How to Find Exit Pages in Google Analytics 4

If you're used to Universal Analytics, you might be scratching your head trying to find the "Exit Pages" report in Google Analytics 4. The truth is, it isn't where you'd expect it to be. GA4 has changed how it handles this type of data, tucking the useful "Exits" metric away from its standard reports. This tutorial will show you exactly how to find your exit pages in GA4 using a custom report and how to interpret that data to improve your website experience.

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What Are Exit Pages, Really?

Before we jump into GA4, let’s quickly refresh on the concept. An exit page is simply the last page a user views during a session on your website. After viewing this page, they either closed the browser tab, typed in a new URL, or were otherwise inactive long enough for the session to time out.

Every single user session has exactly one exit page. Understanding which pages are common exit points is incredibly valuable. It can help you identify pages with confusing navigation, broken elements, or content that simply doesn't meet user expectations.

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From Bounce Rate to Engagement Rate

Universal Analytics (UA) had two related metrics: “Exits” and “Bounces.”

• An Exit occurred when someone left your site from a specific page, regardless of how many other pages they visited during that session.
• A Bounce was a specific type of session where a user visited only one page and then left without taking any action.

In GA4, the concept of "Bounce Rate" has been replaced by "Engagement Rate." GA4's data model is built around events (like page_view, scroll, click), not sessions and pageviews. A session is considered "engaged" if the user does one of the following:

• Stays on your site for more than 10 seconds (this duration is customizable).
• Fires a conversion event.
• Views at least two pages.

While GA4 has de-emphasized Bounce Rate, the "Exits" metric still exists - it's just no longer available in the default reports. To find it, you have to build your own report in the "Explore" section.

Finding Exit Pages in GA4 Explorations (The Right Way)

The most accurate and flexible way to see your exit page data is by creating a Free-form exploration report. It sounds more technical than it is. Just follow these steps, and you’ll have a reusable report in minutes.

Step 1: Go to the "Explore" Section

In your GA4 property, click on the Explore tab in the left-hand navigation menu. This will take you to your hub for all custom reports.

Step 2: Start a New "Free-form" Exploration

Under "Create a new exploration," click on the large box labeled Free-form. This gives you a blank canvas to build a custom table with your own choice of dimensions and metrics.

Step 3: Name Your Report

In the top-left corner, click where it says "Free-form exploration" and give your report a memorable name, like "Exit Pages Report" or "Website Exit Analysis." This will make it easy to find later.

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Step 4: Import Dimensions

The "Variables" column on the left is where you’ll import the building blocks for your report. Under "Dimensions," click the + icon.

In the search bar that appears, type "Page" and select Page path and screen class. The "page path" shows you the part of the URL after the domain (like /blog/how-to-do-seo/). This is generally more useful than the full page URL or just the page title. Click the blue Import button in the top-right.

Step 5: Import Metrics

Next, you’ll import the key numbers. Still in the "Variables" column, find the "Metrics" section and click the + icon.

We need a few key metrics for our report. Use the search bar to find and select each of the following:

• Exits: This is the metric we're here for! It's the total count of times a session ended on a particular page.
• Sessions: This gives you the context of how many total sessions included a view of that page.
• Views: Helpful for comparing total views to exits.

Once you’ve selected all three, click the Import button.

Step 6: Build Your Report Table

Now you just need to arrange your imported dimensions and metrics in the "Tab Settings" column to build the report.

• For Rows: Drag and drop your Page path and screen class dimension from "Variables" to the Rows box under "Tab Settings."
• For Values: Drag and drop your Sessions, Views, and Exits metrics from "Variables" to the Values box. We recommend this order: Sessions, Views, then Exits.

As you do this, you’ll see your report table populate on the right in real-time. Just like that, you have a clear, sortable exit pages report!

How to Analyze Your Exit Page Report

You now have a list of all your site's pages, ranked by the number of exits. The key question is, what does it all mean? Not all exits are bad. Context is everything.

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Pages Where High Exits Are Expected (And Okay!)

A high number of exits from certain pages is normal and not a cause for concern. You've likely done your job well if people leave from:

• "Thank You" Pages: A user just completed a purchase, subscribed to your newsletter, or filled out a contact form. They've completed their task. Mission accomplished.
• Confirmation Pages: Similar to "thank you" pages, this could be a password reset confirmation or an account cancellation page.
• Blog Posts: If a user searched for an answer on Google, landed on your blog post, got exactly what they needed, and left, that’s a success! They left satisfied.
• Contact & "About Us": Visitors often look up contact information or learn about a company and then leave. Their informational needs were met.

Pages Where High Exits Are a Red Flag

On the other hand, a high exit rate on these types of pages indicates a potential problem that could be hurting your conversions and business goals:

• Checkout Funnel Pages: If people are consistently leaving from your shopping cart, shipping details page, or payment page, you likely have a critical issue. This could be high shipping costs, a forced registration, or a clunky user interface.
• Crucial Landing Pages: Are people leaving from your homepage or a primary service page without clicking through to learn more? Your value proposition might not be clear enough, or your call-to-action (CTA) may be hidden.
• Form Pages: High exits on long sign-up forms, lead capture pages, or checkout pages suggest the form might be too complex, asks for too much information, or has technical issues.
• Product Pages: If potential customers are abandoning your product pages, it could be due to unclear pricing, low-quality images, lack of product details, or missing trust signals like reviews.

Putting It Into Action: What to Do Next

Once you’ve identified a problematic exit page, here are a few things to investigate:

• Walk Through the User Journey: Look at the page yourself. What's the logical next step a user should take? Is it obvious? Are there any broken links or confusing instructions?
• Check Page Speed: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights. A slow-loading page is a huge driver of exits.
• Review on Mobile: Is the page easy to use and read on a mobile device? Pinching and zooming to fill out a form is a surefire way to frustrate users.
• Clarify the Call-to-Action (CTA): Is it clear what you want the user to do? Is the button color high-contrast and easy to see? Is the text compelling (e.g., "Get Your Free Quote" instead of just "Submit").
• Set Up Tracking Tools: Implement heatmaps and session recording tools to see where users are clicking (or not clicking) before they decide to leave.

Final Thoughts

Finding your exit pages in GA4 requires a small adjustment from how things worked in Universal Analytics, shifting the process from standard reports to a custom one within Explorations. By building a simple free-form report, you can gain direct insight into where user journeys end, helping you pinpoint areas of friction and opportunities for improvement.

Building one-off reports and checking dashboards shouldn't feel like a chore. As data becomes more complex across different platforms, you need simpler ways to get answers. At Graphed, we connect directly to your Google Analytics account so you can stop wrestling with custom report builders. You can simply ask questions in plain English like, "show me my top 10 exit pages for last month" and instantly get a chart that tells you exactly what you need to know, updated in real time.