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- How to Setup Custom Events & Dimensions in GA4
- How to Send Events & Dimensions via Google Tag Manager
- How to Setup GA4 Event/Dimension Audiences
- B2B Custom Events & Dimensions
- Ecommerce Custom Events & Dimensions
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, data is king. For businesses, particularly those in the B2B and Ecommerce, the ability to track and analyze user interactions is crucial for optimizing performance and driving conversions. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has introduced a new paradigm in tracking with custom events and dimensions, offering unprecedented flexibility and depth in understanding user behavior.
This post will explore the 50 best GA4 custom events and dimensions for B2B (SaaS, Professional Services, Manufacturing/Industrial) and Ecommerce (Retail, Subscription Box Services, Health & Wellness) sectors. We’ll dive into how these custom events and dimensions can help you extract actionable insights, optimize your customer journey, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
Why Use GA4 Custom Events and Dimensions?
Before we delve into specifics, it’s important to understand why custom events and dimensions are game-changers in GA4. Custom events allow you to track specific interactions on your website or app that are most relevant to your business objectives. Unlike standard events, which are predefined by Google, custom events give you the freedom to define what success looks like for your business.
Custom dimensions, on the other hand, allow you to add additional layers of information to your events, enabling you to segment and analyze your data in more meaningful ways. By combining custom events and dimensions, you can create a comprehensive and detailed view of user behavior, tailor your marketing strategies, and make data-driven decisions that align with your business goals.
How to Set Up Custom Events and Custom Dimensions in GA4
Setting up custom events and custom dimensions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) might seem daunting at first, but with the right approach, you can tailor GA4 to capture the data that matters most to your business. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
1. Accessing Your GA4 Property
Before you begin, ensure you have access to the GA4 property where you want to set up custom events and dimensions. Log in to your Google Analytics account and select the appropriate property.
2. Creating Custom Events
Custom events in GA4 allow you to track specific user interactions that aren’t captured by the default events. Here’s how you can create them:
Step 1: Navigate to the Events Section
In the GA4 property, go to the “Events” section under the “Admin” tab.
Step 2: Define a New Event
Click on “Create event” and then click “Create” again to set up a new custom event.
Step 3: Name Your Event
Give your event a meaningful name that clearly indicates what interaction it tracks, such as demo_request_initiated
or quiz_passed
.
Step 4: Set Up Event Conditions
Define the conditions that trigger this event. For example, if you’re using Gtag and tracking a button click, you would specify the conditions based on the button’s element ID or class in your website’s code. View instructions below for Google Tag Manager setup.
Step 5: Save Your Event
Once you’ve set all the parameters, click “Save”. Your custom event will now start tracking whenever the defined conditions are met.
3. Setting Up Custom Dimensions
Important
Google recommends that for standard properties (non GA4 360 properties) that you do not create unnecessary high-cardinality custom dimensions. High cardinality refers to a characteristic of a dataset or a field within a dataset where the number of distinct or unique values is very large relative to the total number of records. For example, using the user_id as a custom dimension would equal high cardinality because each user has a unique ID. Instead, pass the user_id within the user_id feature.
Custom dimensions add valuable context to your events, allowing for more detailed data segmentation. Here’s how you can create and implement them:
Step 1: Navigate to the Custom Definitions Section
In your GA4 property, go to the “Custom definitions” section under the “Admin” tab.
Step 2: Create a New Custom Dimension
Click on “Create custom dimension”.
Step 3: Define Your Dimension
Give your dimension a name, such as company_size
or customer_loyalty_status
. This name should reflect the data you intend to capture.
Select the scope of the dimension:
- Event: Applies to individual events (e.g., the specific product feature a user interacted with).
- User: Applies across all sessions for a user (e.g., the user’s role or company size).
Step 4: Set Up Parameter and Data Type
Step 5: Save and Implement
Click “Save” to create the custom dimension. Make sure your website or app is sending the correct parameters for these dimensions to work.
4. Validating Your Custom Events and Dimensions
After setting up your custom events and dimensions, it’s essential to validate that they are being tracked correctly:
Step 1: Use the DebugView
Go to the “DebugView” in GA4 to monitor real-time data as users interact with your site. This allows you to verify that your custom events and dimensions are firing as expected.
Step 2: Check Reporting
Once data starts flowing in, check the “Events” and “Custom definitions” reports to ensure that your custom setups are correctly capturing and displaying data.
Step 3: Refine and Optimize
Based on your validation, make any necessary adjustments to your events or dimensions. You might need to tweak the event conditions or adjust the parameters for better data accuracy.
How to Send Custom Events and Custom Dimensions to GA4 Using Google Tag Manager
This guide provides an example setup for sending custom events and custom dimensions to GA4 using Google Tag Manager. By following these steps, you can effectively track specific user interactions on your website, allowing for more detailed insights and analysis in Google Analytics 4.
