GA4 session essentials
- Definition : Grouping of user interactions over a period of time
- Duration : Ends after 30 minutes of inactivity
- Difference: No new session when changing day or source
- Utilite : Measure the actual volume of active visits
The session is one of GA4's fundamental indicators. It represents the totality of a visitor's interactions on your site over a given period of time. Understanding it is essential to correctly interpret your data.
How GA4 defines a session
A session starts as soon as a user interacts with your site and ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 does not create a new session when the day or traffic source changes.
Session vs. user
The session
- Period of continuous activity
- Multiple sessions per user
- Measures volume of visits
- Expires after 30 min of inactivity
The user
- Unique identified person
- May return several times
- Measure real audience
- Long-term monitoring
Why it matters
Sessions measure actual activity on your site. An increase in sessions can indicate an increase in your reputation or the success of a campaign SEO or SEA. Also analyze the duration and number of events per session to assess engagement.
Good interpretation practices
Don't limit yourself to the raw number of sessions. Combine with other metrics: average duration, pages per session, conversion rate. Observe trends over several weeks rather than daily variations.