Google Analytics 4 Events: What They Are and How to Use Them By Dhawal Shah

Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) allow you to track how users interact with specific elements on your website beyond pageviews. This includes events like button clicks, video plays, form submissions, file downloads, and more. Configuring events properly is essential for understanding user behaviour and improving conversions.

Key Takeaways

• Events track interactions beyond pageviews like button clicks, form submits, etc.
• GA4 events provide detailed conversion funnel insights
• Proper setup requires identifying events, attaching parameters, and validating tracking

What are Google Analytics 4 Events?

Google Analytics events allow you to collect data on user interactions with interactive elements on your website.

For example, events can track:

• Newsletter signups
• Video plays
• File downloads
• Outbound clicks
• Form submissions
• Social shares

And a whole lot more.

Without events tracking, the only user interaction Google Analytics collects is pageviews.

By implementing events tracking properly, you gain much deeper insights into user engagement and conversions.

This exposes weaknesses in the customer journey that can be improved to boost conversions.

Next, let’s walk through how to set up events tracking in Google Analytics 4.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up GA4 Events

Follow these five steps to enable events tracking in Google Analytics 4:

1. Identify Relevant Events

First, determine the key events that align with your business goals. Common examples include form submits, video plays, downloads, outbound clicks, email signups, etc.

Focus on high-impact events tied to conversions.

2. Install the GA4 Tracking Code

Add the Google Analytics 4 tracking code snippet before the closing </head> tag on every page of your website.

This enables event collection across all site pages.

3. Attach Event Parameters

For each event, assign the relevant data parameters:

• Event Name: Simple identifier like “FileDownload” or “VideoPlay”
• Event Category: High level group like “Media” or “Engagement”
• Event Action: Specific action like “PDF” or “Play”
• Event Value: Quantify events like video duration or file size

Attach the parameters to event triggers in your website code.

For example:

</p>
<button 
onclick="downloadReport()"  
data-event-name="FileDownload"
data-event-category="Downloads"
data-event-action="PDF"
data-event-value="102">
  Download Report
</button>
<p>

This attaches events params to the download button.

4. Send the Event Data

When the event occurs, use JavaScript to push the event to the Google Analytics 4 data layer.

Here is a sample syntax:

</p>
gtag('event', 'FileDownload', {
  event_category: 'Downloads',
  event_action: 'PDF',
  value: 1024
});
<p>

Repeat this process for all your events across the site.

5. Validate in GA4 Reports

The final step is to test your events tracking implementation.

Check the GA4 real-time reports to confirm your events and parameters are being captured correctly. Refine as needed.

With those fundamentals covered, let’s look at some important types of events to track.

Types of Google Analytics Events to Track

Here are some examples of key GA4 event types to implement:

Media Events

• Video plays, pauses, duration, drops offs
• Audio podcast plays
• Slideshow navigation

Conversions Events

• Form, chatbot, lead gen submissions
• Calls-to-action button clicks
• Add to cart button clicks

Engagement Events

• Scroll depth tracking
• Content downloads and file types accessed
• Outbound link clicks
• Email signups
• Social media follows and shares

Custom Events

• Site search queries
• Navigation menu clicks
• Page timers to measure time on site
• Campaign email clicks

Prioritize events aligned to your core KPIs for understanding the customer journey.

Next, let’s cover some best practices to follow.

Best Practices for Google Analytics Events

Follow these tips when implementing GA4 events:

• Use clear names – Name events simply like “FileDownload” or “FormSubmit”
• Categorize events – Organize events using groups like “Media” or “Conversions”
• Set value parameter – Add values to quantify events like download size or video duration
• Limit custom params – Only fill optional fields like Action & Label when necessary
• Enable enhancements – Turn on enhanced measurement for more event details

Proper naming, categorization and quantification make your Google Analytics 4 events data easier to interpret and analyze.

How to Analyze GA4 Events Data

In Google Analytics 4, view events data by navigating to Events in the left sidebar.

Drill-down to view events:

• In aggregate across all categories
• Filtered by specific event category
• At individual event level showing all associated details

Compare event metrics like total events, unique events, event value totals, average value per event and more.

Segment the event reports by key dimensions like event name, category, country, device type and source/medium to glean further insights.

Analyzing events data exposes where your website is excelling at engagement and conversions as well as problem areas needing optimization.

Now that you’re an events tracking pro, let’s answer some common questions.

Conclusion

Implementing Google Analytics 4 event tracking provides tremendous visibility into user engagement beyond basic page views. Events expose both successes and weaknesses within the customer journey to help improve conversions.

Now you know:

✅ What GA4 Events Are
✅ Steps for Setup and Tracking
✅ Impactful Events Types to Enable
✅ How to Analyze Events Reports

Leverage these best practices to unlock detailed behavioural insights with GA4 events tracking.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Google Analytics 4 Events

What Are Some Important Google Analytics Events to Track?

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Dhawal Shah

Managing Director at 2Stallions

Dhawal Shah is one of the co-founders of the 2Stallions Digital Marketing Agency and he has been involved in the tech and digital space since he turned 18. He started an eCommerce business and built an online directory for Indian businesses.

A digital expert with more than 20 years of experience, Dhawal's key areas of experties include digital marketing, digital transformation and digital strategy. He has consulted for companies, government agencies and educational insititutes. Follow him on LinkedIn.

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