GA4 Report Guidelines skill
The GA4 Report Guidelines skill is an org skill in the Optimizely Opal Skills Directory that configures your GA4 reporting settings, including hostname filters, key conversion events, default date ranges, and primary metrics, so every analytics report reflects your preferred configuration.
It applies to everyone in your organization. An administrator installs and configures it once.
Skill details
- Shortcut – /google-analytics-report-formatting
- Type – Org skill
- Setup – Required
- Runs with – Google Analytics tools. Opal applies this skill automatically when it uses these tools.
What the skill does
- Connects to your GA4 property and turns plain-language questions into interpreted analysis.
- Finds issues and opportunities and sizes them in recoverable conversions or dollars, ranked by estimated impact.
- Compares every figure to the prior period, and to the prior year when seasonality is likely. Judges "underperforming" against your own site's section medians, not industry benchmarks.
- Maps everyday phrases to the correct GA4 fields, always filters to your hostname, and caveats data from periods when tracking was broken.
- Separates AI-referred traffic by assistant and explains that GA4 cannot see visibility before a click.
Before you begin
- You must have the Manage Instructions permission to install this skill. If you do not, click Request in the Skills Directory to ask an administrator to install it.
- Connect Google Analytics in Opal before you configure this skill. Setup reads your GA4 property.
- Have your answers and files ready. Opal asks for them during setup.
Information Opal asks for
Opal asks for the following. It discovers the rest, such as your hostname, property ID, key events, site sections, and custom dimensions, directly from GA4.
- Source of Truth – The system that wins when it disagrees with GA4 revenue or lead counts, such as your CRM.
- Known Tracking Breaks – Date ranges when data is unreliable because of migrations, tag changes, or consent banner changes.
- Review Before Sharing – People or roles who must sign off before a report is shared widely.
- Escalation Tools – Where to send questions GA4 can't answer, such as AI citation share or SEO share of voice.
After you provide those answers, Opal runs a short interview the first time you use the skill. It reads your GA4 data and asks you to confirm options that it pre-fills from real data, such as your default hostname, your key business events, and your distinct page types.
Opal then shows a summary of the values it collected, flags the ones it detected automatically, and saves them to the skill.
Install the skill
- Go to Directory > Skills.
- Find GA4 Report Guidelines and click Install.
- In the Setup required dialog, click Set up in chat.
- Answer Opal's questions and upload any files it asks for.
- Confirm the details when Opal asks.
For details about browsing, installing, updating, and uninstalling skills, see Skills Directory overview.
Use the skill
After setup, Opal applies the skill whenever it uses Google Analytics tools. You can also enter /google-analytics-report-formatting in Opal Chat to run it on demand. Try prompts like the following:
- How many sessions did we get last month?
- Why did traffic drop last week?
- How much traffic comes from ChatGPT, and does it convert?
Things to know
- Opal applies this skill automatically when it uses Google Analytics tools.
- By default, reports cover 28 days ending yesterday, and the monthly default is the last complete calendar month.
- GA4 data is directional. Opal treats key event and revenue figures with a standing caveat.
Update the skill
When Optimizely publishes a new version, Update displays on the skill's card in the Skills Directory. Opal keeps the information you provided during setup and asks only for anything the new version adds. See Update a skill.
Related skills
Note
If you use Opti ID, administrators can turn off generative AI in the Opti ID Admin Center. See Turn generative AI off across Optimizely applicationsTurn generative AI off across Optimizely applications.