Google Analytics 4 for SMBs: The Most Important Metrics Simply Explained

Google Analytics 4 for SMBs can feel overwhelming at first glance. Many reports, many numbers, many terms – but which data really matters?

The good news: You don't need to be a data analyst to use GA4 effectively. For most SMBs, a few clear metrics are enough to make better decisions about your website, marketing, and customer enquiries.

In this article we explain GA4 simply: Which website metrics SMBs should check regularly, how to set up GA4 conversion tracking, and what to watch out for when it comes to GA4 data protection in Switzerland.

If you want to do more than just measure your website and instead improve it strategically, ALPENIQ supports you with website, marketing, and digital optimisation.

Why many SMBs don't use their website data

Google Analytics 4 is installed on many websites. Even so, many SMBs rarely check their data. Even fewer companies use those numbers to draw concrete decisions from them.

The problem isn't that the data is unimportant. The problem is that GA4 looks complex at first glance.

Many business owners ask themselves:

• Which metrics are really relevant?
• Where do I see my website visitors?
• Which traffic sources generate enquiries?
• How do I measure contact forms?
• How do I know whether SEO, Google Ads, or social media are working?

That's exactly why a simple structure is needed. For most SMBs, not all GA4 reports matter. What's decisive are the metrics that show whether your website is visible, used, and generating enquiries.

If your website currently has many visitors but too few enquiries, a strategic analysis via ALPENIQ's services can make sense.

Google Analytics 4 simply explained: What does GA4 measure?

Google Analytics 4 simply explained means: GA4 shows you how people use your website.

Among other things, you see:

• how many users visit your website
• which channels visitors come from
• which pages are particularly popular
• how long visitors interact with content
• which devices are used
• which actions are counted as a conversion

The most important difference: GA4 thinks more in terms of events. A page view, a click, a form submit, or a download can be measured as an event.

For SMBs, this is helpful because it gives you a better understanding of which marketing measures actually have an impact.

The 5 most important GA4 metrics for SMBs

You don't need every report in Google Analytics 4. For well-founded decisions, these five areas are enough.

1. GA4 users: Visitor count and monthly trend

The first important metric is GA4 users. It shows how many people visit your website.

In GA4, you find this data under:

Reports → Life cycle → Acquisition → Overview

More important than individual days is the trend. So check your visitor numbers monthly.

Questions you should ask yourself:

• Is the visitor count rising?
• Is it staying the same?
• Is it falling?
• Are there seasonal fluctuations?
• Which marketing measures ran during this period?

This metric shows you whether your online marketing activities are generally producing reach.

If you want to win more qualified visitors via Google in the long term, SEO is an important channel.

What this metric shows

The visitor count shows you whether your website is visible. But it doesn't yet show whether your website is generating enquiries. For that, you need conversion data.

2. Traffic sources in GA4: Which traffic channels bring users?

Traffic sources in GA4 show you where your website visitors are coming from.

You find them under:

Reports → Life cycle → Acquisition → User acquisition

Important GA4 traffic channels are:

• Organic Search: Visitors come via Google or other search engines
• Paid Search: Visitors come via paid search ads
• Direct: Visitors type the URL directly or come via sources that aren't uniquely attributed
• Referral: Visitors come via other websites
• Social: Visitors come via social media
• Email: Visitors come via newsletters or mail campaigns

This data helps you understand which channel produces reach and where investments are worthwhile.

Organic Search GA4

If many visitors come via Organic Search GA4, that's a sign SEO is working. It's then worth expanding existing content further and creating new pages for relevant search terms.

Paid Search GA4

If visitors come via Paid Search GA4, you should check whether these users are also triggering conversions. Clicks alone aren't enough. What matters is whether paid traffic produces enquiries.

For paid search campaigns, the connection with Google Ads is especially important.

Social traffic

Social media can produce strong visibility, especially when content is published regularly. Via social media marketing, content, reach, and website visits can be built up more deliberately.

What this metric shows

Traffic sources show you which channels generate attention. Combined with conversions, you recognise which channels actually bring customer enquiries.

