How to Create Custom Metrics in Google Analytics 4

Custom metrics in GA4 let you track specific data that matters to your business. Here's how to set them up:

Go to Admin > Custom Definitions
Click "Create custom metric"
Fill out metric details (name, scope, description, parameter, unit)
Save and activate

Key points:

Custom metrics turn raw data into business insights
They help track KPIs unique to your company
You can create up to 50 custom metrics (125 in GA360)
It takes 24-48 hours for new metrics to appear in reports

Custom metrics are useful for:

SaaS: User engagement, feature adoption, time-to-value
eCommerce: Average order value, ROAS, cart abandonment rate

Metric Type	Data Type	Example
Custom Metric	Numbers	Video view count
Custom Dimension	Attributes	Product color

Remember to align metrics with business goals, use clear naming conventions, and review regularly to ensure they stay relevant.

Custom metrics basics in GA4

GA4's custom metrics let you dig deeper into user behavior for your SaaS or eCommerce business.

Custom metrics vs. custom dimensions

Here's the key difference:

Feature	Custom Metrics	Custom Dimensions
Data type	Numbers	Attributes
Example	Video view count	Product color
Purpose	Measure actions	Categorize data

Custom metrics count stuff. Custom dimensions describe stuff.

Why use custom metrics?

Custom metrics in GA4 are pretty handy:

They track specific user actions YOU care about.
They can turn default metrics into percentages or rates.
They help you analyze behavior across events, pages, or dimensions.

Let's say you run a SaaS company. You could create a "Time Spent on Task" metric to see how engaged users are.

"Custom metrics in GA4 give you insights that standard metrics can't." - DiGGrowth

Tips for using custom metrics:

Link them to your business goals
Name them consistently
Check if they're still useful now and then

Before you create custom metrics

Setting up custom metrics in GA4 isn't a one-click process. Here's what you need to do first:

Set up your GA4 property

Upgrade to GA4 if you haven't
Configure your property
Link GA4 with Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Check your permissions

You need Editor or Administrator access to create custom metrics. Here's a quick look:

Permission Level	Can Create Custom Metrics?
Viewer	No
Analyst	No
Marketer	No
Editor	Yes
Administrator	Yes

Don't have the right access? Ask your account manager for an upgrade.

Register event parameters

Event parameters are crucial. Here's the process:

Use GTM to create event parameters
Add parameters to GA4 event tags in GTM
Register these in GA4 under Admin > Data display

"Custom parameters can be sent manually along with an event via Google Tag Manager (GTM). There are two types of custom parameters: text parameters and number parameters."

Number parameters become custom metrics, while text parameters turn into custom dimensions.

How to create custom metrics

Want to make your own metrics in GA4? Here's how:

1. Find custom definitions

Go to your GA4 account, hit "Admin" in the bottom left, then pick "Custom definitions" in the "Property" column.

2. Set up your custom metric

Click "Custom metrics", then "Create custom metric". Fill out these details:

Field	What to put	Example
Metric Name	Unique name, no hyphens	CUSTOM_VIDEO_DURATION_MINUTES
Scope	Always "Event"	Event
Description	What it tracks	Tracks video watch time in minutes
Event Parameter	Data source	video_duration
Unit of Measurement	How it's measured	Minutes

3. Activate and use

Hit "Save" to turn on your metric. Give it a day or two to show up in reports.

Heads up: Make sure you've set up the event parameter in GA4 first. No parameter, no data!

Now you can add your shiny new metric to reports and explorations. Go wild!

(GA4 standard lets you make up to 50 custom metrics. Need more? Think about GA4 360.)

Custom metrics for SaaS and eCommerce

SaaS and eCommerce businesses can use custom metrics in GA4 to track specific KPIs. Here's what you need to know:

SaaS custom metrics

SaaS companies should focus on these key metrics:

User Engagement Score
Feature Adoption Rate
Time-to-Value
Churn Rate
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

These help you understand how users interact with your software and which features are hits. For instance, you can track the percentage of users adopting a new feature within its first week.

eCommerce custom metrics

eCommerce businesses should keep an eye on:

Average Order Value (AOV)
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Cart Abandonment Rate
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Repeat Purchase Rate

Let's set up a custom metric for AOV:

Go to GA4 Admin > Custom Definitions
Click "Create custom metric"
Name: CUSTOM_AOV
Description: Tracks average order value
Scope: Event
Unit of measurement: Currency (USD)
Parameter: total_value (make sure this is in your ecommerce events)

Now you can use this metric in reports to track AOV changes over time or across campaigns.

