How to customise Google Analytics 4 reports snapshots - complete guide for small businesses

What is the reports snapshot in GA4?

The reports snapshot in Google Analytics 4 is your business's dashboard homepage – it's the first thing you see when you click "Reports" in the left navigation. 

The snapshot consists of summary cards – visual representations of your data that show trends, numbers, and comparisons. Each card links to more detailed reports if you need to investigate further, but the snapshot itself is designed for quick decision-making.

New snapshot templates

Google transformed the reports snapshot experience in 2025 by introducing three pre-built templates designed around different business priorities. This update addresses one of the biggest challenges small business owners face: knowing which metrics actually matter for their specific situation.

User behaviour template

Perfect for businesses focused on understanding their audience and improving customer experience. This template emphasises:

• How many people visit your website and where they come from
• Which pages and content perform best
• How engaged visitors are with your site
• Audience demographics and interests
• User journey patterns and popular site paths

This template works brilliantly for service-based businesses, content creators, and companies where understanding customer behaviour drives business decisions.

Sales and revenue template

Designed specifically for businesses selling products or services online. Key focus areas include:

• Revenue metrics and sales performance
• Product performance and purchasing behaviour
• Conversion rates and sales funnel analysis
• Average order values and customer lifetime metrics
• E-commerce specific events and transactions

Ideal for online shops, subscription services, and any business where revenue tracking is the primary concern.

Marketing performance template

Built for businesses wanting to measure and optimise their marketing efforts across different channels. This template highlights:

• Traffic sources and campaign effectiveness
• Marketing channel performance comparisons
• User acquisition costs and returns
• Campaign-specific metrics and conversions
• Source and medium breakdowns

Perfect for businesses running multiple marketing campaigns or working with limited marketing budgets where every pound needs to count.

Choosing the right template for your business

Selecting the appropriate template depends on your primary business goals and what decisions you make most frequently. Here's a practical guide to help you choose:

Choose user behaviour if you...

• Run a content website, blog, or educational platform
• Provide services rather than selling products
• Need to understand customer preferences for product development
• Focus on building community and engagement
• Make decisions based on what content resonates with your audience

Choose sales and revenue if you...

• Sell products or services directly through your website
• Need to track inventory performance
• Make pricing and product decisions regularly
• Focus primarily on conversion optimisation
• Need to report on sales figures to stakeholders

Choose marketing performance if you...

• Run advertising campaigns across multiple platforms
• Work with a limited marketing budget
• Need to justify marketing spend and ROI
• Compare performance between different marketing channels
• Make frequent decisions about where to invest marketing resources

Pro tip: You're not locked into your choice forever. You can change templates at any time, and you can always create a completely custom snapshot if none of the templates perfectly fit your needs.

Step-by-step: customising your reports snapshot

Customising your reports snapshot is straightforward once you know where to look. Here's exactly how to do it:

Step 1: Access your reports snapshot

1. Log into your Google Analytics 4 property
2. Click "Reports" in the left navigation menu
3. You'll automatically land on the reports snapshot page

Step 2: Enter customisation mode

1. Look for the pencil icon (customise report) in the top-right corner
2. Click the pencil icon to open the customisation panel
3. A sidebar will appear on the right side of your screen

Step 3: Choose or change your template (if needed)

1. Scroll down in the customisation panel to find "Template" section
2. If available, click "Change report snapshot" button
3. Select from the three template options or keep your current setup
4. Preview each option to see which metrics it includes

Important note: The template selection feature is being rolled out gradually, so you might not see it immediately. If it's not available yet, you can still customise your snapshot manually using the steps below.

Step 4: Add, remove, or rearrange cards

1. Use the "Add cards" button to browse available metrics
2. Remove unwanted cards by clicking the "X" next to each card name
3. Drag cards up and down to reorder them
4. You can include up to 16 cards in total

Step 5: Save your changes

1. Review your selections in the preview
2. Click "Save" at the bottom of the customisation panel
3. Your new snapshot will load immediately

Adding and removing cards effectively

The key to an effective reports snapshot is showing the right information without overwhelming yourself with data. Here's how to make smart choices about which cards to include:

Cards every small business should consider

• Users: Shows how many people visited your website
• New users: Tracks growth in your audience
• Sessions: Indicates how often people visit
• Engagement rate: Measures how interested visitors are in your content
• Top pages: Shows which content performs best
• Traffic sources: Reveals where your visitors come from

Cards to remove if they don't apply to you

• E-commerce metrics if you don't sell online
• App-specific cards if you only have a website
• Advertising cards if you don't run paid campaigns
• Conversion cards if you haven't set up goals yet

Organising your cards for maximum impact

Place your most important metrics at the top of the snapshot. Most business owners should prioritise this order:

1. Overall traffic metrics (users, sessions)
2. Engagement metrics (engagement rate, pages per session)
3. Traffic sources (where visitors come from)
4. Content performance (top pages, popular content)
5. Conversion metrics (if applicable)
6. Detailed breakdowns (demographics, technology used)

Essential metrics every small business should track

While every business is different, there are fundamental metrics that provide valuable insights for most small businesses. Understanding these will help you make better decisions about your online presence:

Traffic and reach metrics

• Total users: The number of unique people who visited your website
• New vs returning users: Shows whether you're attracting new customers or retaining existing ones
• Sessions: How many times people visited your website
• Page views: Total number of pages visited across all sessions

These metrics help you understand the overall health and growth of your online presence.

