Clear Explanation on How to Set Up Conversions in GA4 | From Setup Procedures to Solutions When Data Isn't Recorded

January 24, 2024

Clear Explanation on How to Set Up Conversions in GA4 | From Setup Procedures to Solutions When Data Isn't Recorded

This article provides a clear explanation on how to set up conversions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). It methodically explains everything from the basic specifications of conversion settings, specific methods for setting them up, solutions for when conversions aren't being recorded, to the analysis of data. By reading this article, you will gain a deep understanding of GA4's conversion settings and be able to analyze data effectively.

It's important to note that the information in other articles stating that "GA4 measures a conversion every time an event set as a conversion occurs" is incorrect. In GA4, it is possible to set it up so that multiple conversion events occurring in a single session are counted as one conversion.

Furthermore, for those who want to easily check conversion numbers in GA4 or create an easy-to-understand GA4 report, we recommend the GA4 Report Template by 88studio, used by over 2,000 companies. This template allows you to create unlimited reports for different sites with a single purchase. Reports can be completed in just a few minutes and can be customized freely. Additionally, The expert in GA4, is involved as an advisor. The template is updated regularly in line with GA4's specification changes, allowing for continued peace of mind in its usage.

Popular Templates: GA4 Monthly Report Template popular for reports to clients and internal use

GA4 Monthly Report Template[4007]

Demo Report

Report detail

Popular Templates: GA4 Standard Report Template that simplifies daily number checks

GA4 Standard Report Template[4004]

Demo Report

Report detail

What is GA4 (Google Analytics 4)?

GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics, developed as a successor to the traditional Universal Analytics (UA). This tool is used to collect data from websites and apps, analyze that data, and understand business outcomes and user behavior.

Key Differences from UA

There are four main distinctive features of GA4. Understanding these is essential for anyone looking to get started with GA4:

User-Centric Analysis
Cross-Device and Platform Analysis
Shift to an Event-Centric Data Model
AI-Powered Machine Learning and BigQuery Integration

For more details on GA4's features and how to use it, see the "Beginner's Guide: A Simple Explanation of GA4's Basic Usage and Interface".

Benefits of Conversion Settings in GA4

In GA4, a conversion refers to significant user actions on a website or app, such as inquiries, downloads of materials, or product purchases on e-commerce sites. Setting up conversion tracking offers several benefits.

Detailed Conversion Reports

You can check detailed reports on conversions, including which channels (like organic search, web advertising, email marketing) are generating the most conversions, which demographics (age, gender, region, device type) are achieving the most conversions, and which landing pages are producing the most conversions.

Targeting Non-Converting Users with Ads

After linking GA4 with Google Ads, you can create audiences of users who did not convert in GA4, import these audiences into Google Ads, and perform remarketing to these non-converting users.

There are various other benefits, such as the ability to perform attribution analysis to examine the touchpoints leading to conversions, so make sure to set up conversions in GA4.

Key Points and Specifications to Know About Conversion Settings in GA4

Conversion in GA4 is Set as "Events"

In Universal Analytics (UA), conversions could be set from the following four types, but in GA4, they are all set as "events".

Destination Pages (e.g., thanks.html)
Session Duration (e.g., more than 5 minutes)
Number of Pageviews / Screen Views per Session (e.g., 3 pages)
Events (e.g., playing a video)

There are Four Types of Events in GA4

Types of Events	Explanation	Example
Automatically collected events	Simply inserting the GA4 configuration tag allows for data collection (no manual setup required).	page_view first_visit
Enhanced event	By turning on the 'Enhanced Measurement' feature in the GA4 admin panel, data can be collected (no manual setup required).	scroll click file_download video_start
Recommended events	Events common to many websites (manual setup required).	login purchase sign_up
Custom events	Events that can be freely configured beyond the above (manual setup required).	-

Automatically collected events

These are events that are automatically collected simply by inserting the GA4 configuration tag. Examples include 'page_view' and 'first_visit', among others.

