Conversion tracking in GA4: measure what matters (and skip what doesn’t)
Too much data, too little insight. GA4 offers everything, but without focus it stays noise. Time to measure what counts, and let go of the rest.
Since the switch to GA4, plenty of marketers have lost the thread. Events, parameters, engagements… it seems as if everything can be measured. But what do you actually use? What tells you something about conversion, and what is mostly a distraction? In this blog we show you how to use GA4 smartly for conversion tracking, focused on behaviour, funnel and customer value. No overkill, no standard dashboards, but an approach that fits e-commerce in 2025.
Contents
- From Universal Analytics to GA4: what has changed?
- What to measure: events that tell you something about conversion
- What you can safely drop: data that mostly distracts
- From separate events to insight: how to analyse behaviour
- Conclusion
From Universal Analytics to GA4: what has changed?
GA4 works fundamentally differently from its predecessor. Not sessions as the basis, but events. Everything a user does (from a page view to a button click) is recorded as an event with parameters. That gives you flexibility, but also complexity.
Instead of preset goals you now work with ‘conversion events’. You have to create those yourself and link them to what you consider important. The upside: you can measure any behaviour. The risk: you measure everything, and see nothing.
So the first step is: choose what you really want to measure. And set up your tracking around that.
What to measure: events that tell you something about conversion
Not every event is a conversion. But some do point the way. Think of behaviour that comes before a purchase, contact or interaction. These events are valuable:
- Add to cart: shows purchase intent
- Begin checkout: the start of your conversion funnel
- Purchase: your final conversion (or several, per channel)
- View item: especially valuable combined with click-through to product details
- Clicks on contact elements: think WhatsApp, email or phone links
- Form submissions: a must for lead generation
Important: do not just set these events up as tracking, also mark them as conversions. You can do that easily in the GA4 admin panel. That way your reporting focuses on behaviour that really counts.
What you can safely drop: data that mostly distracts
By default GA4 shows a lot of events. But far from all of them are relevant. Especially in e-commerce it is a waste of your time (and analytical capacity) to include everything. Let go of, for example:
- Scroll events without depth: 90% scroll, but it says nothing about engagement
- Session start / pageview: useful at macro level, but not as a conversion indicator
- Video start / video progress: unless your video is key to your sales, you can ignore these
- Outbound clicks: interesting for content, but rarely for CRO on your own site
In short: focus on actions that have a clear link to intent or purchase. The rest is context: useful for content strategy, but not for conversion analysis.
From separate events to insight: how to analyse behaviour
Conversion analysis in GA4 is not about separate figures, but about connections. Where do people drop off? Which actions come before a conversion? And which campaigns bring in quality traffic?
For this, use: – Funnel exploration: build your own funnels with events as steps – User explorer: see the path converters actually take – Segment comparison: compare converters vs. non-converters on behaviour and channel
Combine GA4 with tools such as Hotjar or Clarity for behavioural context. And make sure your data is clean: consistent use of event names and parameters makes or breaks your analysis.
Want to know more about how conversion and behaviour reinforce each other? See our approach to conversion optimisation or let us take a close look at your tracking structure.
Conclusion
GA4 gives you all the room you need to measure behaviour, but without a clear focus it quickly turns into noise. By deciding what really counts, you build reports that steer you towards value. Measure behaviour, not random clicks. And turn your conversion data into a steering tool, not a list of numbers.
Want help setting up conversion tracking? We are happy to help you with a sharply configured GA4 setup that fits your funnel, your customer and your goals. So that you do not just measure, but understand.
Melle Sikma
Helmsman
melle@brandmonks.nl
