Key Google Analytics 4 Metrics to Track Marketing Campaigns in Jira
Jira is where marketing teams turn plans into action and keep campaigns moving forward. But while Jira tracks the work, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — the go-to tool for many marketing teams — is where we measure campaign performance.
The problem? These two worlds don’t always connect. We jump between dashboards and boards, trying to link campaign results with the tasks that drove them.
This article does two things:
- Breaks down the key GA4 metrics marketing teams should focus on.
- Shows how you can now see these same metrics directly in Jira.
What Are Metrics in Google Analytics 4?
In GA4, a metric is a number that measures something about user behavior, traffic, or business outcomes. Think of them as the answers to “how many” or “how much” questions.
- How many people visited your site? → Users
- How many times was a video played? → Event count
- How much revenue did a campaign generate? → Revenue
Metrics are always quantitative. They pair with dimensions (the “descriptions” like campaign name, channel, or device) to give you context. For example: 1,200 new users (metric) came from LinkedIn Ads (dimension).
This distinction is important because campaign analysis is about more than numbers — you need to know where they come from and what they mean.
1. Acquisition Metrics (Campaign Reach & Source Quality)
- Users – How many people interacted with your site/app via a campaign.
- New users – Share of fresh audiences vs returning ones.
- Sessions – How many visits campaigns generated.
- Traffic acquisition: Source/medium/campaign – UTM-based tracking to see which channels and campaigns bring the traffic.
Why it matters: Acquisition metrics show if your campaigns are reaching the right audiences and through which channels.
💡 Example: A company launches a LinkedIn ad campaign targeting product managers. GA4 shows 1,200 new users and 500 returning users. The high ratio of new users signals the campaign is working well for brand awareness.
User Acquisition vs. Traffic Acquisition in GA4
This is one of the most common points of confusion in GA4, especially when evaluating campaigns.
- User Acquisition
- Measures where a user first came from.
- Uses dimensions like First user source/medium/campaign.
- Always tied to the very first session a user had with your site or app.
- Example: If someone first discovers you via a LinkedIn ad, that’s their “first user source,” even if they later return via Google search.
- Traffic Acquisition
- Measures where each session came from.
- Uses dimensions like Session source/medium/campaign.
- Tied to the current visit/session, regardless of prior history.
- Example: That same user’s later visit through a Google search ad would show up under Google / CPC in Traffic Acquisition, even though they first came via LinkedIn.
👉 The difference in one line:
- User Acquisition = Where did this user first come from?
- Traffic Acquisition = Where did this session come from?
User Acquisition is the first handshake, while Traffic Acquisition is the door they walked through today.
2. Engagement Metrics (Content & Visit Quality)
- Engagement rate – % of sessions that were truly “engaged” (longer than 10s, multiple pageviews, or a key event).
- Average engagement time per session – How much attention your campaign traffic gives.
- Engaged sessions per user – Indicates repeat interest.
- Event count for campaign CTAs – Clicks, downloads, or video plays tied to campaign goals.
Why it matters: Traffic means little without interaction. Engagement metrics reveal if your targeting and messaging resonate.
💡 Example: An email campaign with 2,000 visitors and a 60% engagement rate outperforms a social ad with 10,000 visitors but only 20% engagement.
3. Conversion & Key Events (Campaign Effectiveness)
- Conversions (key events) – The actions you define as success (sign-ups, purchases, demo requests).
- Conversion rate – % of sessions or users that converted.
- Revenue / Purchase events – If ecommerce or paid conversions are part of your funnel.
- Micro-conversions – Steps along the way: newsletter sign-up, resource download, form completion.
Why it matters: Conversions tie marketing activity directly to business outcomes.
💡 Example: A free-trial campaign generates 500 sign-ups (key event), while a webinar campaign generates 200 sign-ups. But the webinar leads have a 40% higher upgrade rate. Tracking both conversions and follow-up events helps the team see which campaign truly drives long-term value.
4. Monetization / ROI Metrics (Financial Impact)
- Total revenue from campaign traffic – Direct ROI per campaign.
- Average revenue per user (ARPU) – Efficiency of campaign spend.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS) – For campaigns tied to paid media.
Why it matters: These metrics let you compare cost and return, so you can focus spend where it works best.
💡 Example: Two ad campaigns each attract 1,000 users. Campaign A generates $2,800 in revenue, Campaign B just $800.Without revenue attribution, both campaigns would look equally good on traffic alone. With it, you know where to invest more.
5. Attribution Metrics (Channel Contribution)
- First user vs Session acquisition – Compare campaigns that first attracted users vs those that re-engaged them.
- Data-driven attribution (DDA) conversions – Fractional credit for multiple touchpoints.
Why it matters: Campaigns rarely convert on the first touch. Attribution shows how channels support each other across the funnel.
💡 Example: A user discovers you through a YouTube ad, clicks an email, then converts via search. GA4 attribution ensures all three get credit.
✅ Pro tip for campaign analysis: Always use UTM tags (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content) on campaign links. Without them, GA4 cannot properly attribute traffic and conversions to your campaigns.
Campaign optimization
Tracking metrics is only half the job. To optimize campaigns:
- Start measuring from day one.
- Change one variable at a time – creative/content, audience, or channel.
- Compare to past campaigns or industry standards.
- Make results visible to your team and stakeholders in one place (Jira, Confluence, or dashboards).
How to Track GA4 Metrics in Jira
Traditionally, marketing teams tracked GA4 data in one place and managed campaign tasks in Jira. That meant jumping between dashboards, exporting numbers, and trying to connect dots manually.
Now, Jira users can simplify the process. With the new app - Marketing Campaign Analyzer, you can see Jira work items, team effort, hours logged, and task completion in the same view as your Google Analytics metrics.
Give the Marketing Campaign Analyzer a try and see how much easier campaign tracking becomes when GA4 insights live right inside Jira.
Track the work, see the results, celebrate the wins. 😉
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Halyna Kudlak _SaaSJet_
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