitors | Active users (activeUsers) |
| Page views | Views (screenPageViews) |
| Avg. time | User engagement duration ÷ active users |
| Signups | Event count of the key event you choose |
| Sources | Session source (sessionSource) |
| Channels | Session default channel group (sessionDefaultChannelGroup) |
| Pages | Page path (pagePath) |
| Landing pages | Landing page (landingPage) |
| Countries and cities | Country and city (country, countryId, city) |
| Devices | Device category, browser and operating system |
| Actions | Event count by event name (eventCount by eventName) |
| Right now | Realtime active users, last 30 minutes |
| Clicks | Search Console clicks |
| Seen | Search Console impressions |
| Click rate | Search Console CTR |
| Position | Search Console average position |
| Searches | Search Console queries |
Visitors and visits
Active users
What GA4 counts as a visitor, and how it differs from total and new users.
Sessions
One visit, and when GA4 starts a new one.
Engaged sessions and bounce rate
GA4's idea of a visit that counted.
Average engagement time
How long people really spend with your site.
Views
Page views, and why one visitor can make many.
Events
Everything GA4 records is an event.
Where visitors come from
Source and medium
Who sent the visit, and how.
Default channel group
GA4's buckets: Search, Social, Direct and more.
Landing page
The first page of a visit.
Attribution
Which source gets the credit for a signup or sale.
Also: direct traffic, Unassigned, key events and UTM tags have full guides.
Data quirks
Last updated