How I Use GA4 to Spot Underperforming Blog Posts (and Fix Them)
Last Tuesday, I stared at a blog post I'd spent five hours perfecting. According to GA4, it had the engagement rate of a tax return. Two people had read it all the way through. Two.
I could have shrugged, blamed "the algorithm," and moved on to creating something new. But here's what I've learned: that disappointing post wasn't a failure. It was data wrapped in an expensive lesson.
More than 90% of content receives zero traffic from Google. Which means my measly two readers actually put me ahead of most content creators. Not exactly comforting, but it got me thinking differently.
That post – and dozens of others gathering digital dust – weren't just underperformers. They were buried treasure with faulty maps. And GA4 was about to become my metal detector.
Here's exactly how I use GA4 to turn content duds into traffic magnets. ⬇️
Your underperforming content is costing you more than you think – here’s why
Before we dive into the GA4 nitty-gritty, let's talk about what underperforming content is actually costing you. Recent studies show that SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound efforts achieve just 1.7%. When your content isn't performing, you're not just missing traffic – you're missing highly qualified leads.
An underperforming blog post might be one that started strong but has lost momentum over time. Or it could be content that never gained organic traction despite your best efforts. Content Marketing ROI Statistics show that almost 53% of marketers said that updating their old content helped them get more interaction from their audience.
The signs are usually crystal clear:
Declining organic traffic from what was once a solid performer
Low engagement metrics (engagement rates under 60% are generally concerning)
Poor keyword rankings for terms you actually care about
Limited backlinks suggesting that others in your industry may not find your content valuable or authoritative
Outdated information that's lost its relevance
Sound familiar? Don't panic. Every single one of these issues can be addressed with the right approach – and the data proves it works. ⬇️
Why should you use GA4 for content analysis?
If you're still clinging to Universal Analytics data, it's time to let go. UA stopped collecting data in July 2023, and GA4 is now your reality.
GA4 is a complete shift in how we view and use analytics. Unlike its predecessor, GA4 focuses on delivering actionable insights through its enhanced integration with Google's machine learning technologies. This empowers you with predictive insights and a more nuanced understanding of user engagement.
The most important reports in GA4
Start in GA4 by navigating to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens. This view serves as your content dashboard, displaying performance metrics for every page on your site. This is where the magic happens – and where most people make their first mistake.
The Pages and screens report shows you exactly what your readers are actually engaging with. And more importantly, what they're ignoring completely. But here's the advanced bit most people miss: GA4's enhanced capabilities allow for custom data models and content analysis strategies.
If you've got your blog organised under a subdirectory (like "/blog/" or "/articles/"), use the search filter to narrow down your view. This instantly gives you a focused look at your content performance without getting distracted by product pages or other site sections.
The most important metrics in GA4
Here's what I look for when analysing blog post performance ⬇️
Engagement rate: The engagement rate is the percentage of engaged sessions on your website or mobile app. In GA4, an engaged session means someone spent more than 10 seconds on your page, viewed at least two pages, or completed a conversion event. Engagement rates ranging from 60-75% are considered strong, indicating that users find your content valuable and engaging.
Average engagement time: This metric shows you the average time your webpage was in the focus of your user. The GA4 average engagement time is calculated as a sum of user engagement durations per active user. This number is important because it can tell you a lot about your user journey on your webpage.
Views: Raw traffic numbers matter, but they're not the whole story. A post with 10,000 views and a 90% bounce rate isn't performing better than one with 1,000 views and genuine engagement.
Conversions: This is where the rubber meets the road. The GA4 conversions metric shows you the number of times a user triggered an event valuable to your business on your webpage. Are your posts actually driving business results?
My advanced GA4 process for identifying underperforming blog posts
Step 1: Run the comprehensive analysis
Go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens. Set your date range to the last 6-12 months to get a meaningful sample size. But here's where most people stop – and where you're going to get ahead.
Use GA4's Exploration feature (the advanced analysis tool that goes beyond standard reports) to create custom segments. Navigate to Explore > Free Form to build reports that slice and dice your data in ways that are flexible, intuitive, and tailor-made for your specific business questions.
Look for blog posts that:
Have received a decent amount of impressions but low click-through rates
Show declining traffic patterns over time
Have low engagement rates (under 60% is generally concerning)
High bounce rates suggesting your content doesn't meet audience expectations
Step 2: Leverage predictive analytics (the game-changer)
Here's where GA4 gets really clever: Google Analytics 4 focuses on delivering actionable insights through its enhanced integration with Google's machine learning technologies. This empowers you with predictive insights that Universal Analytics never offered.
In GA4, navigate to the "Insights" section in the upper-right corner. Here, you'll find automated insights generated by AI that can flag unusual changes or patterns in your content performance. GA4 will automatically identify key customer groups and suggest optimizations based on user behaviour patterns.
For content with sufficient data volume (at least 30 days of data and 1000 positive examples), GA4 can provide predictive metrics like 'Purchase Probability' or 'Churn Probability' for your blog readers.
Step 3: Cross-reference with Google Search Console
Connect your GA4 to Google Search Console if you haven't already. This integration gives you the keyword data that GA4 doesn't show by default.