Engagement and behaviour metrics

• Engagement rate: Percentage of sessions where users actively engaged with your content
• Average session duration: How long people typically spend on your website
• Pages per session: How many pages visitors view during each visit
• Bounce rate: Percentage of single-page sessions where users left immediately

These metrics reveal how compelling and useful your content is to visitors.

Traffic source metrics

• Organic search: Visitors who found you through Google searches
• Direct traffic: People who typed your website address directly
• Social media referrals: Visitors from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
• Email campaign traffic: Visitors who clicked through from email newsletters

Understanding traffic sources helps you focus your marketing efforts where they're most effective.

Mobile considerations

With mobile traffic accounting for over 75% of all website visits in 2025, your reports snapshot needs to work perfectly for smartphones and tablets. Google's mobile-first indexing means your mobile experience directly impacts your search rankings.

Mobile-optimised metrics to prioritise

• Mobile traffic percentage: Track how much of your audience uses mobile devices
• Page speed metrics: Mobile users expect pages to load in under 3 seconds
• Local search performance: 46% of Google searches have local intent
• Mobile conversion rates: How well your mobile experience converts visitors

Consider adding device-specific cards to your snapshot to monitor mobile performance separately from desktop traffic.

Voice search considerations

With over 50% of searches now voice-activated, monitor metrics that indicate voice search performance:

• Long-tail keyword performance
• Local "near me" search traffic
• Question-based query performance
• Featured snippet visibility

Common mistakes to avoid

Learning from others' mistakes can save you time and frustration. Here are the most common issues small business owners encounter when customising their reports snapshot:

Including too many metrics

The biggest mistake is trying to track everything. A cluttered snapshot is overwhelming and defeats the purpose of having a quick overview. Stick to 8-12 cards maximum for the best experience.

Focusing on vanity metrics

Metrics like page views and social media followers can make you feel good, but they don't necessarily drive business results. Focus on metrics that connect to actual business outcomes like leads, sales, or customer engagement.

Not customising for your business type

Using the default snapshot without customisation means you're likely tracking metrics that don't matter to your business while missing ones that do. Always tailor your snapshot to your specific business model and goals.

Ignoring mobile users

With most traffic coming from mobile devices, not tracking mobile-specific metrics means you're blind to how the majority of your audience experiences your website.

Set-and-forget mentality

Your business evolves, and your snapshot should too. Review and adjust your metrics quarterly to ensure they still align with your current priorities and goals.

Troubleshooting snapshot customisation

Sometimes things don't work as expected. Here are solutions to the most common issues:

Can't see the customise option

You need Editor or Administrator permissions on the GA4 property to customise reports. If you don't see the pencil icon, contact whoever manages your Google Analytics account to grant you the appropriate access.

Template selection not available

Google is rolling out the template feature gradually. If you don't see template options yet, you can still create a custom snapshot manually by adding and removing cards individually.

Cards showing "no data"

This usually means either:

• Your website doesn't have enough traffic yet (wait a few days)
• The specific metric doesn't apply to your website (e.g., e-commerce metrics on a non-selling site)
• There's a tracking issue that needs fixing

Changes not saving

Try these steps:

1. Refresh your browser and try again
2. Clear your browser cache
3. Check your internet connection
4. Try using a different browser

Missing expected data

If your snapshot isn't showing data you expect to see, check your GA4 property settings and ensure all necessary tracking codes are properly installed on your website.

Best practices for ongoing management

Creating your reports snapshot is just the beginning. Here's how to maintain and optimise it for continued success:

Regular review schedule

• Weekly: Check your snapshot for unusual patterns or concerning trends
• Monthly: Analyse performance and identify areas for improvement
• Quarterly: Review your metrics selection and adjust based on business priorities
• Annually: Completely reassess your analytics strategy and snapshot configuration

Sharing and collaboration

If you work with team members or agencies, consider:

• Creating multiple snapshots for different roles (marketing, sales, management)
• Setting up automated reports to share key metrics via email
• Training team members on how to interpret the data
• Establishing regular review meetings to discuss insights

Integration with business decisions

Make your reports snapshot actionable by:

• Setting up alerts for significant changes in key metrics
• Creating action plans for different scenarios (traffic drops, conversion increases, etc.)
• Connecting insights to specific business activities and campaigns
• Using the data to inform budget allocation and strategy decisions

Future-proofing your setup

Stay ahead of changes by:

• Following Google Analytics updates and new feature announcements
• Testing new metrics and cards as they become available
• Adapting to changing user behaviour and search trends
• Regularly checking that your tracking is working correctly

Remember, the goal isn't to have the most sophisticated analytics setup – it's to have the right information to make better business decisions quickly and confidently.

Getting started today

You now have all the knowledge you need to create an effective reports snapshot that works for your business. The key is to start simple and refine over time rather than trying to perfect everything immediately.

Begin by choosing the most appropriate template for your business type, then gradually customise it as you become more familiar with your data and what insights matter most for your specific situation.

Your reports snapshot should feel like a helpful daily briefing, not an overwhelming data dump. Focus on metrics that help you understand your customers, measure your success, and make informed decisions about where to invest your limited time and resources.