Pro tip: Align your custom metrics with your business goals. SaaS? Focus on engagement and adoption. eCommerce? Prioritize metrics that boost marketing and profitability.

Tips for using custom metrics

Match metrics to business goals

When creating custom metrics in GA4, focus on data that matters to your business. For an e-learning platform, you might track "Course Completion Rate" or "Average Time per Lesson." These metrics show how engaged users are and can help improve your content.

Use clear names and keep records

Name your custom metrics consistently. It helps your team understand and use the data. Try prefixing with "CM_" like "CM_VideoCompletionRate" or "CM_FormSubmissions."

Keep a record of each metric:

Name
Description
How it's calculated
When it was created
Why you're using it

This helps keep things clear as your analytics get more complex.

Check and update regularly

Look at your custom metrics every few months. Make sure they're still useful and accurate. As your business changes, you might need different metrics.

A SaaS company might start by tracking "New Sign-ups per Day." Later, they might care more about keeping users and track "30-Day Active Users" or "Feature Adoption Rate."

"We check our metrics quarterly. It's helped us make 15% better decisions." - Sarah Chen, Analytics Manager at TechStart Inc.

When you review, ask:

Question	Why it matters
Still relevant?	Your goals might have changed
Data correct?	Errors can lead to bad decisions
Being used?	Unused metrics waste time
Making a difference?	Good metrics lead to improvements

How to use custom metrics data

Once you've set up custom metrics in GA4, it's time to put that data to work. Here's how:

Add metrics to reports

To include custom metrics in GA4 reports:

Go to "Explore"
Pick "Free Form Exploration"
Set date range
Add segments (optional)
Choose dimensions and metrics

Let's say you want to analyze video engagement:

Dimension	Metrics
Page path	Video Views
	Avg. Watch Time
	Completion Rate

This setup shows which pages have the most engaging videos.

Use in explorations

Custom metrics really shine in GA4's exploration features:

Segment comparison: See how different user groups perform on your custom metrics
Funnel analysis: Add custom metrics to each step of your conversion funnel
Path exploration: Track how custom metrics change as users navigate your site

For example, an e-commerce site might use "Add to Cart Value" in a funnel analysis. This could reveal where high-value customers drop off, helping focus optimization efforts.

Heads up: It can take up to 48 hours for new custom metrics to appear in reports. If you don't see your metric right away, check back later.

Fixing common problems

When using custom metrics in GA4, you might run into some issues. Here's how to fix the most common ones:

Metrics not showing up

If you can't see your custom metrics in reports:

1. Wait it out

GA4 usually takes 24-48 hours to process new data. Don't panic - just give it some time.

2. Check event names

GA4 is picky about capitalization. "Purchase" and "purchase" are different events. Make sure your event names match exactly.

3. Verify event triggers

Use debugging tools to check if your events are firing correctly. The GA Debugger console can help you spot issues in real-time.

4. Review data thresholds

GA4 might hide low-volume data for privacy reasons. Try creating custom reports to see all your data.

Data collection issues

Having trouble collecting data? Try these fixes:

1. Inspect tracking code

Look for typos or multiple tracking codes on one page. These can mess up your data.

2. Use Google Tag Assistant

This tool helps you check tag status across your site and find potential problems.

3. Check for ad blockers

Ad blockers can interfere with GA4 tracking. Consider using server-side tracking to get around this.

4. Verify parameter setup

Make sure your event parameters are set up correctly and filled with the right data.

