Where to Find Organic Search in Google Analytics?

Finding your organic search traffic in Google Analytics 4 can feel like a game of hide-and-seek you didn't sign up for. But don't worry, it's easier to find than you think once you know where to look. This tutorial will walk you through exactly where to find and analyze your Google Analytics organic search data, moving from standard reports to more powerful custom views.

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What is Organic Search Traffic, Anyway?

Before we jump into the reports, let's quickly get on the same page. Organic Search traffic refers to visitors who land on your website after clicking on an unpaid ("organic") search result from a search engine like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. These aren't people who clicked on ads, they're people who found you based on the relevance of your content to their search query.

Tracking this traffic is vital because it represents your site's visibility and authority in search results. An increase in organic traffic often means your SEO efforts are paying off, you're ranking for relevant keywords, and you're attracting a valuable, high-intent audience without paying for every click.

Where to Find Your Main Organic Search Report in GA4

The primary location to view your organic traffic lives within the "Acquisition" reports. Google Analytics 4 slices this data in a couple of ways, which can be a bit confusing at first. Let's break it down step-by-step.

Step 1: Navigate to the Traffic Acquisition Report

In the left-hand navigation menu of Google Analytics 4, follow this path:

1. Click on Reports.
2. Expand the Acquisition section.
3. Click on Traffic acquisition.

Once you're here, you'll see a table of data that groups your traffic a certain way. By default, it's likely set to "Session default channel group."

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Step 2: Understand the "Default Channel Group" Dimension

This is where many people get tripped up. The most important dimension for this report is the one selected at the top of the table. You are looking for a channel group with "Organic Search" listed.

GA4 gives you a few "channel group" options, but the two main ones you’ll see are:

• Session default channel group: This attributes the traffic to the source that started the current session. If a user Googles you, clicks your organic link, leaves, then comes back directly a few hours later, the first visit is "Organic Search" and the second is "Direct." This is helpful for understanding what drove a specific visit.
• First user default channel group: This attributes traffic to the source that brought the user to your site for the very first time. In the same example, both sessions would be attributed back to "Organic Search" in this view. This is useful for understanding how new users initially discover you.

For most day-to-day analysis of recent traffic, Session default channel group is the best place to start.

Step 3: Finding and Filtering for "Organic Search"

The main table in the Traffic acquisition report will list all your channels, such as Direct, Paid Search, Referral, and, of course, Organic Search. You can simply look for that row in the table to see the top-level metrics.

However, if you want your entire report to focus only on organic traffic, you can use the filter bar at the top of the report.

1. Above the chart, click "Add filter."
2. In the "Build filter" sidebar that opens, set the conditions:
3. Click the blue Apply button.

Now, the entire report — both the chart at the top and the table below — will be showing data exclusively for your organic search visitors. This lets you drill down without the noise from other channels.

How to See Your Organic Search Landing Pages

Knowing how many people come from organic search is great, but knowing which pages they are landing on is even better. This tells you which of your content pieces are ranking and attracting searchers.

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Step 1: Go to the Pages and Screens Report

You'll find your landing page data in a different section of GA4:

1. In the left-hand menu, close the "Acquisition" tab if it's open.
2. Click to expand the Engagement section.
3. Click on Pages and screens.

By default, this report shows you data for all pages across every traffic source. Now, we need to isolate the ones driven by organic search.

Step 2: Add a Secondary Dimension (The Quick Way)

If you just want a quick breakdown, the easiest method is to add a secondary dimension to the existing table.

1. Just above the data table on the right side, you'll see a small blue "+" icon. Click it.
2. In the dropdown menu, go to Traffic source.
3. Select Session default channel group.

Now, your table will show each Page Path, and next to it, the channel that drove traffic to it. You can scroll through to see the pages driven by Organic Search or use the search bar above the table to filter the "Session default channel group" column for "Organic Search." This provides a useful, side-by-side view.

Creating a Dedicated Organic Landing Pages Report

Having a saved, dedicated report for your organic landing pages can save you a ton of clicks every week. This involves customizing a standard report and saving it for easy access in your navigation.

Step 1: Customize an Existing Report

Let's use the "Traffic acquisition" report as our base.

1. Go back to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.
2. In the top right corner of the report, you'll see a pencil icon that says "Customize report." Click it.

Step 2: Change the Dimensions and Metrics

On the right-hand sidebar that appears, you can now fully edit the report.

1. Under "Report Data," click on Dimensions.
2. Make "Landing page + query string" the primary dimension. You might have to add it to the list first, then drag it to the top or set it as default. You can remove "Session default channel group" if you like.
3. Next, we'll need to apply a permanent filter. Below the customization options, click on "Add filter."
4. Set it up just as we did before:
5. Click Apply, then click the blue Save button in the top right.
6. Choose "Save as a new report" and give it a clear name like "Organic Landing Pages."

Step 3: Add Your New Report to the Navigation Menu

Once you've saved the report, you need to add it to your main navigation for it to be useful.

1. In the bottom left corner, click Library.
2. Find the "Acquisition" collection box and click "Edit collection."
3. On the right side, find your newly saved report ("Organic Landing Pages"). Drag it from the list of reports into the "Acquisition" menu structure on the left.
4. Arrange it where you want it to appear, then click "Save" and "Save changes to current collection."

Now, when you check your "Acquisition" menu, you'll see your shiny new "Organic Landing Pages" report just a single click away.

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Using Explorations for Deeper Analysis

Standard reports are great for high-level views, but if you want to answer more complex questions, you'll need to use the "Explore" section. Think of this as your analytics raw canvas.

Let's say you want to see which organic search terms (if available) are driving traffic to specific landing pages.

1. In the left panel, click on Explore.
2. Click on Blank exploration to start a new exploration.
3. Give your exploration a name, like "Organic Search by Page & Term."
4. Import Dimensions: In the "Variables" column on the left, click the "+" next to "Dimensions." Search for and import:
5. Import Metrics: Now click the "+" next to "Metrics." Search for and import:
6. Build the Report: Drag your dimensions and metrics into the "Tab Settings" column.
7. Filter for Organic: At the bottom of the "Tab Settings" column, find "Filters." Drag Session default channel group into this area and set the filter to "exactly matches" "Organic Search."

The table will now populate with a view of your top organic landing pages, broken down by whatever search terms GA4 has been able to capture, giving you a much more granular look at user intent.

Final Thoughts

Finding your organic search data in Google Analytics 4 is all about knowing where the new reports are and how to use dimensions and filters to isolate the information you need. Start with the "Traffic acquisition" report for a broad overview, drill down into "Pages and screens" to see what content is working, and use Explorations when you have very specific questions to answer.

With so much data scattered across platforms, sometimes just getting a simple answer from Google Analytics can feel like a chore. At Graphed, we created a single platform where you can connect all your sources - Google Analytics, Shopify, your CRM, ad platforms - in just a few clicks. Instead of hunting through menus and building filters, you can just ask a question like, "Show me a chart of my top 10 organic landing pages by conversions this month," and get a real-time answer instantly. We help you skip the report-building fatigue and go straight to getting the insights you need to grow.