GA4 Event Setup: A Beginner-Friendly Template (2025)

Setting up events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can sound like rocket science at first. But don’t worry — we’re going to break it down together. Imagine you’ve got a treasure map. The treasure? Data about how people use your website. The events? Your clues to the X that marks the spot!

What Is an Event in GA4?

In GA4, an event is literally anything that happens on your website. Someone clicks a button? That’s an event. Scrolls down the page? You guessed it. Another event.

Events help you understand what users are doing. It’s like reading their digital footprints. Handy, right?

Types of Events in GA4

There are four main types of events in GA4:

• Automatically Collected: GA4 handles these on its own (like page views and first visits).
• Enhanced Measurement: Optional, auto-track things like scrolls and outbound clicks.
• Recommended Events: You name them exactly as Google suggests for special tracking (think: purchase or sign_up).
• Custom Events: You define your own names and parameters. The DIY option!

You’ll likely mix all of these. But today, we’ll focus on setting up a simple custom event using Google Tag Manager (GTM).

Before We Begin: What You Need

To follow along, make sure you have these ingredients:

• A website
• Google Tag Manager (GTM) installed
• A GA4 property already set up

Yes? Great. Let’s move on.

Step-by-Step: Creating a Simple GA4 Event with GTM

Let’s say you want to track whenever users click on your “Contact Us” button.

Here’s a simple template to do it:

1. Open Google Tag Manager and click on “Tags”
2. Click “New” → “Tag Configuration” → choose “GA4 Event”
3. Select your GA4 Configuration tag
4. Name your event something friendly, like “contact_button_click”
5. Add Parameters (optional but powerful):
   • Parameter Name: button_text
   • Value: {{Click Text}}
6. Next, set the Trigger:
   • Click on Triggering → “New” → Click – All Elements
   • Select “Some Clicks” and set condition:
     • Click Text equals “Contact Us”
7. Save your tag and publish your GTM container

Boom! You’ve set up an event like a pro!

Test Your Event

Now we need to make sure it works. After all, if you track an event in the woods and no one’s there to see it, does it really happen?

Here’s how to test:

1. Go to your site and click the “Contact Us” button
2. In GA4, open “Admin” → “DebugView”
3. Click around and look for the “contact_button_click” event

If you see it, congrats! You’ve officially caught a button click in the wild.

Why Parameters Are Awesome

Let’s talk about parameters. These are little details you can add to your events.

Think of them like toppings on a pizza. Sure, cheese is great. But pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives? That’s next-level.

Here are some common parameters you can use in events:

• button_text
• page_location
• click_url
• form_id

This helps you slice your data later into something crystal clear.

A Beginner-Friendly Event Template (Copy This!)

Here’s a quick template you can tweak for most button clicks:

Tag Type:           GA4 Event
Event Name:         custom_button_click
Parameter:
  button_text       {{Click Text}}
Trigger:
  Click Text        equals “Your Button Text Here”

Easy? You bet.

Next-Level: Naming Events

When naming your events, go for consistency and clarity. Keep it lowercase and use underscores:

• good: newsletter_signup
• bad: Newsletter SignUp Click

BONUS TIP: Check Google’s list of recommended events to see if your event already exists!

Helpful Tools for GA4 Events

These make things 10x easier:

• Preview Mode in GTM: Test tags before publishing
• GA4 DebugView: See real-time event data
• Google Chrome Tag Assistant: Spot issues fast
• GA4 Event Builder (Community Tools): Build events without code

Things to Avoid

Watch out for these common mistakes:

• Naming events too vaguely (“click1” won’t help you later)
• Setting up too many custom events with no plan
• Forgetting to publish changes in GTM

How Do You See Events in GA4?

Once everything’s cooking, you’ll want to use your data!

Go to your GA4 property and click:

1. Reports
2. Engagement
3. Events

You’ll see all your events listed. You can click into them to see:

• How many times each fired
• Which pages they happened on
• What parameters were attached

Bonus: Use Events for Conversions

Want to track sales, form leads, or downloads?

Just use your custom events as conversions!

1. In GA4, go to Admin → Conversions
2. Click “New conversion event”
3. Enter your event name like “custom_button_click”

From now on, every time that fires, GA4 counts one conversion. 🎯

And That’s a Wrap!

If you made it this far, give yourself a high five. 👋

GA4 events may look tricky, but once you know the steps and have a good template, it’s almost fun. You’ll be capturing all kinds of meaningful insights in no time.

Just remember:

• Plan your event names
• Test before you publish
• Use parameters to add flavor
• Track what matters

Happy tagging!