※Google Official Analytics Help: [GA4] Automatically collected events

Enhanced event

In the GA4 admin panel, under 'Property Settings' > 'Data Collection and Adjustment' > 'Data Streams', there is an option to enable 'Enhanced Measurement Features'. When this is turned on, certain events are automatically collected. Examples of these events include 'scroll' (scrolling), 'click' (clicking on a link to another domain), and 'video_start' (start of video playback).

※Official Google Analytics Help: [GA4] Enhanced event measurement

Recommended events

If you want to track events other than 'Automatically Collected Events' and 'Enhanced Measurement Events,' you need to set them up manually. Since it seems that you can use features like dedicated reports that will be released in the future, if it fits into 'Recommended Events,' it's better to use 'Recommended Events' instead of 'Custom Events'.

※Google Official Analytics Help: [GA4] Recommended Events

Custom event

These are events that can be manually and freely set up, which do not fall under any of the categories of 'Automatically Collected Events', 'Enhanced Measurement Events', or 'Recommended Events'.

※Google Official Analytics Help: [GA4] Custom Events

Maximum of 30 Registrable Conversions

You can register up to 30 conversions per property, in addition to some conversions that are automatically registered from the start (e.g., purchase).

Conversions Start Being Tracked After Setup

Conversions start being tracked after they are set up and can take up to 48 hours (excluding real-time reports) to be reflected in the reports. As retrospective measurement is not possible, it is advisable to set them up early.

Two Methods to Count Conversions

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, previously in GA4, a conversion was counted each time a set event occurred. However, now you can choose from the following two counting methods.

Choosing "Once per Event," as recommended by Google, means that if a user reloads a goal page multiple times and achieves 5 conversions in one session, each conversion will be counted, totaling 5 conversions. To prevent inflating the number of conversions, it is generally advisable to choose "Once per Session."

Once per Event: A conversion is counted each time a conversion event occurs.
Once per Session (same condition as UA): Even if multiple conversion events occur in the same session, only one conversion will be counted.

Method of Setting Up Conversions in GA4

Let's now explain the method of setting up conversions in GA4.

The procedure for setting up conversions in GA4 is completed in the following 3 steps.

Step 1: Set up the user action you want to set as a conversion as an 'Event'
Step 2: Once the targeted event appears on the GA4 event page, turn on 'Mark as conversion'
Step 3: Choose the method for counting conversions
Step 4: Set the conversion value (optional)

Step 1: Setting up the Event

There are two methods to set up events: one is through the GA4 admin panel, and the other is using GTM (Google Tag Manager)

Method	Recommended in these situations
A. Setting up in the GA4 Admin Interface	For those not familiar with GTM For simple event settings (e.g., displaying a thank you page)
B. Setting up Using GTM	For those familiar with GTM For advanced event settings (e.g., settings using regular expressions or variables)

A. Setting up in the GA4 Admin Interface

Step 1

From the GA4 menu, select "Admin" > "Data display" > "Events." You will see the following screen. Click on "Create Event" in the top right corner.

Step 2

Next, set up your event.

As an example, we will set up an event based on the "page view" of a specific page ("/contact/thankyou").

① Custom Event Name

Enter the name of the event freely. Choose a name that makes it clear what the event is about, even to others.

②③ Event Conditions

Set it up as follows. Note that if you do not set the "event_name" in ②, other events such as scrolls and external link clicks on the relevant page will also be recorded. So, do not forget to set this up.

Number	Parameter	Operator	Value
②	event_name	equals	page_view
③	page_location	equals	https://howtoga4/contact/thankyou

Here are some other examples of conversion settings.

Conversion Setting Example 1: Click on External Link (clicks to amazon.co.jp)

Parameter	Operator	Value
event_name	equals	click
click_url	contains	amazon.co.jp

Conversion Setting Example 2: PDF File Download

Parameter	Operator	Value
event_name	equals	file_download
file_extension	equals	pdf

B. Setting Up Events Using GTM

From the GTM menu, click on "Tags," and then click on "New" in the top right corner to display the next screen. Set it up referring to the capture, and once the setup is complete, click "Save" in the top right corner.