In this example for an online course provider, we will send a “Quiz Passed” event and “Quiz Score” custom dimension to GA4, to gain valuable insights into a students’ performance and the effectiveness of the educational content.
Step 1: Define Your DataLayer Variables
Before setting up the tracking in Google Tag Manager, you need to ensure that your website’s DataLayer is correctly configured to capture the necessary information. The DataLayer is a JavaScript object that helps you pass information from your website to Google Tag Manager and subsequently to Google Analytics.
Here’s an example of how the DataLayer might look when a student passes a quiz. Place this code on the quiz results page or inside a function that handles when a student passes a quiz.
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
window.dataLayer.push({
'event': 'quiz_passed',
'quiz_score': '85%' // The score that the student achieved
});
</script>
In this example:
- The
event
key triggers the “Quiz Passed” event in GTM. - The
quiz_score
key captures the student’s score, which will be passed as a custom dimension.
Step 2: Create the Custom Event in Google Tag Manager
Next, you’ll set up a trigger in Google Tag Manager to fire when the “quizPassed” event occurs.
- Log in to Google Tag Manager and navigate to your container.
- Click on “Triggers” in the left-hand menu and then select “New.”
- Name your trigger (e.g., “Quiz Passed Trigger”).
- Set the trigger type to “Custom Event.”
- In the “Event Name” field, enter
quiz_passed
(this should match the event name in your DataLayer). - Choose “All Custom Events” or “Some Custom Events” if you need to apply conditions.
- Save the trigger.
Step 3: Set Up the Tag to Track the Event in GA4
Once your trigger is ready, you’ll need to set up a GA4 Event Tag to send the data to Google Analytics.
- Go to “Tags” in Google Tag Manager and click on “New.”
- Name your tag (e.g., “GA4 Quiz Passed Event”).
- Choose “Google Analytics: GA4 Event” as the tag type.
- Select your GA4 Configuration Tag or enter your Measurement ID manually.
- Under “Event Name,” enter
quiz_passed
(you can choose a different name, but ensure it aligns with your GA4 naming conventions). - Add Custom Parameters:
- Click “Add Row.”
- In the Parameter Name field, enter
quiz_score
. - In the Value field, choose the DataLayer variable
quiz_score
.
- Select your trigger (“Quiz Passed Trigger”) under Triggering.
- Save your tag.
Step 4: Create the Custom Dimension in GA4
To view the “Quiz Score” in your GA4 reports, you need to create a custom dimension.
- Log in to Google Analytics 4 and go to the Admin panel.
- Under the “Property” column, click on “Custom Definitions.”
- Click “Create Custom Dimension.”
- Name your dimension (e.g., “quiz_score”).
- Set the Scope to “Event.”
- In the “Event Parameter” field, enter
quiz_score
(this must match the custom parameter set up in GTM). - Save your custom dimension.
Step 5: Test Your Implementation
Before publishing your changes, it’s important to test the setup.
- Use the “Preview” mode in Google Tag Manager to test the “Quiz Passed” event.
- Complete a quiz on your site to trigger the event.
- Check the “Tag Assistant” to ensure the correct tag fires and that the
quiz_score
is passed correctly. - Once confirmed, publish your container in GTM.
Finally, go to your GA4 reports after some interactions have occurred to verify that the “Quiz Passed” event and “Quiz Score” custom dimension are being tracked as expected.
How to Create Audiences in GA4 Based on Custom Events and Dimensions
Creating audiences in GA4 based on custom events and dimensions allows you to segment your users more effectively, enabling personalized marketing strategies and more precise targeting. In this section, we’ll walk through the steps to create an audience in GA4 using the custom event quiz_passed
and the custom dimension quiz_score
as an example.
Step 1: Access the GA4 Audience Builder
- Log in to your Google Analytics 4 account and select the property where you want to create the audience.
- Navigate to the “Admin” panel, which is located in the bottom-left corner of the GA4 interface.
- Under the “Property” column, click on “Audiences” to access the Audience Builder.
Step 2: Start Creating a New Audience
- Once in the Audience Builder, click on the “New audience” button.
- GA4 provides templates for common audience types, but for this example, select “Create a custom audience” to build an audience based on your specific event and dimension.
Step 3: Define Audience Conditions Based on quiz_passed
- In the Audience Builder, click on “Add new condition” under the “Include” section.
- Choose “Events” from the options available.
- In the event field, type and select
quiz_passed
to include users who have triggered this event. - This condition ensures that only users who have passed a quiz (i.e., triggered the
quiz_passed
event) will be included in your audience.
