---
title: "What is Average session duration in GA4? | Kodalogic"
description: "Average session duration is the mean length of a session in Google Analytics 4: the total duration of all sessions divided by the number of sessions."
url: https://kodalogic.com/glossary/average-session-duration
---

[Glossary](/glossary)/Average session duration

Google Analytics 4 · Metric

# What is Average session duration?

Average session duration is the mean length of a session in [Google Analytics 4](/glossary/ga4): the total duration of all [sessions](/glossary/sessions) divided by the number of sessions, in seconds. A session lasts from its first event to its last.

Session duration9h 58m

÷

Sessions11,960

Avg. session duration3m 00s

Total session time divided by sessions: the average visit.

Data source

Google Analytics 4

Type

Metric

API field

[averageSessionDuration](/reference/ga4-fields)

Formula

Average session duration = total session duration / sessions

## Why it matters

In Universal Analytics the last page of a visit counted as zero seconds, which made single-page visits look instant. GA4 measures engagement time between events instead, so the same behaviour now produces a longer and more truthful number.

## How to read it

The distribution is heavily skewed: most sessions are short and a few are very long, so the average is pulled up by the tail. There is no universal "good" value; a support article and a product catalogue should differ. Compare it against your own previous period and read it next to [engagement rate](/glossary/engagement-rate), which is far less sensitive to outliers.

## In a Data Studio report

In a Data Studio (formerly [Looker Studio](/glossary/looker-studio)) report it is a scorecard on the engagement page, with its change against the previous period, and a breakdown by channel or [landing page](/glossary/landing-page) to see which entry points keep people and which lose them.

## Where to find it in Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4: Reports, then Engagement, then Overview; add Average session duration as a column in any report under Customize report.

Shown in these dashboards

* [![Google Analytics 4 Dashboard for Data Studio dashboard](https://kodalogic.com/cdn/templates_images/0222_0WG5IECFKCHKAUTGY4O1AIO8L0YIM9D5_0000.webp)](/template/google-analytics-4-template-for-looker-studio)  
[Google Analytics 4 Dashboard for Data Studio](/template/google-analytics-4-template-for-looker-studio)$129
* [![Web & SEO Dashboard for Data Studio — GA4 + Search Console dashboard](https://kodalogic.com/cdn/templates_images/0234_OWGD0CDWC95GHLYIXC8I0K97PT5ZRQVE_0000.webp)](/template/web--seo-performance-dashboard)  
[Web & SEO Dashboard for Data Studio — GA4 + Search Console](/template/web--seo-performance-dashboard)$214
* [![GA4 + Google Ads Dashboard for Data Studio dashboard](https://kodalogic.com/cdn/templates_images/0531_BAM0ZAK8YRLTQ9O5W39RPBLKDSW1GBON_0000.png)](/template/ga4--google-ads-dashboard)  
[GA4 + Google Ads Dashboard for Data Studio](/template/ga4--google-ads-dashboard)$214
* [![All-in-One Marketing Dashboard for Data Studio dashboard](https://kodalogic.com/cdn/templates_images/0235_VE78OLDV9VA3KZRHCCPIEFB0MQ7ZW8Y7_0000.webp)](/template/all-in-one-dashboard-looker-studio-web-seo-ads)  
[All-in-One Marketing Dashboard for Data Studio](/template/all-in-one-dashboard-looker-studio-web-seo-ads)$289
[See the dashboards](/templates)

![Average session duration on the Web overview page of the Google Analytics 4 Dashboard for Data Studio](/informes/2026-09-02/google-analytics-4-template-for-looker-studio/01.webp)

Fourth scorecard, labelled Av. Session Dur.Page 1, Web overview, of the [Google Analytics 4 Dashboard for Data Studio](/template/google-analytics-4-template-for-looker-studio).[Open the live demo](https://lookerstudio.google.com/embed/reporting/fb97e8f9-0817-4b2b-9b0d-16cb50407e13/page/p%5Ffo1dxij6ld) to see it with real data.

## See it in a report

[Google Analytics 4 dashboard](/template/google-analytics-4-template-for-looker-studio)[Web analytics report template](/report-templates/web-analytics-report)

## Related terms

* [Looker Studio](/glossary/looker-studio)
* [GA4](/glossary/ga4)
* [Engagement rate](/glossary/engagement-rate)
* [Sessions](/glossary/sessions)
* [Landing page](/glossary/landing-page)
* [Referral traffic](/glossary/referral-traffic)

[← Event count](/glossary/event-count)[All 49 terms](/glossary)[Engagement rate →](/glossary/engagement-rate)