Tracking conversion can help you learn you learn more about your customers. But how can you create and track conversions in Google Analytics 4? We’ll get to that in just a while. First, We need to know the definition of a conversion.
This blog post will teach you how to create and configure conversions in Google Analytics 4 easily.
What Is a Conversion in Google Analytics 4?
A conversion is an important action you want your web visitor to complete. In the older Universal Analytics, conversions were called goals.
GA4 lets you track and label specific actions as conversions.
To get a better idea of what a conversion is, think of the following:
- A user starting a free trial
- Someone subscribing to your newsletter
- A user calling your business phone number
You can split conversions into two: micro and macro conversions.
A micro-conversion is a smaller conversion aiming to lead your visitors to the main (macro conversion). It could be a subscription to a newsletter or a download of a pdf resource.
Macro-conversions are the leading and most essential conversions, such as a purchase.
To track conversions in Google Analytics 4, you need to understand that everything is an event in GA4. What does this mean? To configure conversions, you must first configure and create Events inside your Google Analytics account. Later, you can mark those events as conversions.
Benefits of Tracking Conversions
- You get to understand how you can improve your business by knowing what is working and what isn’t
- You can measure and optimize your advertising campaigns, ensuring that they’re effective and you’re not wasting money
How to Configure Conversions in Google Analytics 4
You can configure conversions in Google Analytics 4 in two ways.
- Predefined conversions, and
- Custom conversions
Predefined Conversions
Google Analytics 4 has some predefined conversions that you cannot disable:
- first_open
- app_store_subscription_convert
- app_store_subscription_renew
- in_app_purchase
- purchase
All the predefined conversions apply to mobile apps except the purchase conversion, which applies to mobile apps and websites.
To access the predefined conversions, head to your Google Analytics 4 property and click “Conversions”.
You should note that they are displayed if you have received at least one event of that particular name. Otherwise, purchase will be your only default conversion if you only have the Web data stream connected to the property.
Custom Conversions
On the other hand, custom conversions are the personalized conversions you set up from scratch.
Setting Up Your Google Analytics Account to Track Conversions
Google Analytics 4 reports come from events that users trigger as they use and interact with your site. So this means that to set up conversions, you select important events for your business and mark them as conversions.
So here’s how to do that: first, ensure that you have an editor role in GA4 so that you can be able to:
- Mark any existing events as conversions or
- Create new events
Let’s look into each of the above methods.
Mark an Existing Event as a Conversion
In this option, you use an existing event in your report and enable it as a conversion.
This option is best when you have a common action (that you want to track) that visitors perform on your site. The common action could be a file download or a newsletter sign-up, which you can track as a conversion.
On the left-hand side of your GA4 account, click “Configure” then “Events”. The system will display all your existing events. Choose the event you want to enable as a conversion and turn the switch on by clicking on “Mark as conversion”.
Create a New Event
In this option, you create a new event, then track and enable it as a conversion. It’s fairly simple to do.
Simply, Log into your GA4 property, click “Configure”, “Events” then “Create Event”. Give your event a descriptive name and set up conditions.
There are other methods, such as Creating an event based on an existing event which you can find on Google support.
Create Conversions Now
In this blog post, you’ve learnt how to create and track conversions in Google Analytics 4. As you’ve seen above, it’s simple and will help you learn more about your visitors. Just head to
You can now get more insights from Google Analytics 4 by tracking more conversions. Get started now.
Sagar T
Sagar, Vice President of Digital Analyst Team (DAT), brings over 15 years of digital media expertise, including 12 years dedicated to DAT's growth. Certified in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Google Analytics, and Marin, he excels in managing an annual budget of over $80 million. Sagar is renowned for his strategic acumen in digital marketing, exceptional budget management, and his ability to drive significant industry results.