3. Most popular pages GA4: Which content works?

The most popular pages GA4 show you which content is visited most.

You find them under:

Reports → Life cycle → Engagement → Pages and screens

The Pages and screens GA4 report helps you understand:

• which pages are visited frequently
• which content is particularly relevant
• where visitors stay longer
• which pages generate little engagement
• which pages may need to be optimised

For SMBs, these are particularly important:

• Homepage
• Service pages
• Blog articles
• Contact page
• Landing pages
• Campaign pages

If an important service page has many visitors but barely produces enquiries, there's often a conversion problem. In that case, the headline, content, CTA, form, and trust elements should be reviewed.

What this metric shows

This report shows you which content works and which pages should be improved. This lets you evaluate your website data and optimise in a targeted way.

4. Conversions in GA4: The most important metric for customer enquiries

Conversions in GA4 are the most important metric for SMBs. They show whether your website is doing its actual job: turning visitors into enquiries.

A conversion can be:

• Contact form submitted
• Phone number clicked
• Email address clicked
• PDF downloaded
• Appointment booked
• Newsletter signup
• Quote requested
• Purchase completed

In the past, this was often called GA4 goals. In GA4 today, you work more strongly with events that are marked as key events or conversions.

Why GA4 conversion tracking is so important

Without GA4 conversion tracking, you don't know whether your website is really generating customer enquiries.

You might see visitor numbers, but not:

• how many people make contact
• which channel brings enquiries
• which campaign is working
• which landing page needs improvement
• whether mobile users convert worse

If you run ads via social media ads or Google Ads, conversion tracking is especially important. Otherwise you're only measuring clicks, but not business success.

5. Mobile share of website: Which devices are your visitors using?

The mobile share of your website shows you how many visitors come via smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

You find this data under:

Reports → User → Technology → Overview

This metric is important because many websites look good on desktop but work less well on smartphones.

Check in particular:

• How high is the mobile share?
• How high is the mobile conversion rate?
• Are there differences between desktop and mobile?
• Are CTAs clearly visible on mobile?
• Do forms work cleanly on smartphone?
• Is the load time on mobile fast enough?

If 70% of your visitors come via mobile, but the conversion rate on mobile is significantly lower than on desktop, you probably have a mobile problem.

What this metric shows

The device report shows you whether your website is optimised for actual user behaviour. For SMBs, mobile optimisation is a central part of website optimisation today.

GA4 reports: These reports every SMB should check regularly

You don't need to work in GA4 every day. For many SMBs, a brief monthly check is enough.

The most important GA4 reports are:

1. Acquisition Overview – Shows visitor numbers and trends.
2. User acquisition – Shows traffic sources and channels.
3. Pages and screens – Shows popular pages and content performance.
4. Conversions – Shows enquiries, clicks, and key actions.
5. Technology Overview – Shows devices, browsers, and mobile share.

With these reports, you can see whether your marketing measures are working and where your website should be optimised.

Setting up GA4 conversion tracking: Step by step

Without conversion tracking, website analysis remains incomplete. You see visitors, but not whether those visitors turn into leads or customers.

Here's how to set up conversion tracking in Google Analytics 4 properly.

Contact form tracking in GA4

For many SMBs, contact form tracking is the most important measurement.

There are two common options:

Option 1: Track the thank-you page

After the form is submitted, the user is redirected to a thank-you page.

In GA4, the visit to this thank-you page is captured as an event and marked as a conversion.

Option 2: Track form submit

Alternatively, an event can be fired as soon as the form has been successfully submitted.

This is especially useful when no thank-you page is used.

Why this matters

Only with contact form tracking can you tell which channels and pages really generate enquiries.

Track phone clicks

Many SMBs receive enquiries not only via forms, but also by phone.

That's why you should track phone clicks.

This fires an event when a visitor clicks a `tel:` link.

Example: `tel:+41-799447291`

This shows how many visitors want to make contact by phone via the website.

Track email clicks

Tracking email clicks is also useful.

Here, an event is fired when a visitor clicks a `mailto:` link.

Example: `mailto:info@...`

This measures how often visitors make contact directly by email.

