asingh@fzautomotive.com
August 17, 2022 Uncategorized 0 Comment

How to Track Events in Google Analytics 4

Google has announced it will sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. After that date, anyone who wants to monitor their website’s metrics will need to use Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

If you haven’t yet had any exposure to the new Analytics interface, you may want to take some time to learn how it works. In particular, you’ll need to know how to track events in GA4.

Luckily, the experienced marketers at FZA Digital are here to show you the ropes!

What Are Events in Google Analytics 4?

In Google Analytics 4, an event is a user interaction with an element of a website or mobile app. It is quite similar to what marketers have traditionally referred to as a “goal” or “conversion.”

GA4 can track just about any user interaction as an event. The most common events include:

  • Submitting a contact form
  • Click-to-call actions
  • Downloading a document
  • Logging into an account
  • Clicking on a button
  • Watching a video
  • Scrolling down a page
  • Buying a product, and
  • Scheduling an appointment

Monitoring these events can help businesses measure the success of their SEO campaigns.

How to Set Up Event Tracking in Google Analytics 4

There are four types of events in Google Analytics 4. They are:

  1. Automatically collected events
  2. Enhanced measurement events
  3. Recommended events, and
  4. Custom events

Each of these event types has a different setup process.

1. Automatically Collected Events

GA4 automatically collects data on basic app/website interactions, such as:

  • Ad clicks
  • App updates
  • Page views, and
  • File downloads

You do not need to add any tags to your site or app to track these automatically collected events in GA4.

2. Enhanced Measurement Events

It’s possible to increase the number of events Google Analytics 4 automatically logs by enabling “enhanced measurement.” To turn this setting on, just follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Google Analytics account.
  2. Click on the Admin button.
  3. Navigate to the property you want to edit.
  4. Click Data Streams > Web under the Property column.
  5. Slide the Enhanced Measurement switch to the On position.

This process takes less than five minutes. It will give you the ability to track your outbound clicks and scrolls.

3. Recommended Events

“Recommended events” are events suggested by Google based on the nature of your business. GA4 does not automatically track them.

If you want to monitor recommended events, you’ll need to add a global site tag to your website or app. GA4 recognizes a wide range of tags, including:

  • Sign_up: Triggers when a user signs up for an account.
  • Tutorial_complete: Triggers when a user finishes a tutorial.
  • Generate_lead: Triggers when a user submits a contact form
  • Add_payment_info: Triggers when a user submits their payment details.

You may also be able to add these tags via the Google Tag Manager.

When creating recommended events, be sure to use the exact names and parameters provided by Google. Spelling mistakes and other errors can prevent GA4 from tracking events correctly.

4. Custom Events

GA4 gives you the ability to track custom events. To do so, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Google Analytics account.
  2. Click Configure in the left pane.
  3. Select Events.
  4. Choose a data stream.
  5. Click Create.
  6. Enter the name of your new event.
  7. Specify when your custom event should be triggered.
  8. Click Create.

Creating custom events can be a fairly complex process. As such, Google suggests checking to see if there is a pre-configured event that provides what you need before you proceed.

How to Access the Events Report in Google Analytics 4

Accessing the events report in Google Analytics 4 is easy. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Google Analytics account.
  2. Navigate to the desired property.
  3. Click on Reports in the left pane.
  4. Select Engagement > Events.

Once the events report is open, you can use the search bar to find a specific event, and click on it to view more detailed data.

Need Google Analytics Help? Contact the Experts at FZA Digital!

If you need help creating or monitoring events in Google Analytics 4, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the support team at FZA Digital. We have been helping organizations like yours thrive online for years, and we’d love to add your name to our long list of happy partners!

To talk to a member of our team, all you need to do is fill out our brief online contact form or give us a call at (424) 232-0810. We look forward to working with you!