How To Set Up An Event In GA4

Kyle Headland | 16 July, 2025 | 4 minute read | Blog, Digital Marketing, SEO

How can you track success if you can’t see where your conversions are coming from? Google Analytics 4 is a free tool that helps you understand how people are finding your website and what they do when they are on your website. To make the most of it, you need to know how to set up an event in GA4. 

If you’ve ever wondered how to set up an event in GA4 but felt overwhelmed by jargon, this is the guide for you.

The Fastest Path To Visibility: Create an Event Inside GA4

If you’re short on time you can create events directly in GA4 without any code and without the use of Google Tag Manager. 

When to use this method:

Simple events like pageviews that create an action, such as if a user completes a contact form that takes them to a different Thank You page.

Steps (GA4 UI Method)

1. Go to: Admin > Data display > Events > Create event.
2. Base it on an existing event:
   1. Example: page_view where page_location contains /thank-you.
3. Name your new event:
   1. Use lowercase and underscores, e.g., generate_lead or purchase_intent.
4. Copy parameters you need:
   1. Tick “Copy parameters from source event”.
5. Save and Test using Admin > DebugView (open your site in GA Debug mode or Tag Assistant).

Pro Tip: Name Your GA4 Event To Improve Reporting

• Use Google’s recommended events where possible (e.g., generate_lead, sign_up).
• Keep names lowercase_with_underscores.
• Add context with parameters: form_id, button_text, page_location.

If you are yet to set up a Google Analytics GA4 account. Find out how you can finally take control of your website data and turn action into optimisation here.

For A Fully Flexible Tracking Setup: Use Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Google Tag Manager gives you full control of your tracking setup without touching your website code.

Steps (GTM Method)

1. Create a Trigger
   1. Examples:
      1. Click Trigger: All clicks on a CSS selector (e.g., .cta-button).
      2. Form Submission Trigger: Built-in Form Submission.
      3. Custom Trigger: Based on a Data Layer event (e.g., purchase_complete).
2. Create a Tag → GA4 Event Tag
   1. Configuration Tag: your GA4 Measurement ID.
   2. Event name: e.g., generate_lead, cta_click, video_start.
   3. Event parameters (recommended):
      1. link_url (for clicks)
      2. Button_text
      3. Form_id
      4. value, currency (for revenue-like actions)
3. Connect Tag + Trigger
4. Preview (Tag Assistant) to confirm the tag fires correctly.
5. Publish your GTM container.
6. Verify in GA4 > Admin > DebugView.
7. Mark as a Conversion (optional): Reports >  Events > toggle Mark as conversion for key events.

Key Tracking Events To Make Sure Your Reports Drive Action

High-Value Events to Prioritise

• generate_lead for successful form submissions
• sign_up for product trials or newsletter joins
• cta_click for key call-to-action buttons
• file_download for gated content
• view_promotion / select_promotion for promo engagement
• purchase (if ecommerce)

Must-Have Parameters (Make Data Useful)

• form_id / form_name – which form converts
• page_location – where the action happened
• content_type / content_title – for downloads or video
• value & currency – assign monetary weight to leads/actions

Common Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)

1) Inconsistent Naming

Mixing Signup, sign_up, and sign-up breaks reporting. Pick one (sign_up) and stick to it.

2) No Parameters

Events without context are almost useless. Always add at least one identifying parameter.

3) Skipping QA

Use Preview (GTM) and DebugView (GA4) every time. If you can’t see it in DebugView, it didn’t happen.

4) Not Marking Conversions

After events look good, toggle key ones as conversions, or you’ll miss crucial attribution.

Our final thoughts 

When thinking about how to set up events in GA4, it isn’t about tracking everything. Instead, it’s about tracking the right things and doing it well. Start with your revenue-driving actions, use clean names, add meaningful parameters, and verify before you mark them as key events. Do this, and setting up GA4 events become a fast win that unlocks better optimisations across your entire funnel.

CALL TO ACTION

Are you ready to go deeper? For the ultimate GA4 audit checklist to optimise your tracking, find out more here.