Event tracking is yet another handy little feature that you’ll find in Google Analytics.
What is event tracking? Event tracking is being able to track a specific interaction or occurrence that happens on your website.
What events are tracked?
With Google Analytics 4 (GA4), event tracking has become an automatic process but it can be changed depending on your needs and wants.
When you have set up GA4, you will see an option for Enhanced Measurement, please make sure that the toggle is turned on.
It measures Page Views, Scrolls, Outbound clicks (external links), Site Searches, Video Engagement, File Downloads and Form Interactions. These are the default events, but you are able to remove them if some of these events are not relevant or needed for you.
You can also set up custom events if you would like something more specific set up. Here is the Google Guide that shows you how to set these up: Google Custom Events
How does it work?
- A user visits your website and clicks on a feature that is being tracked such as an external link.
- Analytics receives the event click and parameters in the Realtime report on Google Analytics.
To see the different parameters that can be added, please look at this Google guide. - Analytics then processes the event.
- Analytics surfaces the data in dimensions and metrics used in the reports.
Don’t have Google Analytics? Learn how to get started here. If you're wanting to track eCommerce activity, have a look at this help guide: How to set up Ecommerce Tracking in Google Analytics.