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GA4 isn't broken (you're just using it wrong)
Jeff Sauer
November 06, 2025
In partnership with
The content compass method (beyond vanity metrics)
Your audience is already telling you exactly what content to create next.
They're communicating through every click, scroll, and session. The problem? Most of us are listening to the wrong signals.
Dana DiTomaso just shared something brilliant at MeasureSummit that may change how you think about content strategy.
Beyond the Vanity Metrics
We've all been there. Page views spike on a post, so we think "more of this!" But Dana showed us why that's like navigating with a broken compass.
Real content resonance has three levels:
• Attention - Did they click and stay?
• Engagement - Did they actually consume it?
• Action - Did they take the next step?
Most creators stop at level one. The magic happens when you track all three.
The Hidden Metrics in GA4
Here's what Dana discovered: GA4 has incredible content intelligence built in. We just don't know where to look.
She walked us through creating custom metrics that reveal true engagement. Things like average engagement time per page (not just session), scroll depth percentages, and what she calls "quality sessions."
A quality session? Someone who scrolls 90% down a page, stays for 2+ minutes, AND takes an action like joining your newsletter.
Pattern Recognition at Scale
The real breakthrough came when Dana showed how to feed GA4 data to LLMs for pattern analysis.
Not for math - they're terrible at that. But for spotting trends our human brains miss completely.
She pulls monthly data by channel, feeds it to Claude, and asks: "What intent patterns do you see here?"
The results are eye-opening. Organic search users behave completely differently than social media visitors. Email subscribers have distinct engagement patterns from direct traffic.
The Content Compass Method
Dana's framework creates four content buckets:
High interest, low supply - Your golden opportunity zone
High interest, high supply - Competitive but worth fighting for
Low interest, low supply - Proceed carefully
Low interest, high supply - Usually avoid
She tests content ideas against LLMs too. Not just for creation, but to see how they interpret your existing content compared to competitors.
Why? Because people are increasingly asking AI for recommendations. If Claude thinks your competitor's content is more current or comprehensive, that's a problem.
The Four-Week Implementation
Dana gave us a practical roadmap:
Week 1: Set up custom GA4 reports and audiences (do this immediately - audiences don't backdate)
Week 2: Analyze your content resonance patterns using the new metrics
Week 3: Identify opportunities using the four-bucket matrix
Week 4: Set benchmarks and plan new content based on data insights
Why This Matters Now
Content creation is becoming more strategic, not less. The creators who survive aren't just making more content - they're making smarter content.
Dana's approach gives you something most creators lack: a reliable feedback loop between what you publish and what actually works.
Your audience is already voting with their behavior. This framework just helps you count the votes correctly.
To Your Measured Success!
--Jeff Sauer
Co-Founder of MeasureU
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