Google Analytics 4 for SMBs: The Key Metrics Simply Explained

Why most SMBs don't use their website data

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is installed on nearly every website. But few SMBs check it regularly – and even fewer draw decisions from it. Not because the data is unimportant, but because GA4 looks overwhelming at first glance.

As an SMB owner, you only need 5 metrics to make informed decisions about your website. Nothing more.

The 5 reports every SMB should check regularly

1. Visitor count and trend (Users)

Where: Reports → Life cycle → Acquisition → Overview

The most basic question: How many people visit your website? And is the number changing? Don't look at individual days – focus on the monthly trend. Is the visitor count rising? Stagnating? Falling?

What it tells you: Whether your marketing efforts (SEO, ads, social media) are working or not.

2. Traffic sources (Channels)

Where: Reports → Life cycle → Acquisition → User acquisition

Where do your visitors come from?

Organic Search: Found via Google (SEO is working)
Paid Search: Came via Google Ads
Direct: Typed URL directly (returning visitors, offline marketing)
Referral: Linked from other websites
Social: Via social media

What it tells you: Which channel brings the most visitors – and where you should invest.

3. Most popular pages

Where: Reports → Life cycle → Engagement → Pages and screens

Which pages get the most visits? How long do visitors stay? On which pages do they leave your website?

What it tells you: Which content works and which doesn't. Pages with high bounce rates need optimization.

4. Conversions (Key events)

Where: Reports → Life cycle → Engagement → Conversions

How many visitors complete the desired action? This could be: contact form submitted, phone number clicked, email clicked, PDF downloaded.

What it tells you: Whether your website is doing its job – turning visitors into inquiries. This is the single most important metric.

5. Devices and mobile share

Where: Reports → User → Technology → Overview

What percentage of your visitors come via smartphone, tablet, or desktop?

What it tells you: Whether you're investing enough in mobile optimization. If 70% of your visitors come via mobile, but your mobile conversion rate is half that of desktop – you have a mobile problem.

Setting up conversion tracking: Step by step

Without conversion tracking, you don't know whether your website generates leads. Here's how to set it up:

Track contact forms

Create an event for the thank-you page (e.g., `/erstgespraech/danke`)
Or use an event triggered on form submission
Mark the event as a conversion in GA4

Track phone clicks

Create an event for clicks on `tel:` links. This tells you how many visitors click your phone number.

Track email clicks

Same principle for `mailto:` links.

Connect Google Ads

If you use Google Ads, connect GA4 to your Ads account. This shows which campaigns actually bring conversions – not just clicks.

Privacy: Using GA4 correctly in Switzerland

Under Switzerland's data protection law (nDSG), stricter rules apply:

Consent management: Analytics cookies may only be set after explicit consent
IP anonymization: Active by default in GA4 – but verify
Data retention: Limit to 14 months
Privacy policy: Google Analytics must be mentioned, including opt-out option
Server location: GA4 processes data in the US – inform about this in your privacy policy

Bottom line: Data is the key to better decisions

You don't need to be a data analyst to use GA4 effectively. 15 minutes per month is enough to spot the most important trends and make informed decisions. Without knowing your numbers, you're optimizing in the dark.