GA4 Fundamentals - Diving Deeper into Event Conversions

Welcome to the final part of our journey on the fundamentals of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). In this post, we will be covering conversion data, which is one of the most important types of data in GA4. Conversion data can tell you how many people are taking the desired actions on your website or app, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a whitepaper.

We will start by discussing what conversion data is and why it is important. Then, we will show you how to find conversion data in GA4. Finally, we will provide some tips on how to use conversion data to improve your website or app.

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Table of Contents‍

• Why is conversion data important?
• Select Events as Conversions
• Create Events in GA4 as Conversion
• Create Event in Google Tag Manager as Conversion
• Frequently Asked Questions
• What are the next steps?
• Final Word

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Why is conversion data important?

Conversion data is important because it tells you how well your website or app is performing. It can help you identify which pages or features are most effective at converting visitors into customers. This information can be used to improve your website or app design, content, and marketing campaigns.

Select Events as Conversions

To Mark an event as conversion event, here are the steps:

1. In Google Analytics, click Admin.
2. Make sure you are in the correct account and property.
3. In the Property column, click Events.
4. In the Existing events table, select the toggle under Mark as conversion.
   If you can't select the toggle, you don't have the necessary permissions.

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Create Events in GA4 as Conversion

You also have the option to create a new event and marked it as conversion event.

Here are the steps:

1. In Google Analytics, click Admin.
2. Make sure you are in the correct account and property.
3. In the Property column, click Conversions.
4. Click New conversion event.
5. If you don't see the button, you don't have the necessary permissions.
6. Enter the name of the new event.
7. Click Save.

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Create Event in Google Tag Manager as Conversion

You need to have a Google Tag Manager account and a GA4 property set up to set up conversion events in GA4 because Google Tag Manager is the recommended way to implement tracking codes on your website. This is because Google Tag Manager allows you to manage your tracking codes in a centralized location and makes it easy to test and deploy changes.

1. Go to GTM and navigate to the account you want to set up the actions for. 

2. In the account, click on “Tags” on the left-hand side column. 

3. After navigating to the "Tags" section, click on “New” to create a new tag that can be used as a conversion. 

4. Click on “Tag Configuration” and select “Google Analytics: GA4 Event.” 

5. Input the “Event Name” in the format “event_name” This event name will later be used as a conversion. 

Note: Since in this example we are going to use email signups our trigger would be fired when the form is submitted. 

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6. Once the firing condition for the tag and trigger have been defined, you can save both using a naming convention that makes it easy to differentiate in the future. 

7. Verify if the tag is firing correctly by clicking on the "Preview" button at the top right corner of the page. This will open a new window for Google Tag Assistant.  

8. Go to Analytics > Admin > Conversions and click on “New Conversion Event.”  

9. In the "Event Name" field, use the exact keywords you used as the event name while configuring your tag. 

10. Save the conversion event and navigate to Debug View. Before navigating to Debug View, make sure you have the “Google Analytics Debugger” extension installed in your Chrome or Mozilla browser. (Additionally, we recommend using only Chrome or Mozilla, as the extension may not work properly with other browsers.) 

11. Once installed, turn it on and open the web page you set up the conversion event for in a new window. 

In Debug View, you will see actions like "User Interaction" and "Page View" when you interact with the web page. Once the GTM Tag has successfully fired, you should be able to see the conversion events (green flag) in the DebugView.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a conversion event to be tracked?

Answer: It can take some time for a conversion event to be tracked in GA4. This is because GA4 needs to collect enough data before it can start generating meaningful reports. In general, it is recommended to wait at least 7 days before analyzing conversion data in GA4.

Can I track multiple conversion events for the same user?

Answer: Yes, you can track multiple conversion events for the same user in GA4. This is useful if you want to track different types of conversions, such as purchases and lead generation form submissions.

How do I know if a conversion event is being tracked correctly?

• Use the GA4 DebugView. To use the DebugView, go to the Admin tab and click on DebugView. Start firing the events on your website - Check the DebugView and it will show you if the conversion tag is installed correctly and if it is firing correctly.
• Use the Realtime report: This report shows you the number of conversions that occurred in real time. To use it, go to the Realtime report in GA4 and click on the Conversions card. The event count should be increasing over time if the conversion event is being tracked correctly.
• Check the Conversions report: This report shows you the number of conversions that occurred during a specific time period, as well as the conversion rate. If the number of conversions is not what you expected, it may be a sign that the conversion event is not being tracked correctly.

How can I track conversions from mobile apps in GA4?
Answer: GA4 provides a mobile app tracking solution through Firebase, which allows you to track user interactions, conversions, and in-app events. You'll need to integrate the Firebase SDK into your mobile app and set up events accordingly.

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What are the next steps: 

Now that we have covered the basics of GA4, Analytics Mates is confident that you can now explore the platform in more depth. However, if you want to learn more about the platform, we have provided some resources for you to continue your journey. These resources include:

•  How to use Custom Channel Grouping in GA4
• Where is the View Feature in GA4?
• Where is the Bounce Rate in Google Analytics 4?

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Final word: 

Conversion data is a valuable tool that can be used to improve your website or app. By understanding how to find and use conversion data, you can make better decisions about your marketing and website design.

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