Explore Session Types in GA4 Analytics

In GA4 (Google Analytics 4), sessions refer to a period of user activity on your website or app.

GA4 introduces different types of sessions to provide a more comprehensive understanding of user engagement. Here are the types of sessions in GA4:

1. Engaged Sessions: Engaged sessions capture user interactions that indicate active engagement with your website or app. These interactions include pageviews, events, conversions, and other meaningful actions. Engaged sessions provide insights into user behavior beyond traditional pageview-based sessions.
2. Non-Engaged Sessions: Non-engaged sessions refer to sessions where users visit your website or app but do not actively engage or trigger any significant events or interactions. These sessions typically have a shorter duration and indicate passive or casual browsing behavior.
3. First User Sessions: First user sessions represent the initial session of a user on your website or app. This session type helps track and analyze the behavior of new users, including their acquisition source, entry page, and initial interactions.
4. Returning User Sessions: Returning user sessions refer to subsequent sessions by users who have previously visited your website or app. These sessions help analyze user loyalty, engagement over time, and track returning user behaviors and conversion patterns.
5. Direct Sessions: Direct sessions occur when users directly enter the website or app URL into their browser or use a bookmark to access it. These sessions do not involve any referral information, indicating that the source of the session is known but not tracked.
6. Organic Search Sessions: Organic search sessions are sessions originating from search engine results. These sessions provide insights into user behavior and engagement based on the keywords used and the organic search traffic your website receives.
7. Paid Search Sessions: Paid search sessions represent sessions generated from paid search advertising campaigns, such as Google Ads. These sessions help measure the effectiveness of your paid search efforts in driving user engagement and conversions.
8. Referral Sessions: Referral sessions occur when users arrive at your website or app from external sources, such as other websites, social media platforms, or referral links. Analyzing referral sessions helps identify sources of traffic and evaluate the effectiveness of your referral marketing efforts.

These session types in GA4 allow for a more nuanced analysis of user engagement and behavior on your website or app. By understanding these session types, you can gain insights into different user segments, user acquisition sources, and user interactions to optimize your marketing strategies and improve the user experience.