GA4 Analytics for Good Measure Giving

Analyze user behavior, track conversions, and understand engagement patterns using Google Analytics 4 data.

When This Skill Activates

•Checking site traffic and engagement
•Analyzing user funnels (browse → view → convert)
•Reviewing search behavior and popular charities
•Tracking login/signup conversions
•Understanding time on site and engagement metrics

Project Context

GA4 Property ID: Set via GA4_PROPERTY_ID environment variable or configure in .env

Custom Events Tracked:

Event	Parameters	Purpose
`page_view`	page_path, page_title, flow_*	Navigation tracking
`charity_view`	charity_id, charity_name, view_type, flow_*	Detail page opens
`charity_card_click`	charity_id, charity_name, charity_tier, list_position, flow_*	Browse engagement
`search`	search_term, result_count, flow_*	Search behavior
`donate_click`	charity_id, charity_name, destination_url, flow_*	Donation intent
`outbound_click`	charity_id, charity_name, destination_url	External links
`sign_in_start`	method, flow_*	Login funnel start
`sign_in_success`	method, auth_type, flow_*	Login funnel complete (auth_type: 'signup' or 'login')
`hero_cta_click`	cta_name, destination_path	Landing engagement

Flow Tracking Parameters (on all major events):

Parameter	Example	Purpose
`flow_id`	`1706234567890-abc123`	Unique session identifier
`flow_path`	`landing>browse>card_click>charity_view`	User journey sequence
`flow_step`	`4`	Step number in journey

Key Goals:

•Primary: Login conversions (sign_in_start events)
•Secondary: Time on site / engagement

Analytics Queries

Realtime Overview

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Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_realtime_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- dimensions: ["eventName"]
- metrics: ["eventCount"]

Top Charities by Card Clicks (Last 7 Days)

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Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- date_ranges: [{"start_date": "7daysAgo", "end_date": "yesterday"}]
- dimensions: ["customEvent:charity_name"]
- metrics: ["eventCount"]
- dimension_filter: {"filter": {"field_name": "eventName", "string_filter": {"match_type": 1, "value": "charity_card_click"}}}
- order_bys: [{"metric": {"metric_name": "eventCount"}, "desc": true}]
- limit: 20

Search Terms Analysis

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Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- date_ranges: [{"start_date": "7daysAgo", "end_date": "yesterday"}]
- dimensions: ["customEvent:search_term"]
- metrics: ["eventCount"]
- dimension_filter: {"filter": {"field_name": "eventName", "string_filter": {"match_type": 1, "value": "search"}}}
- order_bys: [{"metric": {"metric_name": "eventCount"}, "desc": true}]
- limit: 20

Engagement Metrics (Time on Site)

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Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- date_ranges: [{"start_date": "7daysAgo", "end_date": "yesterday"}]
- dimensions: ["date"]
- metrics: ["averageSessionDuration", "engagedSessions", "sessions", "activeUsers"]
- order_bys: [{"dimension": {"dimension_name": "date"}, "desc": false}]

Login Funnel Analysis

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Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- date_ranges: [{"start_date": "7daysAgo", "end_date": "yesterday"}]
- dimensions: ["eventName"]
- metrics: ["eventCount"]
- dimension_filter: {"filter": {"field_name": "eventName", "in_list_filter": {"values": ["sign_in_start", "page_view"], "case_sensitive": true}}}

Funnel Analysis Pattern

GA4 doesn't have a direct funnel API, but you can simulate it by running sequential queries:

Browse → Card Click → Charity View → Donate Funnel

Step 1: Count users who visited /browse

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dimensions: ["pagePath"]
metrics: ["activeUsers"]
dimension_filter: pagePath contains "/browse"

Step 2: Count charity_card_click events

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dimensions: ["eventName"]
metrics: ["eventCount"]
dimension_filter: eventName = "charity_card_click"

Step 3: Count charity_view events

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dimensions: ["eventName"]
metrics: ["eventCount"]
dimension_filter: eventName = "charity_view"

Step 4: Count donate_click events

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dimensions: ["eventName"]
metrics: ["eventCount"]
dimension_filter: eventName = "donate_click"

Calculate drop-off rates between each step.

Standard Reports to Run

Daily Health Check

Run these queries and summarize:

•Traffic: Total sessions, active users (vs previous period)
•Engagement: Avg session duration, bounce rate
•Top Pages: Most viewed pages
•Top Charities: Most clicked charity cards
•Conversions: sign_in_start count

Weekly Deep Dive

•Search Analysis: What are users searching for? Are there charities we don't have?
•Funnel Metrics: Browse → Card Click → View → Donate conversion rates
•Device Split: Mobile vs Desktop engagement differences
•Geographic: Where are users coming from?

Interpreting Results

Engagement Benchmarks

Metric	Poor	Average	Good
Avg Session Duration	<1 min	1-3 min	>3 min
Pages per Session	<2	2-4	>4
Bounce Rate	>70%	40-70%	<40%
Card Click Rate	<5%	5-15%	>15%

Red Flags to Watch

•High bounce rate on /browse → cards may not be compelling
•Low charity_view after card_click → page load issues?
•Zero search events → search feature not discoverable
•sign_in_start with no sign_in_success → auth issues (note: sign_in_success not yet implemented)

Flow Path Analysis

Query common user journeys:

code

Use mcp__analytics-mcp__run_report with:
- property_id: (use GA4_PROPERTY_ID from .env)
- date_ranges: [{"start_date": "7daysAgo", "end_date": "yesterday"}]
- dimensions: ["customEvent:flow_path"]
- metrics: ["eventCount"]
- dimension_filter: {"filter": {"field_name": "eventName", "string_filter": {"match_type": 1, "value": "donate_click"}}}
- limit: 20

This shows what paths lead to donations.

Future Improvements

Event	Purpose	Priority
`filter_used`	Which browse filters are popular	Medium
`view_type_switch`	Terminal vs Editorial preference	Low
`scroll_depth`	Content engagement depth	Low

Quick Commands

Realtime snapshot:

"What's happening on the site right now?"

Weekly report:

"Give me a weekly analytics summary"

Search insights:

"What are users searching for?"

Charity performance:

"Which charities get the most clicks?"

Engagement check:

"How's our time on site trending?"