What is Entrance in Google Analytics?

Confused by the "Entrances" metric in Google Analytics? You're not alone. It's one of those reporting terms that seem straightforward but often gets mixed up with sessions, pageviews, and users. Understanding what an entrance truly measures is the first step toward figuring out which front doors to your website are welcoming visitors, and which ones are sending them away.

This article breaks down exactly what entrances are, how they differ from other traffic metrics, and how you can use this data to find actionable insights about your website's performance. You'll learn how to find and analyze your key landing pages to better understand the start of your customer's journey.

What is an Entrance in Google Analytics?

An Entrance occurs the very first time a user lands on a specific page during a session. In other words, it marks the beginning of a new visit to your website, and it's credited to whichever page started that visit. If someone clicks a link on Instagram and lands on your homepage, your homepage gets credited with one entrance.

Think of it like the different doors to a large department store. Some people might come in through the main entrance on the high street, someone else might enter through the door from the parking garage, and another might use the side entrance next to the coffee shop. Each of those entry points is an "entrance." On your website, your pages are the doors. An Entrance is recorded every time a new session starts on one of those pages.

Because an entrance is always the first pageview of a session, a single session can only ever have one entrance.

Entrances vs. Sessions vs. Pageviews: What's the Difference?

This is where most of the confusion happens. These metrics sound similar, but a single session can produce a vastly different count for each one. Let's clear it up with a simple example.

Imagine a user clicks on one of your Facebook ads and lands on a product page. They then click over to your homepage to learn more about your company and finally visit your "About Us" page before leaving. Here’s how the metrics stack up for that one visit:

• Sessions: 1 (The entire visit is counted as a single session).
• Entrances: 1 (Credited only to the product page where the session began).
• Pageviews: 3 (One for the product page, one for the homepage, and one for the "About Us" page).

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Entrances

An entrance is tied to a specific page and signifies that this page was the starting point of a user's session. It answers the question, "How many times did a visit to my website begin on this particular page?" The total number of entrances across your entire website will always equal the total number of sessions.

Sessions

A session is the collection of all the interactions a user has on your site within a given timeframe. It begins with the first pageview (the entrance) and ends after 30 minutes of inactivity or if the user leaves the site. It answers the question, "How many total visits did my website get?"

Pageviews

A pageview is counted every single time a page is loaded or reloaded by a user. If that user from our example got distracted and came back to refresh the home page, the pageview count for that page would go up, but the session and entrance counts would not. It answers the question, "How many times was this page looked at?" For this reason, a page will always have a pageview count that is equal to or greater than its entrance count.

Where to Find and Analyze Entrances Data

Finding your way around either version of Google Analytics can feel like a puzzle. Luckily, finding the pages where your visitors, a.k.a. "entrance pages," is relatively straightforward once you know where to look.

In Universal Analytics (UA)

Universal Analytics featured Entrances prominently. The main report you'll want to use is the Landing Pages report - here's how to find it:

1. In the left sidebar, navigate to Behavior > Site Content > Landing Pages.
2. This report shows you a list of every page where visitors started their sessions.
3. Here, you'll see the "Entrances" metric for each page listed, along with other critical metrics like Bounce Rate and Avg. Session Duration.

This report is the primary tool in Universal Analytics for seeing which of your pages serve as the "front doors" for your incoming website visitors.

In Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 changed its terminology, moving away from the traditional model that separates sessions and entrances. GA4 drops the "Entrances" metric entirely and instead simplifies this using other metrics.

In GA4, the equivalent of an Entrance Page report is the revamped Landing page report. It doesn't show an "Entrances" column directly. Instead, a new "Sessions" column serves essentially the same purpose.

Here’s how to find it:

1. Navigate to Reports > Engagement > Landing Page in the left-side navigation bar.
2. In GA4, you'll see a list of pages where users start their visits.
3. The Sessions column in this report tells you how many sessions began on each specific page. This is GA4's equivalent of the "Entrance" metric in Universal Analytics.

So, even though the name is missing, the concept is still there. The Sessions count in GA4's Landing Page report answers the same question, "How many times did visits begin on this particular page?"

How to Use Your Top Entrance Pages

Now that you've found the report, it's time to turn that data into action. Analyzing your top landing pages is about more than just looking at raw traffic numbers - it's about understanding your brand and what people are after when they arrive.

