How to Create a Shortcut in Google Analytics

Tired of the endless clicking marathon in Google Analytics just to find that one specific report you check every day? There's a much faster way to get to your most important data. This guide will walk you through how to create and use shortcuts in Google Analytics 4, helping you save valuable time and keep your reporting consistent.

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What Are GA4 Shortcuts (and Why They're a Game-Changer)

In the older version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics), "Shortcuts" were a simple feature that let you bookmark a specific report view. In Google Analytics 4, the concept has evolved into something far more powerful: customized saved reports.

Instead of just bookmarking a standard report, GA4 lets you tailor a report to your exact specifications, save it, and then add it directly to your main navigation menu. Think of it as creating a permanent, clickable link to a report that’s pre-configured with the precise dimensions, metrics, and filters you care about most.

So, why should this be part of your workflow? The benefits are simple but significant:

• Saves Time and Clicks: This is the big one. Instead of clicking through multiple menus, applying the same filters, and adding the same secondary dimensions every single time, you can access your report in a single click.
• Standardizes Reporting: When everyone on your team uses the same saved reports, you eliminate the classic "Why do my numbers look different than yours?" problem. It ensures that critical decisions are based on the same consistent view of the data.
• Simplifies Training: Onboarding a new team member to your analytics process is much easier. You can simply point them to a handful of saved reports they need to monitor, rather than trying to explain a dozen different click-paths.
• Focuses Your Analysis: Standard reports in GA4 can be overwhelming, showing dozens of metrics you might not need. Creating your own trimmed-down versions helps you and your team focus only on the key performance indicators (KPIs) that truly matter.

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How to Create a Shortcut in Google Analytics 4 (Step-by-Step)

Unlike the old "Add Shortcut" button, creating a quick-access report in GA4 is a five-step process: find a report, customize it, save it as a new report, and then add it to your navigation using the Library. It's a few more steps upfront, but gives you much more control.

Let's walk through creating a common and highly useful report: an SEO Landing Page Performance Report.

Step 1: Navigate to a Standard Report to Use as a Base

You can customize almost any standard report in GA4. Since we want to see how our SEO efforts are performing, a great starting point is the Traffic acquisition report.

In the left-hand navigation, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.

Step 2: Start Customizing the Report

Once you're viewing the report, look for the pencil icon in the top-right corner next to the date range. This is the Customize report button. Click it.

This will take you to the report builder interface, where you have full control over the report's structure and contents.

Step 3: Configure Your Perfect View

This is where the magic happens. Here, you'll tailor the report to show exactly what an SEO specialist or content marketer needs to see. In the "Report Customization" panel on the right, you can adjust several areas.

A. Add a Permanent Filter

The most important step for this "shortcut" is creating a filter so it only shows organic search traffic.

• Under the "Report Filter" section, click + Add filter.
• Build the condition as follows:
• Click Apply. The data in your report preview will instantly update to show only organic traffic sources.

B. Customize Dimensions and Metrics

Next, adjust the dimensions (the rows) and metrics (the columns) to be more useful for SEO analysis.

• Under the "Report Data" section, click on Dimensions. The Primary Dimension is currently "Session default channel group." Let’s change it to something more useful for SEO - specifically, the landing page. Click the "Session default channel group" dimension block, then choose Landing page + query string. Now your report rows will show the pages people landed on.
• Next, click Metrics. The default metrics are fine, but you could add more SEO-centric ones like Engaged sessions or Conversions depending on your goals. You can drag and drop to reorder columns or click the "x" to remove any you don't need.

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Step 4: Save the Report

Once your report looks perfect, click the big blue Save button in the top right corner. You'll be prompted with two choices:

1. Save changes to the current report
2. Save as a new report

Always choose Save as a new report. This preserves the original standard GA4 report and creates a new, separate one with your customizations.

Give your report a clear, descriptive name. For our example, something like "SEO Landing Page Performance" is perfect. You can also add a description to explain what the report shows. Click Save again.

Step 5: Add Your Report to the Navigation Menu

Just saving the report doesn’t automatically make it a "shortcut." To make it appear in the main left-hand menu, you need to add it via the Library.

• In the main navigation, scroll to the very bottom and click on Library.
• This is where all standard and custom reports are stored. You should see a card for the report you just created.
• Look for the card labeled "Collections." This represents your navigation menu structure. You’ll likely see one called "Lifecycle." Find the collection where you'd like your report to live and click Edit collection.
• On the next screen, you’ll see the existing menu topics on the left and a searchable list of all your available reports on the right.
• Find your new "SEO Landing Page Performance" report in the column on the right. Simply drag and drop it into the desired topic on the left. Let's place it under the "Acquisition" topic.
• Once you're happy with its position, click Save, and then choose "Save changes to current collection."

That's it! If you go back to your main menu, you will now see your custom report under the Acquisition heading, ready to be accessed with a single click anytime you need it.

3 More Shortcut Ideas for Marketers

Now that you know the process, you can create shortcuts for all of your go-to reports. Here are a few more ideas to get you started:

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1. Top Converting Blog Posts

• Base Report: Pages and screens
• Primary Dimension: Page title and screen name
• Metrics: Add "Conversions" and remove metrics you don't need.
• Filter: Page path and screen class contains /blog/ (or whatever your blog's URL subdirectory is).

2. Facebook Ads Performance

• Base Report: User acquisition
• Primary Dimension: User campaign
• Metrics: Focus on conversions, like ecommerce purchases, and engagement metrics like engaged sessions.
• Filter: User first source / medium contains facebook / cpc.

3. E-commerce Performance by Device

• Base Report: Tech details
• Primary Dimension: Device category
• Metrics: Trim down the list to focus on Users, transactions, and Total revenue.
• Filter: None needed, but you can change the default Dimension to Device Category to always see that breakdown first.

Managing Your Shortcuts

As you build more reports, your navigation can get cluttered. The Library is your friend for managing everything. Here, you can:

• Create entirely new "Collections" (like top-level navigation folders) to group your custom reports. For example, you could create a "Sales Team Reports" collection.
• Unpublish reports from your navigation without deleting them by editing a collection and removing the report from the list on the left.
• Delete custom reports you no longer need by finding the report card and using the three-dot menu to select "Delete."

Final Thoughts

Mastering saved reports in GA4 transforms it from a complex analytics tool into a personalized dashboard for your business. By setting up these "shortcuts," you spend less time digging for data and more time acting on the insights. Take ten minutes today to create your first one, your future self will thank you for it.

While GA4 shortcuts are powerful for daily checks, they still rely on you knowing what to build. At Graphed , we went a step further by getting rid of the clicks altogether. Instead of manually building reports, you can just ask questions in plain English, like "Show me my top 10 landing pages from organic search last week," and get a live, interactive chart instantly. It connects all your marketing data in one place - Google Analytics, ad platforms, your CRM - so you can get answers about your entire funnel without needing to be an analytics expert.