Step 4: Add the quiz_score
Dimension for Further Segmentation
- To further refine this audience, click on “Add new condition” again.
- This time, select “Custom dimension” from the dropdown.
- Choose
quiz_score
as the custom dimension you want to use. - Set the condition to include users with a
quiz_score
that meets your desired criteria. For example, you can specify “≥ 90% at any point in time” to include only users who scored 90% or above on their quiz. - This additional condition allows you to target high-performing students, which can be useful for follow-up actions like offering advanced courses or certifications or predicting future Life Time Value (LTV), if these students end up more likely to purchase another course again in the future.
Step 5: Review and Save Your Audience
- Once you’ve set up your conditions, you can review the audience summary on the right side of the Audience Builder.
- You’ll see a real-time estimate of how many users currently fit the criteria you’ve set.
- If everything looks correct, name your audience (e.g., “Quiz Passers ≥ 90%”).
- Finally, click “Save” to create your audience.
Step 6: Utilize Your Audience for Targeting
Once your audience is created, you can use it across various Google platforms, including Google Ads, to tailor your marketing campaigns. For instance, you could create a remarketing campaign targeting users who passed a quiz with a high score, offering them additional resources or advanced courses.
GA4 Custom Events for B2B Businesses
To effectively track and optimize your B2B business operations using Google Analytics 4 (GA4), it’s crucial to implement custom events and dimensions customized to your specific industry. Below, we’ve outlined the best custom events for various B2B sectors, from SaaS platforms to manufacturing companies.
When adding these to GA4, remember to following the correct naming convention. For example, Demo Request Initiated would be named demo_request_initiated
.
1. SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Demo Request Initiated: Tracks when a user clicks the button to request a demo. This event is crucial for understanding the initial interest in your product.
- Demo Request Completed: Tracks when a user successfully submits the demo request form. This event signals a high intent to purchase, making it a critical conversion point.
- Trial Sign-Up Initiated: Tracks when a user clicks to start a free trial. Monitoring this can help you identify potential customers early in the decision-making process.
- Trial Sign-Up Completed: Tracks when a user completes the sign-up process for a free trial. This event helps in measuring the effectiveness of your trial sign-up process.
- Product Tour Started: Tracks when a user starts an on-site product tour. This interaction indicates a deeper engagement and interest in your product’s features.
- Feature Exploration: Tracks interactions with key product features on landing pages. Understanding which features draw the most attention can guide product development and marketing focus.
- Whitepaper Download: Tracks when a user downloads a whitepaper or other gated content. This event is valuable for lead generation and nurturing.
- Webinar Registration: Tracks when a user registers for a webinar. Webinars are powerful tools for engaging potential customers and moving them further down the sales funnel.
2. Professional Services (Consulting, Legal, Accounting, etc.)
- Contact Form Submission: Tracks when a user submits a contact form. This event is often the first step in the conversion process for service-based businesses.
- Service Brochure Download: Tracks when a user downloads service brochures or other content. This event helps gauge interest in specific services.
- Quote Request Initiated: Tracks when a user initiates a request for a quote. Early tracking of this interaction helps identify potential leads.
- Quote Request Completed: Tracks when a user completes and submits a quote request form. This conversion event is critical for measuring the effectiveness of your lead generation efforts.
- Case Study View: Tracks when a user views a case study page. Understanding which case studies attract the most attention can inform your content strategy.
- Consultation Booking: Tracks when a user books a consultation or appointment. This event indicates a high level of interest and intent.
- Testimonial Video Play: Tracks when a user plays a testimonial or case study video. Videos can be persuasive tools, and tracking engagement here can help refine your content strategy.
3. Manufacturing/Industrial B2B
- Product Spec Sheet Download: Tracks when a user downloads a product specification sheet. This event is crucial for understanding product-level interest.
- RFQ (Request for Quote) Submission: Tracks when a user submits an RFQ form. This event directly ties to sales potential and is a key performance indicator (KPI).
- Product Configurator Interaction: Tracks interactions with online product configurators. Customization tools like these are vital in the manufacturing sector, and tracking usage can offer insights into customer preferences.
- Trade Show Registration: Tracks when a user registers for an upcoming trade show or event. This event is important for lead generation and brand exposure.
- Product Demo Video Play: Tracks when a user plays a product demo video. Demo videos are often key to explaining complex products and their benefits.
- Distributor Locator Use: Tracks when a user searches for or interacts with a distributor locator tool. This event helps you understand the demand in various geographic locations.
GA4 Custom Dimensions for B2B Businesses
Below is a list of custom dimensions specific to B2B (lead-gen) businesses and their scope in parentheses.
1. SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Demo Request Source (Event): Tracks the source (e.g., campaign, referral, direct) from which the demo request was initiated.
