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GA4 Traffic Acquisition vs User Acquisition Reports Explained

GA4 has two acquisition reports that look similar but measure different things. User Acquisition shows how new users first found your site (their very first visit). Traffic Acquisition shows how all sessions (including returning visits) arrived. Use User Acquisition to understand which channels brin

Reports & Analysisga4 traffic vs user acquisition

Quick Summary

GA4 has two acquisition reports that look similar but measure different things. User Acquisition shows how new users first found your site (their very first visit). Traffic Acquisition shows how all sessions (including returning visits) arrived. Use User Acquisition to understand which channels bring new customers. Use Traffic Acquisition to understand which channels drive ongoing engagement and conversions.

Process Flow

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Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these 3 steps to complete this guide

1

User Acquisition Report

Shows the source/medium/channel of each user's first visit only. Dimensions are prefixed with 'First user' (e.g., First user source, First user medium). Use this to answer: which channels introduce new users to my site?
2

Traffic Acquisition Report

Shows the source/medium/channel of every session, including return visits. Dimensions are the standard session-level source/medium. Use this to answer: which channels drive traffic and conversions right now?
3

When to Use Each

Use User Acquisition for understanding your marketing funnel top — which channels are best at introducing new users. Use Traffic Acquisition for day-to-day performance monitoring and optimisation — which channels drive sessions and conversions today.

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