If you noticed, in Google Analytics 4 you can find two reports on your website's pages, i.e. the Pages and screens report and the Landing page report. Both reports are essential for a comprehensive analysis of user interactions on your website, providing valuable insights to optimize your digital presence. However, to gain truly valuable insights into user behavior on your websites, it is important to understand the difference between these two reports. This guide will delve into the difference between the Pages and screens report versus the Landing page report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)!
Difference between Pages and Screens vs Landing Page Report in GA4
Landing Page Report
Shows only the first pages users enter your website through
Helps identify your best entry points to the website
Key uses:
SEO: Filter for organic traffic to see which pages attract search engine visitors
Paid Ads: Track where systems like Performance Max are directing traffic
Understand how users initially discover your website
Pages and Screens Report
Shows traffic data for all pages on your website, regardless of entry point
Includes complete data on pageviews, traffic, and sessions
Important Dimensions:
Can view by Page Title and Screen Class
Can view by Page Path and Screen Class (URLs)
Key uses:
Identify most popular products/sections/categories
Understand user interaction with specific content
Track overall page performance across your site
To summarize:
Landing Page Report: The first interaction between a user and your website. The landing page reports include the URLs that acted as an entry point - the URLs where the visitor FIRST landed on your website.
Pages and Screens Report: Pages and Screens report includes data relevant to ALL the visits to your website's URLs (regardless of whether this was the first interaction or not).
Think of it this way: Landing Page Report shows you the "doors" people use to enter your website, while Pages and Screens Report shows you how people move around once they're inside.
Frequently Asked Questions on Pages and Screens vs Landing Page Report in GA4
Why is the report called Pages and Screens?
It is called Pages and Screens because GA4 is a hybrid tool that can track both websites and desktop/mobile applications. Pages refer to website URLs, whilst screens refer to mobile app screens (interfaces). For websites, every time that you change the URL, it will be referred to as 'page'. Meanwhile, for mobile applications, every time that you proceed and change the interface, it will be recorded as 'screen'. If you don't have a mobile / desktop application, then the screens report will not be relevant to you.
Is the data in the Pages and Screens report session-scoped or user-scoped?
The Pages and Screens report shows session-scoped data, meaning it measures when the same user visits different pages within a single session. So the Pages and Screens report tracks the pages and screens that users visit within a single session, rather than tracking user-level data across multiple sessions. By being session-scoped, the Pages and Screens report allows you to understand the user's navigation and engagement within a specific session.
How do I see the page titles in the Pages and Screens report if my site is localized?
If your pages are localized, the page titles may appear in different languages. You can override the title that gets pulled from the <title> tag using the page_title event parameter. By using the page_title event parameter, you can ensure that the page titles are displayed consistently in the language you prefer, even if the actual <title> tag on the page is in a different language.
How do I see what users do after they visit a landing page in GA4?
You can use the Path Exploration feature in GA4 (go to the "Explore" section and select the "Path exploration" report) to see the top pages users visited after landing on a specific page. The Path Exploration report displays the most frequent pathways users take after seeing the landing page. You can analyze metrics such as the number of userswho followed each path, the conversion rate, and the average engagement duration.
Use the Path Exploration insights to better analyze user behavior and find possibilities for improving the user experience. For example, if people regularly leave the landing page, you may examine why and make changes to keep them engaged.
What's the difference between the Landing Page report and the first interaction in the User Acquisition report?
The Landing Page report specifically analyzes the pages users first land on your website during a session. It identifies which pages serve as entry points for visitors and gives a detailed view of entrance pages, including analytics linked to user activity on these sites.
The First Interaction dimension in the User Acquisition report provides insights into the very first interaction a user had with your site, which may or may not be the landing page. It covers all user interactions, not just the landing page and thus offers a broader perspective on acquisition sources and initial user interactions, rather than just page-specific data.
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