Google Analytics 4 Events Explained: Tracking What Matters on Your Website
What GA4 events and key events are, which actions to track on a business website (forms, calls, WhatsApp, downloads, purchases), how to set them up and how to read the results.
On this page
- GA4 tracks interactions as events; mark business outcomes as key events.
- Track forms, WhatsApp, calls, emails, downloads and purchases.
- Read key events by source and landing page, and combine with UTM tags.
Google Analytics 4 measures everything as "events": page views, scrolls, clicks, form submissions and purchases. Understanding events is the key to knowing whether your website brings business.
Events and key events
- Events: any tracked interaction
- Key events: the events you mark as important business outcomes (previously called conversions)
Events GA4 tracks automatically
Page views, first visits, sessions, and, with enhanced measurement, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement and file downloads.
Events you should add for a business website
| Action | Example event name |
|---|---|
| Contact or quote form submitted | generate_lead |
| WhatsApp button clicked | contact_whatsapp |
| Phone number tapped | contact_call |
| Email link clicked | contact_email |
| Brochure or price list downloaded | file_download |
| Online purchase | purchase |
This website tracks form submissions, WhatsApp, call and email clicks, portfolio clicks, shares and calculator use as events.
How to set them up
- Add event code to buttons and forms (or use Google Tag Manager)
- For forms, fire the event on successful submission or on a thank-you page; see thank-you pages
- Mark the most important ones as key events in GA4 Admin
- Test in GA4's real-time and DebugView reports
A tap on a phone number shows intent, not a conversation; see call tracking for small businesses for ways to measure real calls and WhatsApp chats.
Reading the results
- Key events by traffic source: which channels bring enquiries
- Key events by landing page: which pages convert
- Trends over time: is the site improving?
Combine with UTM tags
Tag links in campaigns, WhatsApp broadcasts and social posts so GA4 knows where visitors came from; see UTM tags explained.
Start with the basics in setting up GA4 and Search Console.
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