Draft: My First GA4 Performance Review After Starting My Google Blog (Nov 28)
1. Introduction
I started this Google Blog on November 28 with a clear goal: create SEO-optimized content that both Google Search and Gemini can understand, in AdSense earnings.
To achieve this, accurate analytics is essential.
That is why I rely on Google Analytics 4 (GA4) instead of Blogger’s built-in stats.
This post is my first GA4 performance review using data collected between November 28 and December 11.
2. Why GA4 Matters More Than Blogger Stats
Many beginners assume Blogger’s built-in statistics are enough. Unfortunately, they are not.
Blogger stats: inflated and unreliable
- Counts your own views unless you manually disable self-tracking.
- Even when disabled, clearing browser data resets the block.
- Shows extremely high pageviews with little meaning.
GA4: strict, clean, realistic
- Tracks real active users, not page loads.
- Internal IP traffic can be excluded.
- Shows engagement, channels, behavior paths, queries, and more.
- Data is “harsh” but accurate.
Because my internal IP is filtered out, my GA4 dashboard often shows zero real-time users even while I’m browsing my own blog. This is normal and expected.
3. Important Note: Missing Data (December 2–5)
Between Dec 02 and Dec 05, I changed my Blogger template and accidentally removed my GTM container, which caused GA4 tracking to stop temporarily.
This gap appears clearly in the GA4 charts.
Once GTM was re-installed, data collection resumed normally.
4. GA4 Realtime Overview
Key observation:
- Realtime users: 0
- Because internal IP traffic is excluded, my own visits do not appear.
- This reflects accurate tracking, not low traffic.
5. Traffic Acquisition (Lead → Traffic Acquisition)
GA4 shows how users find the blog.
Results so far:
- Direct traffic: 16 sessions
- Organic social (mainly X/Twitter): 10 sessions
- Referral: 2 sessions
- Unassigned: 1 session
Engagement rate, event counts, and average engagement time are available for each channel.
6. Pages & Screens: Which pages were viewed the most
Top-performing pages include:
- The homepage
/ - How to add a custom domain to Google Blogger
- How to create a GA4 property
- Google AdSense Guide label page
- How to buy a domain from HostingKR
This data helps identify which tutorials readers find most useful.
7. Search Console → Queries (Organic Google Search Queries)
This early-stage blog still has minimal search traffic, but GA4 displays initial impressions from Google Search.
Some early queries include:
- “exclude internal traffic ga4”
- “ga4 exclude ip”
- “google analytics 4 internal traffic filter”
Total impressions: 31
Total clicks: 0 (expected for a brand new blog)
As indexing improves, these numbers are expected to rise.
8. Summary of Current GA4 Performance
- The blog is very new, so seeing small numbers is normal.
- GA4 shows real users only, so data appears much lower than Blogger stats.
GA4 provides valuable insights into:
which articles users actually read- how long they stay
- which sources bring traffic
- early search impressions
- Accurate data lets me optimize future content.
This marks the beginning of becoming a data-driven blogger.
9. Looking Ahead
As indexing improves across Google Search, Bing, and other engines, I expect to see:
- Higher impressions
- Early organic clicks
- More accurate user patterns
- Stronger performance from content that solves real problems (tutorials, guides, SEO help)
š Related Posts
- How to Submit Your Google Blogger Website to Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools
- Why You Should Use GA4 Instead of Relying on Blogger’s Built-In Stats
