Web analytics

How is the data collected?

According to reports, there are two main methods.

• Page tagging. A JavaScript snippet on each page sends events to an analytics service. Google Analytics 4 works this way. It sees what happens in the browser, including events that never reach the server.
• Log file analysis. The web server’s access logs are evaluated. No change to the pages is needed, and the logs include bots and crawlers, which tagging usually misses. They contain no on-page behavior such as scrolling.

Which metrics matter?

GA4 reports sessions, views, users and key events. A session starts with the first event of a visit and ends after more than 30 minutes of inactivity, depending on the session timeout setting. Active users are users who had an engaged session or triggered specific engagement events. A key event is an event marked as particularly important to the business, for example a purchase. The same metrics are available per channel, such as organic search, so SEO results can be read next to other sources.

Privacy

Most tag-based tools store or read information on the visitor’s device. In Germany, § 25 TDDDG covers consent for storing or reading such information, with exceptions for what is strictly necessary to deliver a service the user explicitly requested. Article 6 GDPR lists the legal bases for processing personal data. Without consent, no tag data arrives, which is why reported traffic can fall short of real traffic.

This is not legal advice.

Example

An online shop connects GA4 and Search Console. The monthly view shows organic sessions, key events (orders) by landing page and the click trend from Search Console. Together, the data shows which landing pages bring visits that end in orders.

Last updated: October 7, 2026