RankNest

Google Analytics 4

Connect GA4, assign a property per client, choose which key events count, and exclude non-marketing paths from page data.

The Google Analytics 4 (GA4) integration brings session, engagement, and key event data into RankNest. A key event is an event you have marked as important in GA4: a form submission, a call click, a purchase. Once a property is assigned, that data appears alongside search performance on the client overview and in the Page Inventory.

Where to find it

Click Account Settings in the dashboard sidebar (some in-app links call it Agency Settings), open the Integrations tab, and select the Google Analytics sub-tab.

You can also manage a single client's property, key events, and excluded paths from that client's Settings → Integrations tab, on the Google Analytics card. See Client Settings.

How to connect

  1. On the Google Analytics sub-tab, click Connect Google Analytics.
  2. Sign in with the Google account that has access to your clients' GA4 properties and grant the requested access.
  3. Back in RankNest, the card shows a Connected badge and lists the GA4 properties available to that account.

How to assign a property to a client

Once connected, an Assign GA4 Properties to Clients card appears with one row per client.

  1. Find the client's row.
  2. Open the property dropdown and choose the client's GA4 property.
  3. Click Save. A checkmark with the property name appears under the client, and two extra controls unfold on the row: Key Events and Excluded paths.

Click Remove on a row to clear a client's property.

Choosing which key events count

By default, RankNest counts every key event on the property. That can inflate the numbers when a property marks low-value events (like scroll or file_download) as key events. The Key Events picker narrows the count to the events that actually matter for this client.

  1. On the client's row, next to Key Events, click Edit.
  2. RankNest lists the key events GA4 reports for the assigned property. Check the ones that should count for this client.
  3. Click Save. The summary line updates to show your selection.

Leaving nothing checked means every key event on the property counts, which is the default. Click Count all to clear a selection and return to it. Changes apply on the next daily sync.

Note: If a saved event is later unmarked in GA4, it stays listed here as "(no longer a key event in GA4)" so a save can't silently drop it. Uncheck it and save to clean up the selection.

The key event health notice

When you expand the picker, RankNest checks the property and, if the key event count looks wrong, explains why directly above the checkboxes. Common diagnoses:

  • No sessions in the last 30 days: there is no traffic to convert yet.
  • No key events set up: the property has no key events marked in GA4, so there is nothing to count. The notice includes the steps to mark one, with an Open Google Analytics link.
  • Suggested events: RankNest lists events already firing on the property (with their 30-day counts) that look like they should be marked as key events in GA4.
  • A key event was marked in the last 24 hours: marking a key event is not retroactive and can take up to a day to show data. Check back tomorrow.
  • Your selection is out of date: this client is set to count an event GA4 no longer reports as key. Update the selection here.

If the client is healthy, no notice appears.

Excluding paths from page data

Some clients run their app and marketing site on one GA4 property, so app routes like /dashboard or /admin show up as landing pages. The Excluded paths editor removes them from the client's per-page data.

  1. On the client's row, next to Excluded paths, click Edit.
  2. Type a path (for example /dashboard) and click Add. Repeat for each path.
  3. Click Save.

A path excludes itself and everything under it: /admin excludes /admin, /admin/quotes, and /admin?tab=x, but not /administration. Matching ignores case. Exclusions affect the client's per-page Google Analytics data only, so the property-level Sessions total on the overview does not change. Changes apply on the next daily sync. Click Exclude nothing to clear the list.

What GA4 data powers

  • Sessions and engagement figures on the client overview.
  • Per-page key event columns in the Page Inventory.
  • Prioritization in Issues, where problems on pages that drive key events rank higher in the queue.

Troubleshooting

The key event count is zero. Expand the Key Events picker. The health notice diagnoses the cause (no traffic, no key events marked, a stale selection, or a recently marked event that hasn't reported yet).

The key events list is empty. Either the property genuinely has no key events marked in GA4, or RankNest couldn't reach Google Analytics. The picker states which. Mark an event as key in GA4, or click Refresh and try again.

A client's numbers include app traffic. Add the app's routes to Excluded paths. Remember the change applies from the next daily sync, not retroactively to the charts you're looking at.

Last updated 2026-07-25