How to See Subdomains in Google Analytics

Wondering why your subdomains like blog.yoursite.com or shop.yoursite.com aren't showing up clearly in Google Analytics 4? You're not alone. By default, GA4 standard reports only show the page path (e.g., /contact-us), grouping all your traffic together regardless of the hostname. This article will show you exactly how to find your subdomain traffic and create custom reports to monitor it effectively.

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Why Is Subdomain Traffic "Hidden" in GA4?

If you're used to Universal Analytics, GA4's approach to reporting might feel a little confusing at first. Universal Analytics often required complex cross-domain tracking setups to ensure data from multiple subdomains was collected into a single property. GA4, on the other hand, was designed to handle this more elegantly right out of the box through a feature called data streams.

The core idea is to measure a unified user journey across all parts of your web presence. GA4's default reports focus on user actions and page paths rather than the specific domain or subdomain where the action occurred. This is why you see /pricing in your reports instead of the full URL like app.yoursite.com/pricing.

The good news is that GA4 still collects all the hostname data, it just doesn't display it in the standard views. You simply need to know where to look and how to add it to your reports.

Method 1: Quickly View Subdomain Data in Standard Reports

This is the fastest method to see which subdomains are driving traffic to specific pages. You can do this in just a few clicks from your main Page report.

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Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Navigate to the Pages and Screens Report From your GA4 dashboard, go to the left-hand navigation panel and click on Reports. From there, expand the Engagement section and select Pages and Screens.

2. Add "Hostname" as a Secondary Dimension By default, you’ll see a list of your pages under the "Page path and screen class" dimension. To add your subdomains to this view, click the blue plus icon (+) located next to the primary dimension heading. A search panel will appear. Type "Hostname" into the search bar and select it from the "Platform / device" category.

3. Analyze Your Report The report will instantly update to include a second column showing the hostname next to each page path. Now you can clearly see which pages are being viewed on which subdomains (e.g., blog.yourwebsite.com, shop.yourwebsite.com, or your main www.yourwebsite.com). You can use this view to sort by hostname, page path, or any metric like Views, Users, or Conversions to get a quick understanding of your subdomain performance. The main drawback of this method is that it's temporary—you'll need to add the secondary dimension every time you visit the report.

Method 2: Create a Custom "Subdomain Performance" Exploration Report

If you analyze subdomain traffic frequently, creating a saved custom report is a much more efficient approach. GA4's "Explore" section lets you build persistent reports that are tailored to your needs.

This method saves you from repeating the same steps every time and allows for much deeper analysis.

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Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Go to the Explore Section In the left-hand navigation, click on the Explore icon. From here, click on Blank report to start building a new exploration from scratch.

2. Import Your Dimensions In a new exploration, you have two columns: "Variables" and "Tab Settings." In the "Variables" column, look for the Dimensions section and click the plus icon (+). A list of available dimensions will appear. Search for and import the following:

• Hostname
• Page path and screen class
• You might also want to add others for deeper context, like Session source / medium or Device category.

Click the Import button in the top right corner when you're done.

3. Import Your Metrics Next, do the same for Metrics. Under the "Variables" column, click the plus icon (+) next to the "Metrics" heading. Search for and import the metrics that matter most to you, such as:

• Views
• Sessions
• Total users
• Conversions
• Engagement rate

Click Import once you've selected them.

4. Build Your Report Table Now, it's time to assemble your report. From the "Variables" column, drag and drop your dimensions and metrics into the Tab Settings column.

• Drag HostName and Page path and screen class into the Rows section.
• Drag your selected metrics (like Views and Sessions) into the Values section.

5. Name and Save Your Report Your report table will automatically populate on the right side of the screen. You can now see a clear breakdown of performance by each hostname and page. Click on the title at the top left (likely "Blank Exploration") to rename it to something memorable, like "Subdomain Performance Report." GA4 automatically saves your explorations, so you can access this custom report anytime from the Explore homepage without having to rebuild it.

Practical Tips for Analyzing Your Subdomain Data

Once you've made your subdomain data visible, you can start gathering valuable insights. Here are a few ways to analyze and use this information.

1. Compare Subdomain Performance Side-by-Side

The custom report you just built is perfect for comparing your subdomains. Are your help docs (help.yoursite.com) generating a lot of traffic but few conversions? Is your blog (blog.yoursite.com) effectively sending traffic to your main site? By placing Hostname as the primary dimension in your custom report, you can easily compare high-level metrics for each part of your site.

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2. Filter by a Specific Hostname

If you only want to see data for a single subdomain (e.g., just your blog), you can quickly filter any report you've built. In either a standard or custom report, scroll down to the bottom of the "Tab Settings" column (for explorations) or look for the "Filter" option below the table. Click 'Add filter' and set the condition:

• Dimension: Hostname
• Match Type: exactly matches
• Value: blog.yoursite.com Now your report will only display data from that subdomain.

3. Understand the User Journey Across Subdomains

Seeing your subdomain data is the first step to understanding how users interact with your entire ecosystem. For instance, create a Path Exploration report to see if users who read a specific blog post then navigate to a product page on your main site, or if users who visit a specific feature's help page then log into their account (app.yoursite.com).

Final Thoughts

Revealing your subdomain data in Google Analytics 4 is a straightforward process once you know where to look. Adding "Hostname" as a secondary dimension offers a quick glimpse, while building a custom exploration report gives you a powerful, reusable tool for ongoing analysis. This unlocks deeper insights into how each part of your website contributes to your goals.

Of course, even with custom reports, you still have to navigate multiple menus and build things manually inside GA4. It solves the problem, but isn't as fast as it could be. This is exactly why we built Graphed. Instead of clicking through several screens, you can simply ask for what you need in plain English: "Show me a breakdown of my users by subdomain for the last month," and you'll get an instant, real-time report. We connect directly to your GA4 and other data sources, turning hours of data wrangling into a simple conversation.