How to Do an Annual Business Report and Set 2025 Goals Using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Data

As the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what worked, identify areas for growth, and map out your goals for 2025. An Annual Business Review, with your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data, can help you turn data into meaningful insights. By understanding your performance metrics and planning for the future, you can set the stage for continued success.

Here’s how to use GA4 to conduct a comprehensive Annual Business Review and set actionable goals for 2025. At Analytics Mates, we follow a structured approach to reviewing both our own site and our clients’ Annual performance. While this process is designed with GA4 in mind, it’s flexible and can easily be adapted to other analytics tools you might be using.

Why is This Important?

But why are we doing this? Taking the time to review your performance and set goals isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for growth. A thorough Annual Business Review helps you:

Understand what’s working: By identifying the strategies and tactics that deliver results, you can double down on what’s effective.
Spot opportunities: GA4’s data can uncover untapped potential, whether it’s underperforming pages or new audience segments.
Align your efforts: Ensuring your metrics and insights support your broader business goals creates a roadmap for intentional growth.
Stay competitive: In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the businesses that succeed are the ones that act on data-driven insights.

This process will help you plan effectively for the year ahead. By identifying what worked and what didn’t, you can allocate resources wisely, repurpose strategies that deliver value, and optimize efforts that fell short. Let’s get into the steps:

Step 1: Gather Your GA4 Data

To get a comprehensive understanding of your year’s performance using GA4, gather and analyze the following key data points:

*Note that while we’ve highlighted key metrics for your Annual analysis, the most important data will depend on your specific business goals and priorities.

Category	GA4 Metrics
Traffic Metrics	Total users, new users, and returning users. Sessions and average session duration. Engagement rates and engaged sessions per user.
Conversion Metrics	Total number of conversions for key events (e.g., purchases, form submissions). Conversion rate by channel, source, and medium. Micro-conversions such as add-to-cart events or video completions.
User Behavior Metrics	Event counts, including specific actions like clicks on CTAs, downloads, or video plays. Average engagement time per user and by page. Path exploration insights, identifying common user journeys and drop-off points.
Acquisition Data	Performance of acquisition channels (organic search, paid search, direct, referral, social). Traffic sources and mediums driving the highest engagement or conversions. Campaign-level performance using UTM parameters for granular insights.
E-Commerce Performance (if applicable)	Revenue, transactions, and average order value (AOV). Product performance metrics, such as top-selling items or items with high cart abandonment rates. Checkout funnel analysis to identify barriers to conversion.
Demographic and Geographic Data	User demographics, including age, gender, and interests. Top-performing geographic regions based on engagement or revenue.
Content and Landing Page Performance	Top-performing landing pages based on traffic, bounce rate, or conversions. Blog or content pages with the highest engagement metrics. Exit pages to identify potential pain points in the user journey.
Device and Platform Insights	Breakdown of traffic by device type (mobile, desktop, tablet). Performance by browser or operating system. Mobile-specific metrics such as mobile engagement and conversion rates.
Retention and Loyalty Metrics	User retention rates over time. Frequency and recency metrics to measure how often users return. Lifetime value of repeat visitors or customers.
Technical Performance Data	Site speed metrics, such as page load times. Core Web Vitals performance (if tracked in GA4). Events tied to technical issues, like form submission errors or broken links.

Step 2: Reflect on Key Accomplishments: Questions with Descriptions

When reviewing your year’s successes using GA4, these detailed questions can guide your analysis and provide deeper insights:

