The Mediavine Application Process, GA4 Update
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The switch from Universal Analytics to GA4 is well underway, and as we all learn about these new metrics, adjust perspectives on how we measure success on our sites, and recalibrate to account for the differences (we see you lovers of real-time analytics), here at Mediavine we also have to shift our application process a bit.
All of the components that we look for in a quality site are still the same, but in GA4, some of the terminology has changed. So! I’m here today to walk you through what makes a great Mediavine site and to help demystify some of the new metrics.
Understanding how readers use your content (all details you can glean from analytics) is the best way to ensure the sustainable growth and success of your business.
It’s widely known that Mediavine has what is perhaps the most stringent vetting process around. This keeps our traffic quality high and is one of the reasons that Mediavine boasts higher CPMs than all of our competitors.
Advertisers know that spending on Mediavine sites is a great return on their investment, and maintaining that reputation starts with our Application and Onboarding process.
The minimum traffic required to apply for Mediavine Ad Management is 50,000 sessions per month, based on the last 30 days. This hasn’t changed.
What has changed is where you find that metric.
When you log in to your GA4 account, this is the default view:
To find sessions, toggle open the Event Count metric and select Sessions from that menu. Then you can adjust the date range to reflect the last 30 days.
GA4 offers two separate Sessions metrics: Sessions and Engaged Sessions. Both offer really valuable insights into how readers are using your site.
In Analytics, a Session initiates when a user either opens your app in the foreground or views a page or screen and no session is currently active (e.g. their previous session has timed out).
An Engaged Session is a session that lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or has at least 2 pageviews or screenviews.
When you apply to Mediavine using your GA4 account, we are evaluating Sessions because it most closely mirrors sessions in Universal Analytics.
A Session in Universal Analytics is defined by Google as a group of user interactions with your website that take place within a given time frame. A single session can contain multiple page views, events, social interactions and e-commerce transactions.
GA4 defines a Session event the same way, and just like Universal Analytics, a session times out after 30 minutes of inactivity.
A minimum of 50,000 sessions per month is the very first, most basic requirement.
Remember the quality I mentioned? Let’s take a look at what that means for a site applying to Mediavine.
None of these puzzle pieces will yield an approved application on their own. Our Applications and Onboarding Team are experts in figuring out how readers use a site, how well that site will perform, and if the traffic is sustainable.
GA4 doesn’t change any of this, and as we all move forward into this new world of metrics and reporting, we look forward to offering you all more insights into how to use your analytics to continue to grow your business.
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