Users
Last updated: Jun 17, 2025
What is Users?
Users represents the count of unique individuals who have visited your website during a specified time period, encompassing both new and returning visitors. In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), this metric is tracked through client IDs that are automatically assigned to each unique visitor upon their first visit to your site. This identifier allows the platform to distinguish between different individuals and prevents double-counting when the same person visits multiple times within the measurement period.
Users Formula
How to calculate Users
The Users metric is automatically calculated by your analytics platform rather than requiring manual computation. For example, if your Google Analytics dashboard shows 20,000 users visited your website in the past month, this means 20,000 unique individuals accessed your site during that period, regardless of how many times each person visited. If one person visited five times and another visited once, they would collectively count as two users, not six visits.
Start tracking your Users data
Use Klipfolio PowerMetrics, our free analytics tool, to monitor your data. Choose one of the following available services to start tracking your Users instantly.
How to visualize Users?
You have a few options when it comes to visualizing your Users data: you can view the changes over time with a line chart, or view the overall number with a summary chart.
Users visualization examples
Users
Line Chart
Summary Chart
Users
Chart
Measuring UsersMore about Users
Users, referred to as "Total Users" in GA4, serves as a fundamental metric for measuring your website's reach and audience size. Unlike sessions or pageviews, which can inflate numbers when users engage multiple times, the Users metric provides a cleaner picture of your actual audience volume. This makes it particularly valuable for marketers assessing brand awareness campaigns, content marketing effectiveness, and overall digital presence growth.
Google Analytics defines Users based on persistent identifiers, primarily client IDs stored in browser cookies, though GA4 has evolved to use more sophisticated measurement methods including Google signals and device fingerprinting to improve accuracy across different devices and browsing sessions. This cross-device tracking capability means that a user accessing your site from both their laptop and mobile phone may still be counted as a single user, providing more accurate audience insights than previous analytics versions.
The metric becomes especially powerful when segmented into new versus returning users. New users indicate your acquisition efforts' effectiveness and market expansion, while returning users suggest content quality, user experience, and brand loyalty. A healthy website typically shows a balanced mix, though the ideal ratio varies by industry and business model. E-commerce sites might target higher return user percentages, while news sites might focus more on continuously acquiring new readers.
For marketing professionals, Users should be analysed alongside conversion metrics to understand not just reach, but impact. A website attracting 50,000 users monthly with a 0.5% conversion rate generates more business value than one with 100,000 users but only 0.1% conversion rate. Additionally, tracking Users over time helps identify seasonality patterns, campaign effectiveness, and long-term growth trends that inform strategic decisions.
Users Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't my Users numbers match across different analytics platforms?
Discrepancies in user counts between platforms like Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics, or other tracking tools are common and expected. Each platform uses different tracking methodologies, cookie policies, and data processing rules. Google Analytics relies heavily on first-party cookies and JavaScript tracking, while social media platforms use their own pixel-based tracking systems. Additionally, factors like ad blockers, privacy settings, cross-device identification capabilities, and data sampling can cause variations. Rather than expecting perfect alignment, focus on trends and relative changes within each platform, and establish one primary source of truth for consistent reporting.
How do privacy regulations and browser changes affect User tracking accuracy
Modern privacy developments significantly impact user measurement accuracy. iOS 14.5+ App Tracking Transparency, browser cookie restrictions, and GDPR compliance requirements have reduced the reliability of traditional tracking methods. Google Analytics 4 has responded by implementing machine learning models to fill data gaps and estimate user behaviour when direct tracking isn't possible. However, marketers should expect some data degradation and focus on first-party data collection strategies. Consider implementing server-side tracking, customer data platforms, and encouraging user account creation to maintain measurement accuracy while respecting privacy preferences.
What's the difference between Users, Sessions, and Pageviews, and when should I prioritise each?
Users measures unique individuals, Sessions counts visit instances, and Pageviews tracks page loads. One user might generate three sessions (separate visits) with fifteen total pageviews. Use Users when measuring audience reach, brand awareness impact, or overall market penetration. Sessions are ideal for understanding engagement frequency and visit patterns, while Pageviews help evaluate content performance and site navigation effectiveness. For acquisition campaigns, prioritise Users to understand true audience growth. For engagement analysis, focus on Sessions and Pageviews per Session. For content strategy, Pageviews and time-based metrics provide better insights into what resonates with your audience.
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