Key Google Analytics Certification terms in plain English. The certification is built around Google Analytics 4 (GA4), so it helps to know GA4’s event-based vocabulary and the names of its reporting and measurement features. Confirm exact definitions and current features on the official Analytics Help pages.
| term | definition |
|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | The current version of Google Analytics, built on an event-based data model; the certification is based on it. |
| Skillshop | Google’s free training platform where you learn GA4 and take the certification assessment online. |
| Analytics Academy | The collection of free Google Analytics e-learning courses on Skillshop that prepare you for the certification. |
| Property | The container in GA4 that holds the data for a website or app; each account can hold multiple properties. |
| Data stream | The source of data flowing into a GA4 property - a web stream, or an Android or iOS app stream. |
| Event | The core unit of data in GA4; every interaction (such as a page view or a click) is recorded as an event. |
| Parameter | Extra detail attached to an event that describes it, such as the page title or the value of a purchase. |
| Automatically collected event | An event GA4 records with no setup, such as first_visit or session_start. |
| Enhanced measurement | Optional automatic tracking of common interactions like scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video and file downloads. |
| Custom event | An event you define yourself to capture an action GA4 does not record by default. |
| User property | An attribute describing a user (for example, membership level) that GA4 can use to segment data. |
| Key event | An important event you mark as significant; GA4’s version of a conversion. |
| Session | A period of user activity on your site or app; in GA4 a session is itself derived from events. |
| Engaged session | A session that lasts longer than a set time, has a key event, or has at least two screen or page views. |
| Engagement rate | The share of sessions that were engaged sessions. |
| Exploration | An analysis built in the Explore workspace using techniques such as free-form, funnel, path or cohort. |
| Funnel exploration | An exploration that shows the steps users take toward a goal and where they drop off. |
| Path exploration | An exploration that shows the paths users take through events or screens. |
| Audience | A group of users defined by shared behaviour or attributes, used for analysis and remarketing. |
| Predictive audience | An audience built using GA4’s predictive metrics, such as users likely to purchase or to churn. |
| Attribution | The way GA4 assigns credit for a conversion across the touchpoints in a user’s journey. |
| Data retention | The setting that controls how long GA4 keeps user- and event-level data for use in explorations. |
| DebugView | A GA4 report that lets you see events arriving in real time while you test your setup. |
| Universal Analytics (UA) | The previous, session-based version of Google Analytics, now retired; the certification does not cover it. |