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Which kinds of hits does Google Analytics track? In Universal Analytics, the classic answer was pageviews, events, e-commerce transactions and social interactions, plus screen views, exceptions and user timings. Since Universal Analytics stopped processing data in July 2023, Google Analytics 4 has replaced hits with one event-based model. Below I’ll explain both, starting with what a “Google Analytics hit” is.
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Google Analytics Hit
A hit is a specific interaction between a user and your website that is tracked by Google Analytics. These hits are generated when the tracking code you place on each page is triggered by user behavior. Interaction data is recorded and aggregated into a “hit” which is then sent to Google Analytics.
What is Hits in Google Analytics?
They are the building blocks of Google Analytics – the pieces of information that are packaged and sent to Google Analytics servers after any user interaction so that they can be processed.
In Universal Analytics, the collected data is sorted into a long list of parameters attached to a GIF image request as small as a single pixel. It is then sent to the Google Analytics servers, where it is processed. Finally, the data is available in your reports.
For example, a user loads a screen in a mobile application or a page on a website. Google Analytics records the behavior of this user, compiles it into a hit and sends it to the Google Analytics services.
Which Kinds of Hits Does Google Analytics Track?
Google Analytics receives different types of data from different types of results, which generates different reports for the marketer or the person who uses Google Analytics to track the metrics.
What are the Google Analytics metrics and why important?
Google Analytics metrics are information that reveals the performance of certain aspects of a website or mobile application within a specific period of time. Provides statistics on user behavior during the conversion funnel. Thanks to this huge amount of data, you will know how each aspect of your website works, what your visitors like and what they hate about your website or application so that you can improve it.
For example, the bounce rate is one of the most important metrics that shows if users enter your website and leave quickly without further interaction, or if they stay longer on your website visiting other pages. The higher the bounce rate, the more visitors bounce off your website, and you don’t want that. You want a low bounce rate. In GA4, bounce rate works a little differently: it’s the percentage of sessions that weren’t “engaged” (a session counts as engaged if it lasts longer than 10 seconds, includes a key event, or has at least two page or screen views). GA4 also shows the positive version, engagement rate, which many marketers now watch instead.
What types of Hits does Google Analytics record? Answered
Google Analytics is one of the most useful analytics tools available for marketers, and the standard version is free to use. It doesn’t affect your search rankings directly, but the data it collects shows which pages and campaigns actually work, so you can improve them. Below is a breakdown of the types of hits Universal Analytics tracked, giving you a better understanding of the tool and how it can help your marketing.
Different Hit types Google Analytics tracking
Here are some of the different types of traffic that Google Analytics will track:
Pageview Hit:
Every time a user views a page on a browser, no matter if they have been on same page before or not.
Event Hit:
Records interactions on web page when someone clicks a link, play a video, submits a form, or downloads something on the webpage. It is measured separately from pageviews.
Screen view Hit:
Every time a user views screen/content within an app. With this hit, one can see which content is mostly viewed by users.
Social Interaction Hit:
Measures social interactions made on specific webpage, such as sharing or liking content using any social share buttons on the webpage.
Exception Hit:
Records any errors or crashes occurring on one site.
E-commerce Hit:
Records users interactions made on the e-commerce page. For example, when someone places an item from page in their shopping cart or completes a purchase.
User Timing Hits:
Tracks time certain actions take to be completed, such as page load time, image load time, or button click duration.
How Google Analytics 4 Tracks the Same Interactions
GA4 doesn’t use hit types at all. Every interaction is an event with its own name and parameters, whether it’s a page view, a purchase or a video play. Google’s own comparison of Universal Analytics and GA4 data explains the shift in detail. Here’s how the old hit types map across:
| Universal Analytics hit | What it becomes in GA4 |
|---|---|
| Pageview | page_view event (collected automatically) |
| Screen view | screen_view event in apps |
| Event | An event with its own name and parameters |
| E-commerce | Recommended events like add_to_cart and purchase |
| Social interaction | No dedicated hit; use the recommended share event |
| Exception and user timing | No dedicated hit; track them with custom events |
GA4 also collects several events automatically through enhanced measurement, which you can switch on in your web data stream settings. These include scrolls, outbound link clicks, site searches, video engagement on embedded YouTube videos, file downloads and form interactions. That’s a big change: in Universal Analytics, most of these needed manual event tags.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four main hit types in Google Analytics?
In Universal Analytics, the four hit types usually listed were pageview, event, e-commerce and social interaction hits. Screen view, exception and user timing hits were also supported. In GA4, all of these are recorded as events.
Can I still see Universal Analytics data?
No. Google stopped processing standard Universal Analytics data in July 2023 and later removed access to the old properties and their reports, so historical UA data is only available if you exported it beforehand.
If you track campaigns, it also helps to connect your analytics to results. This guide on tracking ROI for digital marketing campaigns shows one way to do that, and you’ll find more in our digital marketing guides.
Understanding what hits Google Analytics tracks helps you read your reports correctly, and a good SEO agency should be able to explain this data to you. Learn more about why it’s beneficial to partner with the best by reading our piece on the benefits of choosing the best SEO agency.