Common Issue	Fix
Wrong UTM parameters	Double-check your URL tagging
Missing session_start events	Make sure they're triggering consistently
Server-side tagging problems	Include session data when sending events

Dealing with metric limits

GA4 has some limits on custom metrics. Here's how to handle them:

1. Prioritize essential metrics

You can have up to 50 custom metrics per property in GA4. Focus on the ones that really matter for your business.

2. Use data exports

If you need more flexibility, try exporting your data to other tools for analysis.

3. Upgrade to GA360

Need more capacity? Google Analytics 360 offers higher limits:

Feature	GA4 (Free)	GA360
Custom metrics	50	125
Data retention	14 months	50 months
Conversions	30	50

Advanced custom metric techniques

Create calculated metrics

Want to squeeze more insights from your GA4 data? Calculated metrics are your secret weapon. Here's how they work:

You combine existing metrics to create new ones. For example:

Average Order Value = {Gross item revenue}/{Transactions}

This lets you track how much customers are spending over time. Neat, right?

GA4 gives you 5 calculated metrics (50 if you're on GA4 360). When you make them:

Name them clearly
Add a helpful description
Keep formulas under 1024 characters

Mix with custom dimensions

Here's where things get interesting. Pair custom metrics with custom dimensions for a deeper dive into user behavior.

Example: "Revenue per User Type"

This combo helps you slice and dice your data, making it easier to spot trends and make smart decisions.

Send to BigQuery

Ready to level up? Export your custom metrics to BigQuery. Check out this query for page view data:

SELECT user_pseudo_id, event_name, param.value.string_value AS page_location
FROM `bigquery-public-data.ga4_obfuscated_sample_ecommerce.events_20210131`, UNNEST(event_params) AS param
WHERE event_name = 'page_view' AND param.key = 'page_location';

This helps you see how users move around your site.

BigQuery tips:

Use UNNEST and STRUCT for nested GA4 data
Learn GA4's data schema
Create custom queries for your specific needs

Wrap-up

Creating custom metrics in Google Analytics 4 is simple:

Set up GA4 property
Check permissions
Register event parameters
Find custom definitions
Go to custom metrics section
Fill out metric details
Turn on the metric

Name your metrics clearly and keep records of what they measure.

Keep Your Metrics Sharp

Custom metrics need regular attention. Why? Because:

Business goals change
User behavior shifts
New features need tracking

To keep them useful:

Review quarterly
Update or remove old metrics
Add new ones as needed

Pro tip: Set reminders for metric reviews.

Custom metrics in GA4 turn raw data into insights. They help you make smart decisions.

Take an e-commerce site tracking "Average Order Value". This shows customer spending habits and how marketing affects sales.

Metric	Formula	Use Case
Average Order Value	Total Revenue / Number of Orders	Track spending trends
User Engagement Score	(Time on Site * Pages Viewed) / Session Duration	Measure content impact
Customer Lifetime Value	(Average Purchase Value * Purchase Frequency) * Customer Lifespan	Assess long-term value

By focusing on metrics that matter, you can:

Spot trends faster
Find areas to improve
Make data-driven choices

Custom metrics help you zero in on what's important for YOUR business. They're like a custom-tailored suit for your data - fitting perfectly and making you look good.

FAQs

How to add custom metrics in GA4?

Adding custom metrics in GA4 is easy. Here's how:

1. Go to Admin > Data display > Custom definitions

2. Click "Custom metrics" tab

3. Hit "Create custom metric"

4. Fill out the form:

Metric name (unique, no hyphens)
Scope (always event-scoped)
Description
Event parameter
Unit of measurement

5. Click Save

Pro tip: Register your event parameter first to avoid headaches later.

GA4 custom metric scopes:

GA4 Scope	Universal Analytics Equivalent
Event-scoped	Hit-scoped
User-scoped	User-scoped
N/A	Session-scoped
E-commerce parameters	Product-scoped

GA4 allows 50 custom metrics for standard properties. Need more? GA4 360 offers 125.

Custom metrics might take 1-2 days to show up in reports.

Troubleshooting tips:

Double-check event names in GA4 and your code
Use GA4 Debugging View to test events
Watch out for ad blockers

How to Create Custom Metrics in Google Analytics 4