Analyzing User Engagement with GA4 Parameters like engagement_time_msec

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), user engagement is analysed primarily through metrics like engagement_time_msec, average engagement time, and engaged sessions.

The parameter engagement_time_msec represents the amount of time (in milliseconds) a user actively engages with your website or app. It is not tied exclusively to the user_engagement event but is appended to the next event collected after a period of engagement. This means it measures active user interaction time between events such as clicks, scrolls, or other tracked actions. However, if no engagement time has elapsed since the last event, engagement_time_msec is omitted. It is also not included in certain events like first_visit, session_start, or page_view because these events occur before measurable engagement time accumulates.

Average engagement time per session is a key metric derived from engagement_time_msec and reflects the average duration users actively interact with your site or app during a session. This metric goes beyond simple time-on-page by focusing on active engagement, such as scrolling or clicking, rather than passive presence. It is available in GA4 reports under Engagement Overview and Pages and Screens and is useful for assessing content quality and user experience.

GA4 also introduces the concept of engaged sessions, which are sessions that meet at least one of these criteria:

• Last longer than 10 seconds (customizable)
• Include a conversion event
• Contain at least 2 page or screen views

Engaged sessions help identify meaningful user interactions and feed into metrics like engagement rate (engaged sessions divided by total sessions), engaged sessions per user, and average engagement time.

In summary, analysing user engagement in GA4 involves:

• Tracking engagement_time_msec to measure active user interaction time between events.
• Using average engagement time per session to evaluate how long users stay actively engaged.
• Leveraging engaged sessions to focus on sessions with significant interaction.
• Combining these metrics to understand user behaviour quality beyond simple visit counts or page views.

This approach provides a more nuanced and accurate picture of user engagement compared to traditional metrics like bounce rate.