In today’s digital landscape, tracking user behaviour on your website has become crucial to not only offer personalised experiences to your users but also to optimise your marketing campaigns. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of the popular web analytics tool that comes with new and advanced features that can help you gain insights into your website’s performance. One of the most valuable features in GA4 is custom event tracking. To help you get the most out of GA4 we’ll explore the events that GA4 tracks by default and provide a guide on how to set up custom event tracking.

Default Event Tracking In GA4

By default, GA4 tracks events that come from user interactions such as clicks, video engagement, form submission, and more. These events are classified into four main categories: user engagement, e-commerce, enhanced measurement, and scroll tracking. Some of the following elements are tracked by GA4 as standard:

  • click.
  • file_download.
  • form_start.
  • form_submit.
  • page_view.
  • scroll.
  • session_start.
  • user_engagement.
  • video_complete.
  • video_progress.
  • video_start.
  • view_search_results.

For more insight into the events that are being tracked, you can access the event’s report in GA4 by clicking on the “Events” tab in the left-hand menu.

How to Set Up Custom Event Tracking In GA4

When it comes to integrating GA4 within a business, there are several different variables that you may want to be tracked that are not tracked by default. This is where an SEO agency in London or Essex can help you. You may need to track events that are not included in the default events report. To set up custom event tracking in GA4, you’ll need to follow the steps below:

1) Identify the events: First, you need to decide which events you want to track. These events could be anything that requires user interaction. For example, a button click, form submission, file download, or any other event that you feel is important to track.

2) Set up custom events: In GA4, custom events can be set up using either the GA4 user interface or by using Google Tag Manager (GTM). To set up custom events using the GA4 user interface, go to “Events” in the left-hand menu, click on “Configure event parameters,” and then click “Create event.” From there, you or our SEO Agency can create a custom event by providing a name and the event parameters.

If you use GTM, you can set up custom events by creating tags and triggers. A tag is a piece of code that sends data to GA4, and a trigger is an event that activates the tag. For example, you could set up a tag to track a button click, and the trigger would be the user clicking the button.

3) Test the events: Once you’ve set up your custom events, it’s essential to test them to ensure that they’re working correctly. You can do this by using the GA4 debugger, which will show you the event data that GA4 is receiving.

4) Analyse the data: Once your custom events are set up and confirmed to be working correctly, you can start analysing the data. You can view the custom events report in GA4 by going to “Events,” clicking on “Configure event parameters,” and selecting the custom event that you want to analyse.

Best Practices for Custom Event Tracking

To get the most out of custom event tracking in GA4, there are a few best practices that you should follow:

a) Be selective: Don’t track every user interaction on your website. Instead, focus on the events that provide insight into user behaviour that can help you optimise your website or marketing campaigns.

b) Consistent naming conventions: Use consistent naming conventions when setting up custom events to make it easier to analyse the data.

c) Test regularly: Regularly test your custom events to ensure that they’re working correctly.

If you’re a business owner or digital marketer looking to gain insights into your website’s performance, custom event tracking in GA4 is a must. By tracking events that are specific to your website, you’ll be able to identify areas that need improvement and optimise your marketing campaigns to get the most out of your online presence. Remember to be selective when choosing events to track, use consistent naming conventions, and test regularly to ensure that your custom events are providing accurate data. Still not sure how best to set up GA4 in your business? We are more than happy to help. Get in touch with us to get started setting up your GA4.