The introduction of key events in Google Analytics 4 confused and upset many marketers and data analysts. But if you look further than the panic and pain, this may be a welcome change for PPC specialists.
Key takeaways
- GA4 introduced key events in Google Analytics 4 March 2024 to partially replace conversions.
- Only important actions users job seekers data take after clicking on a Google ad are now being called conversions.
- If you don’t use Google Ads, you can mark events as key events to measure the performance of your site and marketing campaigns.
- Google promises that this change will help PPC advertisers better track and optimize their campaigns.
What is a key event in Google Analytics 4?
Key events in GA4 are actions Google Analytics 4 that users take and which need to be marked as such. These events typically drive a business forward, like signing up for a newsletter, downloading a file, submitting a form, buying a product, and so on.
Before March 2024, key events were called conversions in GA4. In the older version of Google Analytics, they were simply called goals.
Google Ads still uses “conversions” and “goals” as synonyms, as you can see in the screenshot below.
In GA4, however, you may see a guide to creating a niche blog that can generate millions of rupiah per month message like the one below, to warn users that key events and conversions are no longer the same.
Confusing?
Absolutely yups.
So, let me explain what sets conversions and key events apart from each other…
What is the difference between key events and conversions in GA4?
Conversions and key events in Google Analytics 4 are both special events that a user can mark as such. But only if a Google ad is the traffic source, these are called a conversion.
Key events have a different source than a Google ad. That can, for example, be organic, direct or referral traffic.
The visual below gives a better understanding.
Note that, unlike default events, neither GA4 nor Google Ads tracks these events automatically.
You need to first mark events in GA4 as egypt data key events. Then, you can use these in Google Ads as conversions.
Let me show you the first step to conversion tracking.
How to mark an event as a key event in GA4?
To mark any event as a key event, make sure you have administrator or editor rights for the GA4 property. Then, follow these simple steps.
Step 3: Switch the toggle on
And that’s it.
If a user triggers the event, it will show up in your reports after 24 hours.
But as you know, waiting is not the smartest strategy for an analyst or marketer.