How to create and configure custom dimensions in GA4

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Understanding all of the options of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is important to benefiting from it. Doing so permits you to configure the instrument to investigate information precisely and effectively. It additionally allows you to draw one of the best conclusions for designing, refocusing and defining your digital methods.

GA4 customers can configure many functionalities, together with customized dimensions, which permit for extra detailed and customized information evaluation.

What are dimensions in GA4?

Google defines a dimension as an attribute of your information. It describes your information, and it’s often written in textual content somewhat than numbers.

An instance of dimensions can be supply/medium, which reveals how a person arrives at an internet site:

One other instance of dimension would even be the Occasion identify, which reveals the completely different occasions that occur on an internet site and the way the person interacts with it:

When creating the GA4 account, the instrument preconfigures a wide list of dimensions routinely by default.

Nevertheless, if this isn’t sufficient on your technique’s evaluation and you have to analyze attributes in additional element and particularly primarily based on the web site’s goals, you possibly can create customized dimensions.

Occasions and occasion parameters

To know customized dimensions and learn how to create them, you have to first perceive some GA4 ideas – occasions and parameters.

Events are the metrics that will let you measure particular person interactions on an internet site, akin to loading a web page, clicking on a hyperlink or submitting a kind.
Event parameters are further information that web site details about these occasions (i.e., further details about how customers work together with an internet site).

There are two forms of occasion parameters in GA4, relying on how they’re captured by the instrument:

Mechanically collected parameters: These are preconfigured by GA4, which routinely captures a set of parameters (e.g. page_location, page_referrer or page_title). Google offers a list of all these event parameters created routinely or enhanced measurement.
Customized parameters: These will let you gather data that’s not captured by default. This is applicable to recommended events and custom events, the place customized settings are required.

What are GA4 customized dimensions?

Customized dimensions are attributes that will let you describe and gather information in a custom-made approach. Basically, they’re parameters you create in GA4 to seize data that’s not routinely tracked by the instrument.

Varieties of customized dimensions

Relying on the data that you simply need to gather in a customized approach, you possibly can create various kinds of customized dimensions, as indicated by Google:

When is it beneficial to create customized dimensions?

Earlier than creating customized dimensions to investigate information in additional element, it’s advisable to verify whether or not these attributes exist already as automated occasions predefined by GA4 or as choices inside enhanced measurement occasions.

To find out if the info you need to analyze is already offered by automated occasions, you possibly can seek the advice of the listing that Google Analytics presents underneath Automatically collected events. These occasions are collected routinely, so the person doesn’t must carry out any further actions.

This isn’t the case for the enhanced measurement events, these have to be activated throughout the GA4 account if you wish to gather this data.

To activate these attributes, you’ll do it inside Admin > Knowledge streams > Occasions > Enhanced measurement.

If the data you need to analyze will not be included inside these automated occasions, it is suggested that you simply create it as a customized dimension.

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arrange customized dimensions

No matter the kind of customized dimension, it have to be created by way of Google Tag Supervisor. Beneath is a step-by-step information for configuring an event-scoped customized dimension.

Earlier than getting began, ensure that the GA4 and Google Tag Supervisor accounts are correctly configured and linked.

Subsequent, you have to outline and create which occasion parameter you need and ship it as a customized dimension in GA4.

On this case, you’re going to present within the following picture learn how to create the occasion parameter to investigate the URL of the video {that a} person performs in your web site:

As it’s a manually configured occasion parameter solely included in Google Tag Supervisor, it is not going to be sufficient for GA4 to incorporate it in its studies routinely. You’ll have to notify GA4 about it by going to Admin > Knowledge show > Customized definitions.

Then, click on on Create customized dimension.

Create the customized definition with the data out of your occasion parameter:

Now that your customized dimension is created, use DebugView to verify whether it is being collected appropriately and is correctly configured.

In parallel, throughout the Customized definitions part, underneath Quota data, you possibly can monitor the entire variety of customized dimensions created in your GA4 account.

What number of customized dimensions can I arrange in my GA4 account?

The variety of customized dimensions {that a} person can create is proscribed, though it’s typically tough to achieve this restrict.

To make sure you create solely essentially the most helpful dimensions, first outline the highest-priority KPIs on your web site or app after which create and configure solely these dimensions which might be really of curiosity. To keep away from exceeding this restrict, use predefined dimensions and metrics each time doable.

analyze customized dimensions

Customized dimensions will give you further details about your information. This data might be analyzed inside GA4.

Within the case of GA4, you possibly can analyze the customized dimensions by the identical studies that the instrument presents in a custom-made approach, both within the site visitors or occasions panel, for instance: