Which Mediums Are Available in Google Analytics 4?
Which mediums are available in Google Analytics (GA4)? The main mediums available in GA 4 include Organic Search, Paid Search, Organic Social, Paid Social, Email, Display, Referral, Direct, and more. These mediums are used to categorize traffic sources and are typically defined using the utm_medium.
How GA4 Uses Mediums (Also Known as Channels)
- Channels are the highest-level categories GA4 uses to group incoming traffic.
- Mediums are the classifications that feed into those channels.
- Mediums allow you to analyze traffic in reports such as Traffic Acquisition.
- In practice, mediums strongly influence how traffic is categorized in GA4.
✨ Download the List of Channels that Require Medium, Source, and Campaign Tags
✨ Download the List of Channels that Require Medium, Source, and Campaign Tags
UTM Medium List for GA4 (Complete Default Channel Mapping)
GA4 provides the following channels, which we track using the utm parameter “utm_medium“, out of the box:
Your UTM Mediums Should Align 100% with Your GA4 Channels
If the manually added utm_medium values in your campaign URLs do not align with the channels you use in GA4, your traffic may end up in the wrong category or fall into an unspecified or unassigned bucket.
That is why it is important to standardize your campaign tagging structure and make sure your UTM mediums follow the logic of your reporting setup.
Learn more about GA4 channels and medium classifications here.
You Can Also Add Your Own Custom Channels in GA4
GA4 also allows you to create your own custom channel groups. To do this, go to the Admin area in Google Analytics and configure your custom channels in the Channel Group settings.
Is Your UTM Tracking Safe?
Watch the 40-second video to see how to prevent UTM errors that hide your hard-earned results.
3-Minute UTM QA & Pre-Launch Checklist
To avoid these UTM data gaps, use a professional GA4 UTM Builder – automate your tagging and drive reliable insights.
In conclusion – important UTM medium best practices to keep in mind
- GA4 gives you 12 out-of-the-box mediums (channels), but you can assign your custom channel group as your primary reporting group, which overrides the default GA4 channel grouping in many reports.
- Custom channel groups can be applied retroactively (GA4’s best feature) in reporting and viewed in custom reports and explorations.
- You can find your custom channels in Acquisition > User acquisition and Acquisition > Traffic acquisition (select the Channel Group as the dimension itself and you are goo to go).
- Custom channels cannot be used in the Conversion Paths report – only the default channel group can meet this requirement for now.
- UTM medium names have to be identical to all channels you are populating in your marketing and sales platforms to ensure accurate reporting an avoi lost traffic.