• Pages with High Entrances but Low Engagement: If a page gets a lot of entrances but visitors aren't sticking around or converting, you may have a disconnect between what the landing page promises and what the page delivers. For example, if a blog post title is misleading or your product does not match the ad copy, people may leave quickly.
• Pages with Low Entrances but High Engagement: A page may not get a lot of traffic but those who do come are engaged and converting. This is a good sign. There may be an opportunity to drive more traffic to that page through organic SEO, linking in newsletters, or campaigns directed at audiences interested in its specific topic.

Final Thoughts on Entrance Rate vs. Engagement

It’s natural to ask, "What is a good entrance rate?" but that's really the wrong question. The metric you should focus on is Engagement Rate in GA4. This tells you if the landing page meets user expectations.

Bounce Rate Instead of Engagement Rate: Calculated in past versions, it represents a high bounce rate when people leave immediately after landing, indicating the content was not what they expected.

Engagement Rate Instead: Calculated by dividing engaged sessions by total sessions. Engaged sessions are visits where users are on the site for at least ten seconds or more, view two pages, or trigger a conversion event. This gives you an idea if the site is engaging users adequately.

What makes a "good" metric depends entirely on the page's purpose. Here are a couple of examples:

• Blog Posts: A blog may have a high bounce rate but also a high engagement rate. Someone may search a question, find the answer in the post, and leave. That’s a sign of success when the page delivers quick value.
• E-commerce: An e-commerce page should have a low bounce rate and a high engagement rate. The goal in this case is to explore the product, click 'add to cart', or eventually make a purchase. This set of good bounce and engagement rates can apply in cases where the price is low enough to entice users.

Practical Examples of Analyzing Entrance Pages

Data without context is just noise. Let's walk through a couple of common scenarios to see how you could transform landing page data into a clear plan of action.

Example 1: The Underperforming E-commerce Collection Page

Imagine you run an online clothing store. You check your Landing Page report in GA4 and see the following:

• Page: /collections/mens-sweaters
• Sessions: 1,200 (This is your most popular landing page).
• Engagement Rate: 8%
• Conversations: 1%

Insights and Action:

Thousands of people start their journey on this page, but a low engagement rate shows they're not sticking around. This indicates a problem. Here are a few things you could consider:

• Match Expectations: Does the traffic come from an ad or social media post that promises something different from what the page delivers? Check your messaging to ensure it's aligned with the landing page content.
• Test Page Speed: A slow page may frustrate users and cause them to leave before fully engaging. Run tests with Google PageSpeed Insights to see areas for improvement.
• Redesign Opportunities: You can start experimenting with different page layouts, imagery, and copy to improve engagement and conversions.

Example 2: The "Top Ten" Blog Post

You've written a comprehensive guide post titled "The Ultimate Guide to Coffee Equipment for Beginners." You check the GA4 report and see the following:

• Page: /blog/ultimate-guide-coffee-equipment
• Sessions: 500
• Engagement Rate: 4%
• Conversion Metric (e.g., Newsletter Signup): 5%

Insights and Action:

The page has had many sessions, but the engagement rate is low. It’s tempting to see this as a problem, but that's not the case. This page is designed as a top-of-funnel content tactic, drawing in search results for people who aren’t necessarily ready to buy yet.

• Call-to-Action Optimization: Consider adding the option for a newsletter sign-up to build your email list.
• Internal Linking: Add relevant links to other articles or product pages on your site to encourage visitors to explore your content further.
• Downloadable Content Offers: Offer content like a checklist or buying guide in exchange for an email address. The page is already drawing interest, so adding additional touchpoints provides an easy way to get more conversions.

Final Thoughts

Understanding entrances helps you identify your website's potential entry points and uncover opportunities for improvement. Aligning entrance data with other metrics like engagement further translates raw numbers into actionable insights on what's working and what needs to be fine-tuned.

Examine each entry point for success patterns or disconnects that require attention to keep your audience engaged from landing to conversion. With Graphed, you can consolidate data for easy analysis, helping you to track and evaluate performance metrics consistently and apply them effectively - whether that's how many top entrance pages drive great user engagement or how well they respond to shopability conversion rates so that you know which tactics are bringing valuable returns to your business as the first step of continually pushing performance.