Number	Item	How to set up
①	Tag Type	Select Google Analytics:GA4 Event
②	Measurement ID	Enter the measurement ID for the GA4 you want to track
③	Event Name	Enter the event name you want to display in GA4
④	Triggering	Enter the conditions

Step 2: Turn on "Mark as Conversion"

After setting up an event, it will be displayed within a few hours to 48 hours after the event actually occurs. Check this in GA4's menu under "Admin" > "Data display" > "Events".

Once the event is successfully displayed as described below, turning on "Mark as Conversion" to the right of the target event will initiate tracking it as a conversion.

Step 3: Choose a Method for Counting Conversions

Previously, the specification in GA4 was to measure a conversion every time an event set as a conversion occurred. However, now you can choose from the following two counting methods.

If you choose "Once per event," as recommended by Google, and a user reloads the target page multiple times, achieving five conversions in a single session, the conversion will be counted five times. To prevent inflation of conversion numbers, it is generally recommended to choose "Once per session."

Once per event: A conversion is counted each time a conversion event occurs.
Once per session (the same as in Universal Analytics): Even if multiple conversion events occur within the same session, it is counted only once as a conversion.

The setup method involves the following two steps:

Step1

In GA4, go to "Admin" > "Data Streams" > "Conversions," click the three dots next to the target conversion event, and click "Change Count Method.

Step2

Choose either "Once per event" or "Once per session," and click "Save" in the top right corner to change the count method.

Step 4: Setting the Conversion Value

The conversion value is the amount of money assigned to a conversion event. For example, if users who submit a contact form typically make purchases averaging $50 afterwards, you assign $50 to the contact form submission event.

The setting method is as follows:

Step 1

From the GA4 menu, open "Admin" > "Data Display" > "Conversions", click the three dots on the targeted conversion event, and select "Set default conversion value."

Step 2

After selecting "Set default conversion value," enter the amount, and click "Save" in the top right corner to complete the process.

Troubleshooting when conversions are not being measured in GA4

Even if you have properly set up events and conversions, and they are not reflected in GA4, check the following points.

Wait and then check again

It can take up to 48 hours for events to be reflected after the actual event you set up occurs. If it hasn't been long since you set it up, wait for some time and then check again.

Check if data thresholds are being applied

GA4 prioritizes user privacy, and data that can potentially identify specific individuals may be excluded from reports. This is called 'data thresholds'. When the data volume is small, these thresholds are more likely to be applied. Try extending the report period to see if this eases the application of thresholds.

Check if GA setup tags are present

If the GA4 setup tags are not on the target page, conversion events will not be measured. Check if GA4 or GTM tags are working correctly.

Verify if there are no errors in event settings

If you have set up events and parameters via the GA4 admin panel, make sure there are no mistakes in these settings. If you have set them up via GTM, check the tag and trigger settings.

Check for exclusion filters

Check if you are excluding any traffic from certain IPs or sources in 'Definition of internal traffic' or 'List of excluded referrers'.

How to check conversions

Once you have successfully set up conversions and data has accumulated, take a look at the data in reports. Here, we introduce some commonly used reports related to conversions.

Conversion Summary

Select 'Reports' > 'Engagement' > 'Conversions' from the menu to see the number of conversions and conversion values for events set as conversions."

Conversion by Inflow Route

By selecting "Reports" > "Acquisition" > "Traffic Acquisition" from the menu, you can check the number of conversions and the conversion value for each inflow channel.

Page-specific Conversion

By selecting "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Pages and Screens" from the menu, you can check the number of conversions and the conversion value for each page.

Conversion by Landing Page

By selecting "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Landing Pages" from the menu, you can check the number of conversions and the conversion value for each landing page.