Connect Google Ads with GA4

If you use Google Ads, you should absolutely connect Google Ads with GA4.

This way you don't just see clicks and costs, but also which campaigns actually bring conversions.

This helps you with important questions:

• Which campaign brings enquiries?
• Which keywords work?
• Which ads are burning budget?
• Which landing page converts better?
• Where should more be invested?

For SMBs, this is especially important because advertising budget has to be spent efficiently. You'll find support for this under Google Ads.

Measuring website performance and spotting optimisation potential

With GA4, you can not only check traffic, but also detect signs of problems.

Examples:

• Many visitors, but few conversions
• High mobile share, but low mobile conversion rate
• Many page views, but little engagement
• Paid traffic, but no enquiries
• Good blog visits, but no forwarding to service pages

This data shows where your website should be improved.

Technical stability is also important here. A slow, outdated, or faulty website can cost enquiries. Through website maintenance, technical topics like updates, security, load times, and function checks can be looked after regularly.

GA4 data protection in Switzerland: What SMBs should keep in mind

When it comes to GA4 data protection in Switzerland, SMBs should proceed carefully. Google Analytics processes personal or potentially personal usage data. That's why data protection, cookie notices, and consent need to be reviewed properly.

In Switzerland, the revised Data Protection Act and current recommendations from the EDÖB/FDPIC on cookies and similar technologies apply, among others. In 2025 the EDÖB published updated cookie guidelines covering, among other things, transparency, the option to withdraw consent, and requirements for consent or objection.

Important points for SMBs:

• Consent management: Analytics and marketing cookies should be controlled cleanly via a consent tool
• Privacy policy: Google Analytics should be mentioned in an understandable way
• Opt-out or withdrawal: Users should be able to change or withdraw their selection
• Data retention: Set the retention period in GA4 deliberately
• IP and location data: Review GA4 settings regularly
• Data transfers: Transparently include information about Google and possible data transfers
• Google Ads and remarketing: Additional requirements apply for advertising and remarketing features

This section doesn't replace legal advice. For a legally compliant implementation, the website should be reviewed individually.

Website analysis for SMBs: Evaluating data correctly

A good website analysis for SMBs doesn't mean collecting as many numbers as possible. It's about asking the right questions.

For example:

• Which channel brings the best visitors?
• Which pages lead to enquiries?
• Where are we losing users?
• Are our CTAs working?
• Are our campaigns profitable?
• Are there mobile problems?
• Which content should be expanded?

This is how GA4 becomes a decision-making basis for marketing, website optimisation, and lead generation.

If your data shows that you have visitors but receive too few enquiries, optimising the website structure, content, and CTAs can help. You can submit a request via ALPENIQ's contact page.

Website optimisation with data: How to use GA4 for more customer enquiries

The biggest advantage of GA4 is that you no longer have to optimise based on gut feeling.

Instead of guessing, you can check:

• Which pages attract visitors?
• Which channels bring leads?
• Which campaigns are working?
• Which devices convert worse?
• Which content should be improved?

This is how data-driven website optimisation comes about.

Examples:

• If blog articles bring many visitors but no enquiries, you need better internal links to services
• If Google Ads brings many clicks but no conversions, the landing page must be improved
• If mobile converts poorly, forms, load time, and CTA placement must be reviewed
• If social media brings traffic but shows little engagement, content and landing pages must be aligned better

It's precisely the combination of SEO, Google Ads, social media, and clean tracking that makes online marketing more measurable.

Bottom line: Google Analytics 4 for SMBs doesn't have to be complicated

You don't need to be a data analyst to use Google Analytics 4 for SMBs effectively.

What matters isn't hundreds of reports, but a few clear metrics:

• Users and visitor trend
• Traffic sources and channels
• Most popular pages
• Conversions in GA4
• Mobile share and devices

If you check this data once a month, you'll have a better understanding of whether your website is working, which marketing measures are having an impact, and where optimisation potential lies.

GA4 simply explained: Your data shows you what visitors do. Your job is to make better decisions from it.

Whoever knows their numbers optimises in a targeted way. Whoever doesn't, optimises in the dark.