Navigate to Acquisition > Search Console > Queries to see which search terms are bringing people to your content. Pay attention to posts that are ranking on page 2 or 3 – these have potential but need a boost.
Using GSC, list down search queries where your blog appears on the second or third page of search results. These are your low-hanging fruits, ripe for optimization.
Step 4: Advanced segmentation for deeper insights
Here's where GA4's real power shines: its ability to create advanced segments that go far beyond simple demographics. Advanced conditional logic allows you to create segments based on particular user journeys, behaviours, or purchase patterns.
Create segments for:
Users who engaged with your content for more than 2 minutes
Visitors who read multiple blog posts in one session
People who converted after reading specific types of content
Use GA4's segment builder to combine multiple inclusion or exclusion filters with "and" and "or" conditions across different scopes and sequences.
Step 5: Funnel analysis for content journey mapping
GA4's funnel analysis goes above and beyond by letting you measure the time between user interactions. You can build your desired funnels and view the exact time it takes users to go through each funnel step.
Set up funnels to track:
Blog post view → Newsletter signup
Content engagement → Contact form submission
Multiple blog post views → Product page visit
What the data reveals (and how to act on it)
Low engagement time + high bounce rate = Content mismatch
When people land on your post and immediately leave, it usually means one of three things:
Your headline promised something your content didn't deliver
The content quality doesn't meet their expectations
Your target audience is wrong for that particular topic
➡️ Use GA4's AI-powered insights to understand user behaviour patterns. Check the "Insights" section for automated flags about unusual drop-offs or engagement patterns. Then audit your headline and opening paragraphs against successful competitors using the same keywords.
Decent traffic but no conversions = Weak calls-to-action
You're getting eyeballs, but people aren't taking the next step. This often happens when content is informative but doesn't guide readers towards a specific action.
➡️ Use GA4's enhanced ecommerce tracking to measure the time between user interactions. Set up conversion events for your desired actions, then use funnel analysis to see exactly where people drop off in your conversion process.
Declining rankings = Outdated or thin content
Content that is not timely or relevant may fail to attract traffic. Google prioritises fresh, comprehensive content, and GA4's machine learning can help you identify exactly what's missing.
➡️ Use GA4's predictive analytics to identify which content topics have the highest engagement probability with your audience. Then update your declining posts with these high-performing topic elements.
Going further: Advanced GA4 techniques that most people miss
Leverage exploration reports for content intelligence
GA4's Exploration provides more control over data visualization than was previously available in Universal Analytics. There are tons of configuration options within exploration to help you uncover new insights and represent your data in a way that makes sense to your team.
Use the Path Exploration to visualize how users navigate through your blog content. This shows you the exact sequence of pages or events users interact with, making it easier to understand their behaviour and optimize content flow.
Anomaly detection for content monitoring
One of my favourite features within exploration is anomaly detection because it automatically flags any data points that are outside of what the expected outcome was. This can alert you to content performance issues before they become major problems.
Set up custom alerts for:
Sudden drops in engagement rate
Unusual spikes in bounce rate
Significant changes in average session duration
Cross-platform analysis for complete insights
GA4 collects both website and app data to better understand the customer journey. If you have mobile apps or multiple digital touchpoints, use GA4's cross-platform tracking to understand how blog content influences behaviour across all channels.
My proven REPAIR framework for fixing underperforming content
Research current performance gaps
Use GA4's enhanced data collection and analysis capabilities to identify specific problems:
Low engagement? Content quality issue
High bounce rate? Relevance or user experience problem
No conversions? Weak strategy or unclear value proposition
Dive into GA4's custom reporting to understand exactly where users are dropping off and why.
Evaluate using AI-powered insights
GA4's artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities can suggest custom insights for anomaly detection. Use these to understand:
Which content elements drive the highest engagement
What user pathways lead to conversions
Which topics resonate most with your audience
Plan improvements with predictive analytics
Don't just add random content. Use GA4's predictive metrics to plan improvements based on:
User behaviour patterns that lead to conversions
Content topics with highest engagement probability
Optimal content length and structure for your audience
Add substantial value (not just minor tweaks)
This might mean:
Adding case studies backed by GA4 conversion data
Including updated statistics from your analytics
Creating original graphics based on your performance insights
Expanding on points that GA4 data shows users engage with most
Implement with advanced tracking
Set up enhanced measurement to track:
Scroll depth on updated content
Time between content updates and user actions
Specific content elements that drive engagement
Repromote using data insights
Use GA4's audience insights to:
Target users who engaged with similar content
Time your promotion based on when your audience is most active
Customize messaging based on user behaviour patterns
The bottom line
Here's the thing about underperforming content – it's not a failure, it's data. Every post that's not quite hitting the mark is giving you insights about what your audience actually wants.
GA4 might seem complex at first, but once you understand how to read the signals it's giving you, it becomes incredibly powerful for content strategy. The data doesn't lie – it shows you exactly where you're winning and where you're not.
Need help developing a content strategy that drives real business results? I specialise in creating verbal brand strategies and website copy that connects with your audience and converts.
Get in touch to discuss how we can transform your content from digital wallpaper into a powerful business asset that GA4 data proves is working.
