What is event tracking in Google Analytics?

Event tracking allows you to measure specific user interactions or occurrences on your website that aren't standard page loads. This includes actions like clicking a button, submitting a form, watching a video, or downloading a file. It helps you understand user engagement beyond just which pages they visit.

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Google Analytics Event Builder

Q: What's the difference between GA4 and UA events?

Universal Analytics (UA) events have a rigid structure of Category, Action, Label, and Value. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) uses a more flexible model with just an 'event_name' and a flat list of custom parameters (key-value pairs). GA4's model is more powerful for creating detailed, custom reports.

Generate event tracking code instantly to measure clicks, downloads, form submissions, and other valuable user interactions on your website.

Start Building Your Event

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Create Your Tracking Snippet

Generated Code Snippet

// Your generated code will appear here...

Example Use Cases & Templates

Click a template to pre-fill the builder with common event tracking setups.

How to Implement Your Event Code

Once you've generated your snippet, you need to add it to your website's HTML to trigger the event. The most common way is to add an `onclick` attribute to the element you want to track.

Example: Tracking a Button Click

Copy the generated snippet and place it inside the `onclick` attribute of your button or link element:

<button onclick="gtag('event', 'button_click', {'link_text': 'Learn More'});">Learn More</button>

For more advanced implementations, it's highly recommended to use Google Tag Manager (GTM). In GTM, you can create a "GA4 Event" tag and use triggers to fire it when a specific action occurs, keeping your website's HTML clean.

FAQ & Best Practices

What is event tracking?

Event tracking allows you to measure specific user interactions on your site that aren't standard page loads, like button clicks, form submissions, or video plays. It provides deeper insight into user engagement.

What’s the difference between GA4 and UA events?

Universal Analytics (UA) used a rigid structure: Category, Action, Label, and Value. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) uses a flexible model with an `event_name` and a flat list of custom parameters (key-value pairs). The GA4 model is more powerful and is the current standard.

What are good naming conventions?

Consistency is key. For GA4, use lowercase letters and underscores for event names (e.g., `button_click`, `form_submission`). For parameters, be descriptive (e.g., `link_text`, `file_name`). This keeps your data clean and easy to analyze in reports.