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If data is king, then we can say that Google Analytics 4 is the treasure map.
But here’s the thing—most business owners are handed this map without a clue about where “X” marks the spot. For many, Google Analytics 4 data might as well be written in hieroglyphics.
Sure, the vast majority know how important it is to track their performance in Google Analytics 4, but how will you know that the numbers you’re seeing are objectively good and in line with industry standards?
Unfortunately, following industry reports can only get you so far. And that’s where Databox’s Benchmark Groups steps in.
For this report, we examined Google Analytics 4 metrics, such as sessions, views, users, average session duration, engagement rate, bounce rate, and conversions, across 15 different industries. GA4 is complicated as it is, no need to struggle with reading the numbers as well.
If you want additional insights into other tools as well, you can join our Benchmark Groups for free and get instant access to a variety of marketing, sales, and financial metrics.
Let’s get started:
Across all industries, the median number of sessions for August 2023 was 3.88K.
Let’s take a closer look at sessions across different industries:
Apparel & Footwear stands out with exceptionally high sessions (38.22K), significantly surpassing the median. This could be attributed to frequent online shopping behaviors, seasonal trends, or promotions.
The Automotive industry also has a high number of sessions, which could be because of people constantly researching and comparing vehicles, prices, features, and reviews. This ongoing consumer interest can result in a high volume of website traffic, leading to more sessions.
Furthermore, many automotive companies have invested heavily in creating online showrooms or configurators that allow users to customize their vehicles. These interactive tools can encourage users to stay for longer sessions on the website.
Expert recommendation: Use sessions to assess your website’s engagement. Tracking sessions doesn’t only come down to how many people open your website; you can use the data in a number of ways. One great insight you can get through them is whether users find your content valuable and if they’ll return at some point in the future. You should use this information to understand better how users interact with your website and improve their experience, simultaneously boosting conversions.
Across all industries, the median number of views for August 2023 was 9.04K.
Let’s take a closer look at views across different industries:
Just like with sessions, Apparel & Footwear is the leading industry when it comes to the number of views these websites generate. The popularity of online shopping and seasonal trends likely play the biggest role here as well.
E-commerce and Marketplaces also have high views, which is expected given the nature of browsing multiple products online. E-commerce websites typically offer a wide range of products, sometimes numbering in the thousands or more. This variety attracts a diverse audience searching for various items.
Expert recommendation: Want an easier way to stay on top of views and see how they connect to other key GA4 metrics? Our free Google Analytics 4 Acquisition Overview Dashboard lets you dig deep into your key traffic sources, see where the views are coming from, and check out how the users interact with the website once they land. Stop juggling around GA4’s labyrinth of reports and track your key insights from one place.
Across all industries, the median number of users for August 2023 was 2.9K.
Let’s take a closer look at users across different industries:
Once again, Apparel & Footwear dominates, reflecting a larger customer base frequently exploring new trends.
On the other hand, industries like Construction and Industrial are on the lower end of the spectrum with the least amount of users in August. Part of the reason is probably because these businesses often serve a more specific and niche audience. Their products and services are typically B2B focused, which means their target audience may be smaller and more specialized.
Expert recommendation: Users can tell you a lot more than just how many unique impressions your website has. But you need to connect it to other GA4 insights properly. For example, it can help you better understand user behavior on your site. You can track their journey, see which pages they visit, and identify drop-off points. This information is crucial for increasing conversions.
Across all industries, the median average session duration for August 2023 was 2m 38s.
Let’s take a closer look at the average session duration across different industries:
Based on our research, Education and Travel & Leisure have longer session durations. This could be because users are likely spending more time researching courses or vacation destinations (the latter can be due to seasonality).
In the Travel & Leisure industry, planning a trip can involve complex decision-making processes. Users may spend more time comparing prices, reading reviews, and exploring different options before making a booking. Similarly, in the Education industry, users may spend time researching and selecting the right courses or materials to purchase.
Expert recommendation: If the content on your website isn’t worth going through, there are no strategies or tactics that will help you improve your average session duration. Before you start posting engaging videos and images, making the design better, and fine-tuning other page elements, make sure your content satisfies the user intent and actually gets them interested in reading what you have to say.
If you ever asked yourself:
Databox Benchmark Groups can finally help you answer these questions and discover how your company measures up against similar companies based on your KPIs.
When you join Benchmark Groups, you will:
The best part?
When it comes to showing you how your performance compares to others, here is what it might look like for the metric Average Session Duration:
And here is an example of an open group you could join:
And this is just a fraction of what you’ll get. With Databox Benchmarks, you will need only one spot to see how all of your teams stack up — marketing, sales, customer service, product development, finance, and more.
Sounds like something you want to try out? Join a Databox Benchmark Group today!
Across all industries, the median engagement rate for August 2023 was 56.23%.
