Measurement plan: choose useful events in Google Analytics 4

Measurement and analysis · 6 min reading

To build a measurement plan GA4, start from the decisions to be made, then retain the events that shed light on them. An actually transmitted request, an addition to the cart and a purchase do not answer the same question. Document their triggering, necessary information and control before adding tags. The goal is not to count all the gestures, but to have understandable and reliable signals.

Key points

• Link each event to a specific business question.
• Distinguish a result obtained from a simple intention.
• Check the existing one before creating an additional event.
• Plan for testing, consent and a follow-up manager from the start.

Start with company decisions

A manager who receives too few useful requests must be able to distinguish a lack of visitors from a form problem. An e-commerce manager can try to understand whether visitors view products, add them to the cart and then begin payment. These questions determine the steps to measure.

For each action considered, write the decision that it could modify. If no one knows what to do with the information, leave it alone. A click on a phone number indicates an intention to contact, not a successful call. Likewise, displaying a confirmation page is not enough to prove a new request: check that it corresponds to an accepted transmission, and not to direct access or a reload.

Choose events from the measurement plan GA4

Reuse adapted names

Google distinguishes between automatically collected events, enhanced metrics events, recommended events, and custom events. Recommended events have predefined names and parameters, but their collection must be set up. Google advises to reserve personalized events for needs that other types do not cover: see its presentation of events.

Before creating a name, check what your site already conveys. The list of recommended events provides in particular generate_lead for a request for information, as well as view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout and purchase for online commerce. Respect the prescribed parameters for each selected event.

Separate progress and result

In GA4, a key event measures a particularly important action for the company. A collected event can be marked as such, as explained in the Google documentation cited above. This status does not replace a reliable trigger. For your management, separate the stages of progress, such as adding to the cart, from the expected results, such as the purchase.

Document each event before its implementation

A shared spreadsheet is sufficient to describe the plan. Include the following sections:

• Business question: what the team is trying to understand.
• Name: The exact technical name sent to GA4.
• Trigger: the observable condition that authorizes sending.
• Parameters: only the information necessary for the analysis.
• Status: progress event or result retained for control.
• Control: test scenario, expected and responsible result.

The trigger deserves unambiguous formulation. “Click send” and “request accepted by the system” are not equivalent. Also specify how to avoid multiple sendings when reloading or returning to the page.

Do not send the free content of a form, an email address or a phone number in the events or parameters of this measurement plan. The Google rules on identifying information covers in particular URLs, parameters and data entered by users.

Fictitious example: measuring a quote request

In this illustrative example, a maintenance company receives requests by form. She wants to know if the form prevents interested visitors from contacting her. The plan retains a start-of-entry step, if it is useful for diagnosis, then generate_lead when transmission is confirmed.

The generate_lead sheet specifies the expected confirmation, the type of form without personal data and the person responsible for the test. A validation error should not produce this event. The click on the button remains distinct. The sales team then checks the relevance of the requests in its tracking tool: their receipt does not mean that they are qualified.

Check triggers and collection framework

The DebugView documentation indicates that debug mode should be enabled to examine events and their parameters. Test a pass, fail, reload, and important variations on mobile. Control what should not be sent as much as what should be.

Also test the consent choices. The CNIL strictly regulates the exemption from consent for certain audience measurement trackers. It is not acquired because a tool is used to produce statistics. So do not assume that your GA4 installation benefits from this exemption. Have the trackers, purposes and conditions of collection checked, including after refusal; this plan is not a legal validation.

Operational checklist

1. Write priority decisions and corresponding steps.
2. Inventory events already received and their triggers.
3. Choose recommended names when they are appropriate.
4. Complete the sections of the plan and remove unnecessary parameters.
5. Test successes, errors, repetitions and consent choices.
6. Keep proof of the test and appoint a responsible person.
7. Recheck after modifying the form or payment.

Limitations and common errors

Avoid counting the same action with an extension and a tag added separately. Do not rename events without documenting the change: the team may compare different definitions. An absence of data does not prove the absence of actions. Google specifies in particular that certain confidentiality controls or refusal of Analytics cookies may prevent display in DebugView. Finally, GA4 does not replace sales system orders or sales tracking.

Frequently asked questions

How many events should we plan for?

Retain those whose usefulness and control are documented. The size of the plan depends on the routes to be analyzed, not on a quota to fill.

Can a click be a key event?

Technically, a collected event can become a key event. This does not change what the action represents: a click does not prove the receipt of a request or confirmation of a sale.

Who must validate the plan?

The person who makes the decisions validates the business sense. The person in charge of the site checks the triggering. The compliance officer reviews the collection conditions.

Next step

Choose an important commercial action and write its complete file. Have it tested before expanding the plan. If the measurement must be linked to your campaigns and your site, the services 4SYSTEM present the areas concerned.

Sources and resources

• Google Analytics: event types and key events.
• Google Analytics: recommended events.
• Google Analytics: use DebugView.
• Google Analytics: avoid identifying information.
• CNIL: audience measurement and exemption from consent.