Google Analytics

GA4 Goals: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Set Them

Understanding Events, Tracking, Conversions, + More in GA4

Understand your customer base even better with the newest features in GA4.

In October 2020, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) was released. It is a new version of the company's software that gives businesses a deeper understanding of their website visitors' behavior. This information can be used to improve the experience of their website's users. One of the main components of the new version is the goals.

One of the main differences between the new version of GA4 and its predecessor, Universal Analytics, is that it uses an event-based data model instead of a session-based model. This method allows users to track the activities of their website visitors. An event-driven data structure is composed of the names, timestamps, and parameters of the events that happen within a given period.

In order to set goals in GA4, you must first construct an event that describes the expected action.

The new version of GA4 allows users to collect more precise and comprehensive information about their website visitors. It can be used to improve the experience of their users by analyzing the data collected from various devices. One of the main advantages of this method is that it allows users to track the activities of their website visitors on a consistent basis. It also allows them to analyze the data collected from their mobile app. This feature makes it easier to compare and improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

One of the main features of GA4 is its ability to measure the effectiveness of its users' actions. This method does so by allowing users to set goals and track the events that happen during the course of a visit. In previous versions of the software, only 20 goals could be set. With the new version, you can now have up to 30 goals.

Conversions in GA4

In addition to being able to set goals, GA4 also has a feature that allows you to split your goals into two types: macro and micro. These two categories allow you to analyze the various factors that influence your customers' engagement and determine which pages are performing well. A micro conversion is a type of action that a site visitor takes on a page or app. It's an indication that they're moving toward a more significant action.

Some examples of micro conversions include adding a product to a cart, signing up for a promotion, or following a social media page. Another one of the most important goals that you can set for your business is macro conversions. These are the actions that your visitors perform on your site to end up converting into a purchase or a form of an account. Having a well-defined macro conversion strategy can help you increase the number of people who come through your website.

A predefined conversion on the other hand is one that cannot be changed or disabled. It can be found in the "Conversions" section of GA4. However, it can only be seen once a visitor has completed the action. Some predefined conversions include first_open, which is an app-based purchase, and in_app_purchase, which is a mobile app-based purchase.

Tracking Events in GA4

KPIs or key performance indicators should be included in every event that you track in GA4. These are quantifiable measures that are used to evaluate the effectiveness of your website. There are a variety of events in GA4 that you can use to track your progress, and they can help you improve the efficiency of your website. Having the necessary data is very important since your website is a vital part of your marketing strategy.

Email Clicking 

One of the most important factors that you should consider when it comes to tracking link clicks is to identify which pages are performing well and which ones are not. This can help you determine which pages are converting the most and which ones should be improved. Having this information can also help you optimize the content on any of your websites.

Although the email click metric is not set up automatically, it can be tracked by default since it's included in clicks. Creating a separate event for this type of activity is recommended since it can be used to log it as a conversion event. To do this, you'll need to create a custom event in Google Tag Manager and add a tag to it. Then, you'll need to mark the event for it to be tracked correctly.

Newsletter Signups 

You should regularly track the number of people who have signed up for your email newsletters. To do so, make sure that the conversions are being tracked as they happen.

Signups for newsletters are a form that can be easily set up. One of the easiest ways to track these conversions is by creating a thank you page. This will allow you to set up a conversion event that will be triggered once a user completes the form, which will also allow you to keep track of the number of subscribers that you've gained.

Contact Forms

One of the most important metrics that you can track in GA4 is the number of people who have submitted a contact form. Although forms are tracked by default, you should be aware that they can be triggered by false positives if you use other tracking pixels. Having a good understanding of which forms are being used on your site will allow you to determine which ones are performing well and which ones are not.

Identifying the difference between conversion-focused and non-converting forms will let you know important metrics related to your contact form.

Although forms are automatically tracked in GA4, you should additionally set up separate events for each form to ensure that they are tracked separately. This can be done through the GTM tags and triggers.

You can also track the number of people who have submitted a form by tracking the number of people who visited the Thank You page. This method requires a custom event to be created and includes the page_location parameter and the URL of the page.

Four Categories of Events

There are four different categories of events within GA4. Prior to planning an event, ensure that it does not already exist within the automatically collected events, recommended events, or enhanced measurement events. If it does not, then you can create a custom event.

Automatically Collected Events

These are the events that happen automatically whenever you start using Google Analytics on your app or website.

Enhanced Measurement Events 

These events can also happen when you add Google Analytics to your account. However, to start collecting data, this process requires you to manually enable them.

Recommended Events 

Although you can implement these events, they already have pre-defined names and parameters.

Custom Events

You only need to create custom events once you can't find the one that you're looking for in the categories above. Usually, standard reports do not support custom events. Setting up these events will require you to manually implement them.

Setting up Goals in GA4

In Google Analytics 4, you can set goals (now referred to as conversions) and track the visits that lead to conversions or completions. For instance, if you want to know how many individuals go on to purchase products after visiting a particular page, then you can set a goal for that section. Image Courtesy of Google Help

This feature can help you determine which of the various conversion types is most important to your business, for example, email signups and sales. By default, if an individual completes an email signup form but doesn't purchase, then Google Analytics will still consider it a conversion.

To start setting goals, go to the "Conversions" tab and click on the "New Goal" button. You can then follow the steps to set your objective.

To ensure that your goals are tracked properly, you'll need to create a conversion tracking tag in Google Analytics. This feature will allow your system to recognize and track the actions that lead to a goal's completion.

You'll be able to see the number of people who have completed your goals and the revenue they've generated. You'll also be able to analyze the details of their activities such as the time it took them to complete the goal and the pages they visited before reaching it.

Testing + Monitoring the Conversions

After you have completed setting up your conversions, it's important to test them to make sure everything works seamlessly. Keep in mind that it could take up to 24 hours for them to appear.

One of the most important steps that you should take is to use the GA4 DebugView tool to check the parameters of each conversion event. This tool will allow you to monitor the technical issues that occur during the process.

The first step in collecting data is to set up your conversions. In order to keep track of your progress, make sure to regularly check the reports in the overview section of GA4. This will allow you to add new parameters and improve the events.

Under the "Measurement" tab, the goal can be found. It should be noted that even though an event has been created, it won't appear until it is clicked. When it is clicked, it will be regarded as a conversion. To track your progress, click on the "Conversions" tab and then "Track All" to see which of your goals have been completed. Image Courtesy of Google Help

You can then start improving the features of your app or website. One of the most important factors that you should consider when it comes to measuring conversions is having a Google Analytics event set up on every page.

Without the proper tools and resources to track and measure conversions, businesses tend to miss out on vital information that is very important for their business' success. One way to do this is through Google Analytics, which allows you to set up a specific order in which it tracks various activities. For instance, if a customer browses a video and then decides to sign up for a trial, then you can get a clear view of how many people are doing that.

The effectiveness of a promotional video can be determined by analyzing the data collected by Google Analytics. With the help of GA4, you can see how your business is doing and what factors are contributing to its success.

Make the Most Out of Your Conversions with GA4 Today

In GA4, goals will no longer be featured. Instead, they'll be replaced by conversion goals, which are more powerful and improved.

One of the most useful factors that you can consider when it comes to improving your website is conversions. There are many ways to determine which campaigns are performing well and which pages are converting the most. Using a conversion model can help you improve the rest of your site's content.

Every business should consider its conversion rate. With the added benefits of Google Analytics 4, make sure to take advantage of it today!

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