Let’s take a closer look at the engagement rate across different industries:
One of the reasons for higher engagement rates in the E-commerce and Marketplace industry can be due to the specific algorithms they use for product suggestions. On these websites, we often find more detailed reviews, related product recommendations, interactive videos of the products being used, and similar elements.
The second highest engagement rate industry is Health & Wellness. Here, users are often seeking valuable information about topics like fitness, nutrition, mental health, and medical conditions. They may spend more time reading articles, watching videos, or interacting with tools and calculators to gather the information they need for their health-related decisions.
Expert recommendation: The engagement rate isn’t the only website engagement metric you should be monitoring. Instead, you should make a list of your 5-8 most relevant engagement data points and focus on them primarily to get a better website performance evaluation and see whether users are interacting with your website in the way you want them to. Unfortunately, doing this isn’t as straightforward as it should be in GA4. You need to keep an eye on different reports and maybe even compile them in a separate spreadsheet for better monitoring. Or, you can simply use Databox and connect your GA4 account to track all of your key engagement metrics in one comprehensive dashboard. You can set it up and start monitoring your data in minutes. Download our free Google Analytics 4 Engagement Overview Dashboard and see how easy it is.
Across all industries, the median bounce rate for August 2023 was 44.82%.
Let’s take a closer look at the bounce rate across different industries:
Consulting & Professional Services and Information Technology industries recorded the highest bounce rates in August 2023.
This might come down to their complex offerings. Visitors may land on a website looking for specific information or solutions, and if they don’t find what they need quickly, they bounce. Complex services can lead to a higher bounce rate if the website does not effectively communicate the value proposition. Conversely, they might’ve found what they needed, decided to contact the business immediately, and left immediately after.
Expert recommendation: A great way to reduce your website’s bounce rate is to experiment with different exit-intent pop-ups. They are triggered when it looks like someone is about to leave the website. Some useful things you can do with your exit-intent pop-ups include offering discounts, linking useful content related to what they’re already reading, asking for feedback, and more.
Across all industries, the median number of conversions for August 2023 was 182.
Let’s take a closer look at conversions across different industries:
Just like with sessions and views, Apparel & Footwear also recorded the highest number of conversions in August. Again, this can be attributed to seasonal trends.
Many Apparel & Footwear businesses offer end-of-summer sales and promotions in August to clear out summer inventory and make way for fall collections. These sales events can attract more shoppers and result in higher conversion rates.
Furthermore, in many regions, August is a month when students and parents engage in back-to-school shopping, which can lead to an increase in purchases of clothing and footwear.
Expert recommendation: You’ve generated traffic to your web page. The users go through your landing page and decide they want to buy. Great! But make sure you don’t complicate the last part of the conversion with an intimidating submission form. Simplify your form submissions and only ask the customer for the most relevant details. For example, if your conversion goal is a newsletter sign-up, don’t complicate it by asking the user for their phone numbers.
To learn more about improving your website conversions, Adam Goyette, VP of Marketing at Help Scout, shares some interesting insights into how they improved the website conversion rate to boost free trials by 6% and demo requests by 56%.
The benchmarks we showcased in this report come from Databox’s Benchmark Groups.
You can use Benchmark Groups to instantly see how you compare against other businesses in your industry that are of similar size. It’s free for everyone and your data is 100% anonymous. In seconds, you can see whether your numbers are up to par or you need to fine-tune certain areas.
We’re always looking to make our numbers even more accurate and get bigger samples, so we encourage you to join your industry’s specific Benchmark Group or the group dedicated to all industries.
Below, we compiled a list of all Google Analytics 4 Benchmark Groups we analyzed for this specific report.
To check out the group you’re interested in and join, all you need to do is click on the link:
Google Analytics 4 is bringing a wealth of data into the hands of business owners… but unfortunately, without knowing how similar-sized companies in the industry are doing, you can’t harness its full potential.
Sure, you can track sessions, users, average session duration, and all the other key GA4 metrics, but how will you tell whether the numbers are objectively good, or do you need to focus more efforts on improving them?
Industry reports do offer some insight, but they are far from ideal.
Luckily, there’s a much better and easier way now for business owners and marketers to get this much-needed context for their data – Benchmark Groups.
Connect your data, join the cohort you’re interested in, and bam – in seconds, you get access to benchmarks in your industry and see how you stack up against competitors.
And the best thing is, it’s completely free for everyone.
Furthermore, you’ll find out whether there are any areas you’re lacking in compared to others and start optimizing them sooner. And also, see where you’re ahead. This makes spotting new opportunities and resource allocation so much easier.
The more data we have, the better the benchmarks for everyone in the community. So join our free Benchmark Groups and get a better understanding of your Google Analytics 4 data within minutes.
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Marketing Research Analyst at Databox. Being an experienced Strategic and Creative Planner, with more than 15 years of practice, Nevena is passionately dedicated to untying the knots and entanglements of marketing, sales, and human behavior in order to deliver understandable, useful, and actionable insights for businesses.
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