Published on 2025-06-22T06:26:39Z
What Is an Advanced Segment in Analytics? Examples with GA4 and plainSignal
An Advanced Segment is a powerful feature in web analytics that lets you isolate and analyze subsets of your traffic based on specific conditions. By filtering data around user behavior, demographics, and events, marketers and analysts can dive deeper into targeted insights and optimize performance.
Advanced segments apply criteria such as a user’s country, device type, session duration, or custom event parameters to focus on what matters most. In GA4, segments enhance reports and explorations by applying dynamic filters in real time. Tools like plainSignal also support basic segmentation through URL filters and custom event properties, though with a simpler, privacy-first approach.
Below we explore how to define, implement, and optimize advanced segments in both GA4 and plainSignal.
Advanced segment
Isolate and analyze subsets of analytics data using custom filters and conditions for targeted insights.
Understanding Advanced Segments
Advanced segments let you zero in on specific subsets of users or sessions, applying conditions to filter data. They help turn raw analytics into actionable insights by focusing on particular audiences or behaviors.
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Concept and definition
An advanced segment is a defined set of criteria applied to analytics data to isolate a subset of traffic or user behavior for deeper analysis.
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Types of advanced segments
Segments can be based on user properties, session attributes, or individual events.
- User segments:
Group users based on lifetime attributes or behaviors, like users who made a purchase.
- Session segments:
Filter sessions based on session-scoped criteria, such as sessions lasting longer than five minutes.
- Event segments:
Focus on specific events or sequences of events, such as add_to_cart followed by checkout.
- User segments:
Benefits of Advanced Segments
Using advanced segments allows teams to tailor analysis, uncover hidden trends, and make data-driven decisions with precision.
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Granular insights
Drill down into specific user groups or behaviors to understand their unique patterns.
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Personalized reporting
Create dashboards and reports tailored to different stakeholders or campaign goals.
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Cross-platform analysis
Compare segments across devices, channels, and sessions to optimize the entire user journey.
Creating Advanced Segments in GA4
Google Analytics 4 offers a robust segment builder within the Explorations interface, enabling complex conditions and sequence-based segments.
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Accessing the segment builder
In GA4, open Explore, select an analysis technique (e.g., Free Form), then click + next to Segments to start defining a new segment.
- Open ga4 property:
Sign in to Google Analytics and select your GA4 property.
- Navigate to explore:
In the left-hand menu, click Explore and choose an exploration.
- Open ga4 property:
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Defining conditions
Set filters using dimensions, metrics, or event parameters. You can include or exclude criteria and nest OR/AND logic.
- Dimension filters:
Filter users or sessions based on attributes like country or device.
- Metric filters:
Apply numeric thresholds, like
engagement_time > 60
seconds. - Event parameters:
Include events with specific parameters, such as
purchase_value > 100
.
- Dimension filters:
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Using sequence segments
Build segments based on ordered or unordered sequences of events to analyze user flows and drop-offs.
- Ordered sequences:
Define a strict step-by-step path, such as
page_view
→add_to_cart
→purchase
. - Unordered sequences:
Allow events to occur in any order within a session.
- Ordered sequences:
Implementing Advanced Segments in plainSignal
plainSignal is a lightweight, cookie-free analytics tool that offers basic segmentation through URL filters and custom event properties.
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Example tracking code
Embed the following snippet on your site to enable data collection:
<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"//eu.plainsignal.com/\" crossorigin /> <script defer data-do=\"yourwebsitedomain.com\" data-id=\"0GQV1xmtzQQ\" data-api=\"//eu.plainsignal.com\" src=\"//cdn.plainsignal.com/PlainSignal-min.js\"></script>
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Basic url-based filters
Use the filter UI in plainSignal to segment traffic by URL patterns or referrers.
- Path contains:
Segment sessions where the URL path includes a specific substring.
- Referrer matches:
Filter sessions by the referring domain.
- Path contains:
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Custom event properties
Tag events with metadata to create more granular segments.
- Event tracking:
Send custom events using
ps('event', 'actionName', { key: 'value' })
. - Property filters:
Filter segments based on the properties attached to events, such as user plans or campaign UTM parameters.
- Event tracking:
Best Practices and Considerations
Follow these guidelines to ensure your segments are reliable, performant, and actionable.
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Keep segments focused
Limit conditions to the most impactful criteria to avoid overly narrow segments.
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Validate segments regularly
Test segment definitions to confirm they capture the intended audience before using them in reports.
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Beware of sampling
In GA4, complex segments on large datasets can trigger sampling; simplify segments if sampling affects accuracy.