How To Adjust Session Timeout in GA4
By advertience | January 18, 2023 | Google Analytics 4
Optimize GA4’s session timeout for accurate user insights! Learn why, how & best practices. Get expert auditing with Advertience. Learn More!
First, let’s talk about why you might want to adjust the session timeout in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). As mentioned above, the default timeout of 30 minutes is a one-size-fits-all solution that may not accurately reflect the behavior of all users. For example, if you have a news website where users often spend longer periods of time reading articles, a session timeout of 30 minutes may not be enough to capture all of their activity in a single session. On the other hand, if you have an e-commerce website where users typically make quick purchases and then leave, a shorter session timeout of 15 minutes or less may be more appropriate.
Adjusting the session timeout in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can also be helpful if you want to compare data between two different periods of time. For example, if you changed the design of your website and want to see how the new design affects user behavior, you’ll want to make sure that the session timeout is consistent between the two periods so that the data is comparable.
Now that we’ve covered why you might want to adjust the session timeout in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), let’s talk about how to do it. Adjusting the session timeout is a simple process that can be done from the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property settings.
Here’s how to do it:
- In the left navigation, click Admin.
- In the Property column, click Data Streams.
- Click Web and then click a web data stream.
- In the web stream details, click Configure tag settings (at the bottom).
- In the Settings section, click Show all to see all available options.
- Click Adjust session timeout: set the session timeout in hours and minutes.
- Adjust timer for engaged sessions: select the number of seconds it takes for a session to be considered an engaged session.
- Click Save.
It’s important to note that adjusting the session timeout will only affect data going forward, so you won’t see any changes to historical data.
Now that you know how to adjust the session timeout in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), let’s talk about some best practices to follow. First and foremost, it’s important to choose a session timeout that accurately reflects the behavior of your users. As mentioned above, a shorter timeout may be more appropriate for e-commerce websites, while a longer timeout may be more appropriate for news websites.
It’s also a good idea to test different session timeout lengths to see how they affect your data. For example, you might try a session timeout of 15 minutes for a week, then switch to a session timeout of 60 minutes for another week and compare the data to see which timeout length gives you the most accurate and meaningful data.
It’s also worth noting that adjusting the session timeout is just one of many ways you can customize your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracking to better reflect the behavior of your users. Other options include custom events, custom dimensions, and custom metrics, which allow you to track specific actions or data points on your website or app.
In conclusion, a periodic Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audit, complemented by expert consulting, can validate the effectiveness of the session timeout settings. An audit will assess whether the current configuration aligns with user behavior patterns and business goals, providing opportunities to make necessary adjustments. This helps in maintaining the accuracy and relevance of the analytics data.
Advertience is a specialized Google Analytics 4 (GA4) audit and consulting agency based in Vancouver and Toronto. We deliver worldwide in-depth GA4 audits and consultant services, ensuring organizations have a reliable data foundation for making informed business decisions.
