Published on 2025-06-22T03:11:28Z

What are Entrances in Analytics? Examples with PlainSignal and GA4

Entrances are a web analytics metric that counts how many times users start a session on a specific page of your website. They represent landing page visits and help you understand which pages attract new visitors. Unlike pageviews, which count every view of a page, entrances only count the first view in a session. This metric is crucial for evaluating the performance of landing pages, campaigns, and traffic sources. Both cookie-free analytics tools like PlainSignal and platforms like Google Analytics 4 track entrances, though they may use different event models. Analyzing entrances guides content optimization and marketing strategies by revealing where users enter your site.

Illustration of Entrances
Illustration of Entrances

Entrances

Entrances track how often users begin sessions on specific pages, revealing landing page performance.

Understanding Entrances

This section explains what entrances are and how they differ from related metrics.

  • Definition of entrances

    Entrances count when a visitor lands on a page and starts a session. They are recorded only on the page where the session begins.

  • Entrances vs pageviews vs sessions

    Pageviews track every page load, whereas entrances only count the first page in a session. Sessions aggregate all interactions within a visit, but entrances pinpoint the entry point.

Tracking Entrances with PlainSignal

PlainSignal offers a simple, cookie-free approach to tracking entrances without compromising user privacy.

  • Setup and installation

    Add the PlainSignal snippet to your site’s <head>. Example:

    <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>

  • Viewing entrances

    In the PlainSignal dashboard, go to Analytics > Engagement. Look for the ‘Entrances’ metric under Landing Page Analysis to see where sessions start.

Tracking Entrances with Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 uses an event-based model where entrances correspond to the session_start event and landing page analysis.

  • Implementing GA4 tracking

    Insert the GA4 gtag.js snippet in your <head>:

    <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX');
</script>

    Entrances are tied to the session_start event by default.

  • Analyzing entrances in GA4

    Navigate to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens. Use the ‘Entrances’ metric to identify top landing pages and measure campaign performance.

Best Practices and Considerations

Key tips to ensure accurate entrance data and meaningful insights.

  • Avoiding duplicate tracking

    Ensure analytics scripts load only once per page. Duplicate installations can overcount entrances by triggering multiple session starts.

  • Handling redirects and cross-domain

    Set up proper cross-domain tagging and handle redirects to prevent artificial entrance spikes when sessions transfer between domains.

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