RecipeGoogle Analytics 4
Read GA4 traffic the right way
The basic traffic table done properly: consistent dimensions, thresholds acknowledged, channels from the property's own grouping.
IntentSessions, users and engagement over the window, with the channel cut.
- 2
- Steps
- 2
- Tools
- 1
- Rules
- 2
- Failure modes
When to use it
Use it when
- Any 'how is the site doing' question.
Do not use it when
- Same-day reads: intraday data is incomplete.
What it needs first
Required
Preconditions
- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.
Inputs
window- Analysis window.Default: last 30 days.
Procedure
In order. Every tool named is one the gateway ships, and links to its reference.
Run the traffic report over the window with the property's channel grouping.
Compare against the prior equivalent window.
Decision rules
The observable condition, what it lets you conclude, and what takes the conclusion back.
When
A channel's sessions moved sharply
Conclude
Check the source/medium detail before storytelling: grouping changes masquerade as traffic changes.
Evidence every conclusion must carry
- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.
Where the agent stops
- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.
How it goes wrong quietly
The cases where the analysis is wrong and still looks right. Read them before trusting a number.
- Thresholding hides small rows: absence is not zero.
- The 'unassigned' channel growing is a tagging finding, not a traffic finding.
What the answer contains
- 01Readout
- The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- 02Flags
- What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.