How to Use Quick Analysis in Google Analytics

Got a quick question about your website’s performance? Quick Analysis in Google Analytics 4 is a powerful, AI-driven feature that lets you ask questions about your data in plain English and get immediate answers. This article will show you exactly how to find and use this time-saving tool to get the insights you need in seconds.

What is Quick Analysis in GA4?

Quick Analysis is an AI-powered search feature located right on your Google Analytics 4 homepage. Think of it as having a conversation with your data. Instead of navigating through complex menus or building custom reports in the Explore tab for a simple query, you can just type a question like, "How much traffic did we get from mobile last week?" and GA4 will give you a direct answer.

This feature, often called "Ask Google Analytics," leverages natural language processing (NLP) to understand what you're asking. It’s designed to eliminate the friction between having a question and finding the answer, making data more accessible to everyone on your team - not just the data experts.

It’s perfect for those moments when you need a quick statistic for a meeting, a swift check-in on a campaign's performance, or a fast look at a key metric without getting sucked into a deep data-diving session.

Where to Find and How to Use the Quick Analysis Tool

Finding Quick Analysis is incredibly simple because it’s one of the first things you see when you log into your GA4 property.

Log in to your Google Analytics account and navigate to the GA4 property you want to analyze.
You'll land on the Home report page by default.
At the very top of the page, you'll see a search bar with the prompt, "Ask Google Analytics." This is the Quick Analysis tool.

To use it, all you have to do is click on the search bar and start typing your question. As you type, Google may also provide some suggestions based on common queries or your property's specific data, which can be a great way to start if you're unsure what to ask.

Once you ask your question, GA4 processes it and presents the answer in a simple, easy-to-digest format directly in the interface. This could be a single number (a metric card), a small table, a bar chart, or a line graph.

Starting with Simple Questions

The best way to get comfortable with Quick Analysis is to start with simple, straightforward questions. You don’t need to know the official metric and dimension names that Google uses. Just ask in a way that feels natural to you. Here are some examples to get you started:

Asking "How Many" Questions:

These questions are great for getting quick counts of users, sessions, or engagement.

`How many users in the last 7 days?`
`Number of new users yesterday`
`Total sessions this month`

Asking "What Are" Questions:

Use these to find your top-performing content, countries, or traffic sources.

`What are my top pages by views?`
`Top countries by users in the last 30 days`
`Show me top traffic sources this week`

Checking Specific Metrics:

You can also ask for specific metrics directly.

`Bounce rate last month`
`View my conversion rate for May`
`Total revenue for the year`

The beauty of the system is its flexibility with timeframes. You can use terms like "last week," "yesterday," "this quarter," "in April," or "last 28 days." Google Analytics is smart enough to interpret these and pull the correct data for the specified period.

Asking More Detailed and Advanced Questions

Once you're comfortable with the basics, you can start asking more layered questions that combine different dimensions, metrics, and comparisons. This is where Quick Analysis truly starts to save you significant time.

Comparing Time Periods

Comparing performance over time is fundamental to analysis. Instead of manually setting date ranges and comparison periods in a report, just ask for it.

`Users this week vs last week`
`Compare revenue for this quarter vs last quarter`
`Bounce rate May 2024 vs May 2023`

GA4 will typically present this information as a scorecard showing the numbers for each period along with a percentage change, giving you an instant understanding of your growth or decline.

Segmenting Your Data by Dimension

You can also ask GA4 to break down a metric by a specific dimension, like device type, country, or traffic source.

`Show users by device category in the last 30 days`
`Revenue by country for this year`
`How many users from Organic Search last week?`

These types of questions help you drill down a level deeper. For example, finding out that the majority of your users last week came from "Organic Search" can validate your SEO efforts in a matter of seconds.

Asking "Trend" Questions

If you want to understand performance over time, ask Quick Analysis to show you a trend. This is useful for spotting patterns, seasonal changes, or the impact of a specific event.

`Trend of sessions over the last 90 days`
`Show me a weekly trend of new users this year`
`Daily revenue trend for last week`

The output will typically be a line chart, which is a perfect visual for tracking rises and falls in key metrics. If you see a sudden spike, you can investigate what happened on that day, such as a major press mention, a viral social media post, or the launch of a marketing campaign.

Practical Tips for Using Quick Analysis Effectively

"Ask Google Analytics" is a robust tool, but following a few best practices can help you get more accurate and useful answers on your first try.

Be Clear, Not Vague: While you can use conversational language, being clear helps the AI understand you better. A question like "How many new users came from the USA from my Google Ads campaign last week?" is much better than "USA ad people." Although the system is smart, clarity reduces the chances of misinterpretation.
Start Simple and Iterate: If your initial query doesn't yield the result you expected, try simplifying it first. For instance, start with "users from USA last week" and then refine your query to add the campaign source. This helps you understand how GA4 is interpreting your requests.
Look at the Suggestions: GA4's suggested questions are not random. They are based on popular queries and the specific events and dimensions present in your property. These are often great starting points for exploration and can help you uncover insights you hadn't thought to look for.
Know Its Limitations: Quick Analysis is designed for speed and convenience. It's not a replacement for GA4's Explore section or dedicated business intelligence tools. For highly complex analyses, multi-layered funnel reports, or custom segments, you will still need to build a proper report. Think of Quick Analysis as a flashlight for finding quick answers, not a microscope for deep investigation.

Common Use Cases by Role

Quick Analysis can deliver value to anyone looking at website data, but here’s how specific roles can leverage it for their daily workflows:

For a Digital Marketer:

A marketer juggling multiple campaigns can use it to instantly check performance without having to build a new report for each one.

Before a team meeting: "Compare conversions from Google Ads vs Facebook Ads this month."
Mid-campaign check: "How many users came from the 'SummerSale24' campaign?"
Content performance review: "Top 10 landing pages from Organic Search."

For a Founder or Small Business Owner:

A founder wearing multiple hats needs a quick pulse on business health without spending hours sifting through data.

Morning health check: "Total revenue yesterday" or "New users this week."
Investor update prep: "Show a monthly user growth trend for the past year."
E-commerce check-in: "What were our top-selling products last week?" (assuming product data is tracked).

For an SEO or Content Creator:

An SEO specialist or writer needs to quickly see how their content is resonating with search engines and users.

Quick audit: "What percent of my traffic is from Organic Search?"
Content ideation: "What are the top search queries for my blog in the last 30 days?"
Performance check: "How many views did '/new-blog-post' get last week?"

Final Thoughts

The Quick Analysis feature in Google Analytics 4 is a game-changer for making data more approachable. By allowing you to ask questions in plain English, it removes technical barriers and helps you get fast, reliable answers to guide your daily decisions. It’s an ideal tool for quick check-ins, straightforward comparisons, and satisfying your curiosity without derailing your workflow.

While GA4 is fantastic for website analytics, getting a full picture often means tying that data to information from other platforms like your CRM, ad networks, and payment processors. For these moments, we built Graphed. It connects all your marketing and sales data in one place, and our AI-powered analyst lets you ask questions like "Which Facebook campaigns are leading to the most HubSpot deals?" or "Show me my Shopify revenue versus my Google Ads spend." You can build entire real-time dashboards just by describing what you want to see, turning hours of manual platform-hopping into 30-second conversations.