Setting up goals in GA4 (they're called key events now)

If you're looking for "Goals" in GA4, you won't find them. Google renamed the concept twice: first to "Conversions," then to "Key Events" in March 2024.

Same idea, different name. Let me show you how to set them up.

Quick terminology guide

When you see "Conversions" in GA4 reports, it's referring to data sent to Google Ads. Within GA4 itself, they're called "Key Events."

What makes a good key event?

Key events should represent actions that indicate real business value:

Rule of thumb: If someone does this action, does it mean something for your business? If yes, it's a key event candidate.

Method 1: Mark an existing event as a key event

The simplest , if GA4 is already tracking the event you care about.

Step-by-step

1. Go to Admin → Events
2. Wait for your events to appear (they populate as they fire)
3. Find the event you want to mark (e.g., generate_lead, purchase, sign_up)
4. Toggle "Mark as key event" ON

That's it. The event is now a key event and will appear in key event reports.

Events you might already have

Check your Events list to see what's already being tracked.

Method 2: Create a new event, then mark as key event

What if you want to track something specific, like visits to a thank-you page?

Step-by-step

1. Go to Admin → Events

2. Click Create event

3. Name your event (e.g., contact_form_complete)

4. Set matching conditions:

   Parameter	Operator	Value
   event_name	equals	page_view
   page_location	contains	/thank-you

5. Click Create

6. Wait for the event to appear in your Events list (can take 24-48 hours)

7. Mark it as a key event

When to use this

• Tracking specific page views (confirmation pages)
• Creating subsets of existing events
• Adding conditions to filter when something counts

Common examples

Newsletter thank-you page:

event_name equals page_view
page_location contains /newsletter/thank-you

Contact form success:

event_name equals page_view
page_location contains /contact/success

Specific button click (if you're sending a generic click event):

event_name equals click
link_url contains /pricing

Method 3: Create via Google Tag Manager

For full control over when and how events fire.

Step-by-step

1. In GTM, create a trigger

   • Choose trigger type (Form Submit, Click, Page View, etc.)
   • Set conditions for when it should fire

2. Create a GA4 Event tag

   • Tag Type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event
   • Measurement ID: Your G-XXXXXXX
   • Event Name: Your chosen name (e.g., form_submit)
   • Add event parameters if needed

3. Test in GTM Preview Mode

   • Verify the tag fires when expected
   • Check parameters are populated

4. Publish your GTM container

5. In GA4, mark the event as a key event

   • Go to Admin → Events
   • Find your new event
   • Toggle "Mark as key event"

For detailed GTM setup, see our GTM configuration guide.

Configuring key event settings

Each key event has additional settings you can configure.

Counting method

Click the three dots next to a key event → Edit key event

Event value

You can assign a monetary value to key events:

1. Static value: Set a default value in GA4

   • Good for: Lead forms, signups (estimated value)

2. Dynamic value: Send value with the event

   • Good for: Purchases, variable-value actions

   gtag('event', 'generate_lead', {
     'value': 50,
     'currency': 'USD'
   });
   

Why value matters

• Helps calculate ROI
• Essential for Google Ads bidding
• Enables revenue-based analysis

Testing your key events

In DebugView

1. Enable debug mode (see how)
2. Go to Admin → DebugView
3. Perform the action that triggers your key event
4. Look for your event. Key events show a flag icon 🏁

In Realtime

1. Go to Reports → Realtime
2. Scroll to the Key events card
3. Trigger your action
4. Watch for it to appear

Note: Standard reports take 24-48 hours. Don't panic if you don't see data immediately.

Limits to know

30 key events sounds like a lot, but be strategic. You don't need every action to be a key event.

Importing to Google Ads

If you're running ads, import your key events as Google Ads conversions:

1. Link GA4 to Google Ads (Admin → Product Links → Google Ads Links)
2. In Google Ads, go to Goals → Conversions → Summary
3. Click + New conversion action
4. Choose Import → Google Analytics 4 properties
5. Select the key events you want
6. Configure attribution settings

Once imported, they're called "Conversions" in Google Ads and can be used for bidding optimization.

Migrating from UA goals

If you had goals in Universal Analytics:

There's no automatic migration. You need to recreate each goal as a key event.

Common mistakes

Marking page_view as a key event

Unless you're tracking a very specific page (like a confirmation page), raw page views aren't valuable as key events. Use conditions to filter to meaningful pages.

Creating duplicates

If you send an event via GTM AND create it in GA4's interface, you'll count it twice. Use one method.

Too many key events

30 is the limit, but that doesn't mean you need 30. Start with your 3-5 most important actions.

Not testing

Always verify in DebugView before assuming your key event works.

Priority key events by business type

E-commerce:

1. purchase (primary)
2. add_to_cart
3. begin_checkout
4. sign_up

SaaS:

1. sign_up (trial start)
2. subscription_purchase
3. feature_activation
4. upgrade

Lead generation:

1. generate_lead (form submit)
2. phone_click
3. chat_started
4. pricing_view

Content/Media:

1. newsletter_subscribe
2. content_share
3. premium_content_view
4. ad_click

Next steps

Once your key events are configured:

1. Build a dashboard to monitor them
2. Connect to Google Ads for conversion import
3. Review e-commerce tracking for purchase events

If you want a cleaner view of your key event performance, try Analayer. We turn your GA4 data into insights you can actually use.