In GA4, everything that happens on your site is an event: opening a page, scrolling, clicking, submitting a form, buying. There are four types. GA4 collects automatic events on its own; enhanced measurement events are turned on with a toggle; recommended events have a name and format defined by Google; and custom events are ones you create. The step that actually changes your results is marking the action that’s worth money to your business as a key event, so GA4 and Google Ads know what counts as success.
In Universal Analytics, there were pageviews, events, and goals, each in its own place. In GA4, the pageview became the page_view event, and the goal became a key event (called a conversion until 2024). It’s the same logic across the board.
The four event types
| Type | Who creates it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | GA4, on its own | first_visit, session_start, page_view |
| Enhanced measurement | GA4, when the option is turned on in the data stream | scroll, click (external link), file_download, view_search_results, form_start |
| Recommended | You send it, with the name Google defined | generate_lead, purchase, sign_up, begin_checkout |
| Custom | You send it, with whatever name you choose | whatsapp_click, watched_price_video |
Recommended events: use these before creating your own
Google keeps a list of recommended events by business type. The most useful ones if you sell a service or product:
- generate_lead: someone left their contact info (form, quote request, sign-up to talk).
- purchase: completed purchase, with value, currency, and order ID.
- begin_checkout: started checkout.
- add_to_cart: added a product to the cart.
- sign_up: created an account.
When the name matches a recommended event, GA4’s built-in reports and the import into Google Ads work without any adjustment. Create a custom event only when none of the recommended ones describe the action.
How to create an event
There are two ways to do it.
Through Google Tag Manager. The most common path. You create a GA4 event tag, name the event, and choose the trigger: clicks on WhatsApp links, form submissions, a data layer message. See what Tag Manager is and what the data layer is.
Through GA4 itself. In Admin, Events, the Create event option generates a new event from one that’s already coming in. Example: a page_view on the “/thank-you/” page becomes generate_lead. This works when you don’t have access to Tag Manager, but it depends on the URL staying the same.
Parameters: the detail that makes an event useful
Every event can carry parameters, which are the details of that specific moment: the purchase value, the form name, the page where the button was clicked. For parameters you created yourself to show up in reports, register each one as a custom dimension in Admin, Custom definitions.
Some limits of the free version of GA4: event names can have up to 40 characters, each event can carry up to 25 parameters, and a property accepts up to 50 custom event dimensions. With an organized measurement plan, you’ll have plenty of room.
Key events
The main event is what GA4 treats as success. To mark one: go to Admin, Events, and turn on the mark as key event toggle next to the event.
Pick just a few. If everything is a key event, nothing is. For most businesses, two or three are enough:
- the contact that generates a quote (generate_lead or a WhatsApp click);
- the purchase (purchase), if the site sells products;
- a phone call, if the phone is the main channel.
Scroll depth and time on page are not key events. They help you understand behavior, but they don’t pay the bills.
From GA4 to Google Ads
With GA4 linked to Google Ads, key events can be imported as conversions. For search campaigns, though, Google Ads’ own conversion tag tends to be more accurate, since it doesn’t depend on GA4’s attribution model. The step by step is in Google Ads conversion via Tag Manager.
How to test it
Use Tag Assistant to see the event leave the site, and GA4’s DebugView to see the event arrive, with all its parameters. Only mark it as a key event after you see it arriving correctly.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a key event and a conversion? It’s the same thing with a different name. Google replaced “conversion” with “key event” in GA4 in 2024, and kept “conversion” for Google Ads.
I created the event and it doesn’t show up in the list. New events can take up to 24 hours to show up in reports. In DebugView they show up right away.
Is a WhatsApp click a good key event? It’s the best one there is when the sale closes in the chat. Just remember it’s contact intent, not a sale. To measure the sale, you need to bring in the result from your CRM.
Want an event plan for your site? Ciclicko designs the list of events, sets them up, and tests them. Check out our conversions and CRM service.