Once you've set up GA4 (Google Analytics 4), the first thing you should configure is conversion tracking. In March 2024, GA4 renamed "conversions" to "key events," but the process remains the same. You simply measure user actions that represent your website's goals as events and then mark them as key events.
This article explains how to set up conversions (key events) in GA4 in a beginner-friendly way. We cover two approaches—using the admin panel alone and using GTM—as well as troubleshooting steps when conversions aren't being tracked.
A key event in GA4 is an event that a site operator has marked as particularly important for their business. Examples include form submission completions, document downloads, and product purchases.
In GA4, every user action is measured as an "event." By designating the events that directly relate to your site's goals as "key events," you can track them as conversions.
In March 2024, Google renamed "conversions" to "key events" within GA4. The reason was that both GA4 and Google Ads used the term "conversions," yet their measurement methods differed. To eliminate confusion, GA4's term was changed to "key events" so it could be clearly distinguished from Google Ads conversions.
The functionality itself has not changed, and any items previously set as conversions were automatically migrated to key events. No action is required from administrators.
Before configuring key events, it's important to understand GA4's event system. GA4 has four types of events.
The first type is automatically collected events, which are tracked automatically just by installing GA4. These include page_view, first_visit, and session_start.
The second type is enhanced measurement events, which are collected when you enable enhanced measurement in the GA4 admin panel. These include scrolls, outbound clicks, site searches, video plays, and file downloads.
The third type is recommended events, which Google recommends based on industry or purpose. These include sign_up and purchase.
The fourth type is custom events, which users can freely create. These are used when you want to track unique actions not covered by the other three types. Common examples include tracking access to a thank-you page or clicks on specific buttons.
Setting up conversions in GA4 involves two main steps: "Create and measure an event" then "Mark that event as a key event."
If the event you want to track is already being measured, log in to GA4 and click "Admin" at the bottom of the left menu. Select "Events" under the "Data display" section. When the event list appears, toggle "Mark as key event" to ON for the desired event. That's all it takes.
If the action you want to track doesn't exist as an event yet, you need to create a custom event. Here's an example of setting "access to a contact thank-you page" as a key event.
Go to Admin > Events and click the "Create event" button. Enter a custom event name (e.g., contact_thanks) and set the matching conditions: event_name equals page_view, and page_location contains /contact/thanks. After saving, the event will start being tracked when the conditions are met.
Once the event appears in the event list, toggle "Mark as key event" to ON. If it doesn't appear immediately, you can also pre-register the event name via Admin > Key events > "New key event."
For more flexible event configuration, we recommend using GTM to send events to GA4 and then marking them as key events on the GA4 side.
In GTM, create a new tag and select "Google Analytics: GA4 Event" as the tag type. Enter your GA4 measurement ID and set an event name (e.g., cv_phone_tap). Create a trigger with the conditions for the action you want to track. Test using GTM's preview mode, then publish.
Once the event from GTM appears in GA4, toggle the key event mark to ON in the Admin > Events screen.
GA4 offers two counting methods for key events. The default is "once per event," where each occurrence is counted separately even within the same session. This is Google's recommended setting.
The other option is "once per session," where only one count is recorded per session regardless of how many times the event occurs. This is similar to the old UA counting method. Be aware that GA4's default setting tends to produce higher conversion numbers than UA.
You can verify your key events in several places. The Admin > Key events screen shows registered key events and their counts. Reports > Engagement > Key events shows counts by period. The Explorations feature lets you create custom reports using key events as metrics. The Realtime report is useful for testing immediately after setup, as it shows key event activity from the past 30 minutes.
If data isn't showing up after setting up key events, check the following points.
First, verify that the GA4 tag is correctly installed. Use Chrome's "Google Tag Assistant" extension to check tag firing status.
Next, review the event conditions. For custom events, check for URL formatting issues such as trailing slashes or query parameter effects.
If you have IP filters excluding your office, test access may be filtered out. Temporarily disable filters during testing.
Finally, note that report and exploration data may take up to 24 hours to reflect. Check the Realtime report first, then verify standard reports the next day.
You can set up to 30 key events per property. Note that the purchase event is registered as a key event by default and cannot be removed.
Simply toggle "Mark as key event" to OFF in the Admin > Events screen. Only data going forward is affected; historical data remains unchanged.
Yes, they are different. GA4 key events are metrics for site analysis, while Google Ads conversions are used for ad bid optimization. To use conversions in Google Ads, you need to set up key events in GA4 first, then add them as conversions from the Google Ads side.
Setting up conversions (key events) in GA4 is a two-step process: measure an event, then mark it as a key event. You can choose between configuring everything in the GA4 admin panel or using GTM for more flexibility.
After setup, verify tracking via the Realtime report and allow up to 24 hours for standard reports to reflect the data. If conversions aren't being tracked, systematically check the tag installation, event conditions, and filter settings to identify the cause.
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