What were the most significant achievements in traffic growth, user engagement, or conversions this year?	Look at overall trends in key metrics such as total users, engaged sessions, or completed conversions. Identify moments when performance exceeded expectations and what contributed to those peaks.
Which acquisition channels consistently brought in the highest-quality traffic (e.g., users who stayed engaged or converted)?	Analyze channel performance to uncover which sources—like organic search, paid ads, or social media—brought in users who stayed engaged or completed high-value actions. This reveals where to invest resources for the best returns.
What campaigns or marketing initiatives delivered the best ROI?	Examine specific campaigns, UTM-tagged links, or promotional efforts to identify which had the greatest impact relative to their costs. Focus on those with measurable success in driving conversions or revenue.
Did any specific pages or content pieces perform exceptionally well in driving user engagement or conversions?	Use GA4’s page reports to find top-performing landing pages or blog posts. Identify what made them successful, such as compelling CTAs, clear design, or relevant content.
How did user behavior change over the year? Were there notable improvements in engagement metrics such as average session duration or engaged sessions?	Compare user behavior data across months or quarters. Did visitors engage more deeply with your site? If so, what changes might have influenced this, such as improved navigation or updated content?
Which geographic regions contributed the most to your traffic and revenue?	Review location-based data to identify high-performing regions. This can help you localize efforts, such as tailoring content or promotions to specific geographic audiences.
What seasonal or promotional events led to spikes in key performance indicators (KPIs)?	Identify patterns tied to holidays, sales, or product launches. These events often bring temporary surges, and understanding their impact can help you plan future campaigns.
How did new or updated features, such as improved event tracking or added reports, impact your overall performance analysis?	Reflect on whether any technical enhancements—like better GA4 tracking or dashboard updates—helped you gain more precise insights and how they contributed to your strategy.
Were there any unexpected wins—metrics or trends that outperformed initial expectations?	Look for surprises, such as a sudden rise in traffic from a new channel or an unplanned spike in conversions. These outliers can provide inspiration for new strategies.
Which user segments (e.g., demographics, returning users, or high-value customers) proved to be the most valuable to your business?	Dive into audience segmentation data to find your most profitable user groups. Understanding their behaviors and preferences can inform targeted strategies for 2025.

By exploring these questions in detail, you can turn your Annual Business Review into a strategic tool for growth and improvement.

Step 3: Identify Challenges and Growth Areas

Review areas where your GA4 data reveals gaps or underperformance. Consider:

Which pages or screens had high drop-off rates?
Were there campaigns with low ROI or high bounce rates?
What events or goals fell short of expected benchmarks?

Use tools like GA4’s funnel analysis or path exploration to pinpoint where users are disengaging. This can help uncover inefficiencies and highlight opportunities for improvement in 2025.

Step 4: Align Your Review with Long-Term Vision

Place your GA4 performance metrics within the context of your broader objectives. Are your digital efforts still aligned with your long-term goals? If your priorities have shifted, adjust your goals accordingly. For example:

If GA4 data shows strong mobile traffic but low mobile conversions, prioritize optimizing your mobile user experience in 2025.
If predictive metrics like purchase probability highlight potential growth, align resources to capitalize on those opportunities.

Step 5: Set SMART Goals for 2025 Based on GA4 Insights

Use the insights from GA4 to establish SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for the upcoming year. Examples include:

Traffic Goal: Increase overall sessions by 30% by focusing on organic search and social media traffic by Q4 2025.
Conversion Goal: Boost e-commerce purchase conversions by 15% through improved checkout flows and retargeting campaigns by Q3 2025.
Engagement Goal: Achieve a 25% increase in engaged sessions by enhancing high-value content by mid-2025.

Break down larger goals into quarterly or monthly milestones to track progress effectively within GA4.

Step 6: Create an Action Plan with GA4 Data

Outline the steps, resources, and timelines needed to achieve your 2025 goals, guided by GA4 insights. Include:

Key activities: Use GA4 event tracking to monitor specific actions such as button clicks or video views.
Responsible parties: Assign team members to manage GA4 data analysis and campaign execution.
Deadlines: Set timelines for implementing changes, such as optimizing landing pages by Q2.
Resources needed: Allocate budgets for tools or training to better utilize GA4 features.

For instance, if your goal is to improve conversion tracking, ensure that all key events are accurately set up and validated in GA4 by Q1 2025.

Step 7: Monitor and Adjust Using GA4

Regularly review your GA4 reports to track progress and make adjustments as needed. Set up custom alerts and dashboards to stay updated on critical metrics. Use GA4’s audience builder and predictive metrics to refine your strategies throughout the year.

Download Analytics Mates’ Annual Business Performance Review Template.

This ready-to-use Google Slides presentation is designed to help you present your annual business performance effectively. With professionally crafted slides, you can showcase key metrics, achievements, challenges, and future goals in a clear and engaging format—perfect for team meetings or stakeholder reviews.

Download Template

Final Words

A well-executed Annual Business Review using GA4 data isn’t just about looking back; it’s about using the past to inform a more focused and intentional future. By reflecting on your successes and challenges through the lens of GA4, aligning with your long-term vision, and setting clear, data-driven goals for 2025, you’ll be well-prepared to make the new year your best one yet. Harness the power of GA4 insights to pause, plan, and propel yourself forward—your future self will thank you!

Thank you for reading!

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