- User Role (User): Captures the user’s role (e.g., developer, manager, executive) if provided during sign-up or in their profile.
- Feature of Interest (Event): Tracks the specific product feature that a user interacted with or expressed interest in during the session.
- Company Size (User): Captures the size of the user’s company (e.g., small, medium, enterprise) if provided during sign-up.
2. Professional Services
- Service Type (Event): Tracks the type of service the user is interested in (e.g., consulting, legal advice, accounting).
- Lead Quality Score (User): A scoring dimension based on user interactions that indicates the potential quality of the lead.
- Client Industry (User): Captures the industry of the user’s company (e.g., finance, healthcare, technology).
- Referral Source (Event): Tracks the specific source that referred the user (e.g., partner website, affiliate, social media).
3. Manufacturing/Industrial B2B
- Product Line Interest (Event): Tracks which product line the user is most interested in (e.g., electronics, machinery).
- Distributor Location (Event): Captures the geographic location (city, state) of the distributor the user interacted with.
- RFQ Submission Type (Event): Identifies the type of request for quote (e.g., bulk order, sample request, custom order).
- Project Timeline (User): Tracks the expected timeline for the user’s project (e.g., immediate, within 6 months, over a year).
GA4 Custom Events for Ecommerce Businesses
In the highly competitive world of eCommerce, understanding customer behavior at every touchpoint is essential for driving conversions and maximizing revenue. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers powerful custom event tracking that allows online retailers to capture detailed insights into user interactions, from product video plays to repeat purchases.
By implementing the right custom events, you can optimize your customer journey, enhance user experience, and refine your marketing strategies. Below, we explore the best GA4 custom events tailored for various eCommerce sectors, helping you to leverage data for sustained growth and success.
When adding these to GA4, remember to following the correct naming convention. For example, Bulk Purchase would be named bulk_purchase
.
1. Retail (Fashion, Electronics, etc.)
- Product Video Play: Tracks when a user plays a video on a product page. Videos can significantly influence purchasing decisions, making this a critical event to track.
- Bulk Purchase: Tracks when a user completes a bulk purchase, typically buying a larger quantity of a product than usual. This event is crucial for understanding large-scale purchasing behavior and can inform inventory management and discount strategies.
- Repeat Purchase: Tracks when a user makes a purchase of the same product they have bought previously. This event is essential for measuring customer loyalty, satisfaction, and product performance over time.
- Size Guide Interaction: Tracks when a user interacts with the size guide on a product page. Understanding this interaction can help reduce returns and improve customer satisfaction.
- Virtual Try-On Interaction: Tracks when a user interacts with a virtual try-on tool. This is particularly valuable in fashion retail, where fit is a key consideration.
- Gift Card Purchase: Tracks when a user purchases a gift card. Gift cards can drive revenue and introduce new customers to your brand.
- Live Chat Engagement: Tracks when a user engages with a live chat for assistance. Live chat can be a crucial touchpoint for converting hesitant shoppers.
- Product Recommendation Click: Tracks when a user clicks on a product recommendation. This event is essential for optimizing your recommendation engine and driving cross-sell opportunities.
- Push Notification Subscription: Tracks when a user opts in to receive push notifications from your website or app. This event helps you gauge the effectiveness of your engagement strategies and allows you to build a more direct communication channel with your users.
- Push Notification Declined: Tracks when a user opts out or declines to receive push notifications. This event is important for understanding user preferences and adjusting your communication strategies to reduce opt-out rates.
2. Subscription Box Services
- Subscription Plan Selection: Tracks when a user selects a subscription plan but hasn’t yet completed the purchase. This event is critical for understanding where potential customers drop off.
- Referral Code Entry: Tracks when a user enters a referral code during checkout. Referral programs can drive growth, making this event important for tracking.
- Gift Subscription Purchase: Tracks when a user purchases a subscription as a gift. Understanding this event can help tailor marketing campaigns around holidays and special occasions.
- Subscription Cancellation: Tracks when a user cancels their subscription. Analyzing this event can provide insights into churn reasons and help you implement retention strategies.
- Subscription Upgrade/Downgrade: Tracks when a user changes their subscription tier. This event helps in understanding customer preferences and trends over time.
- Pause Subscription: Tracks when a user pauses their subscription temporarily. Understanding this can help in predicting future churn or engagement levels.
- Survey Submission Post-Purchase: Tracks when a user completes a survey after making a purchase. Post-purchase surveys can provide valuable feedback for improving the customer experience.
3. Health & Wellness (Supplements, Skincare, etc.)
- Product Review Submission: Tracks when a user submits a product review. Reviews are vital for building trust and driving conversions.
- Health Quiz Interaction: Tracks when a user interacts with a health or skin quiz. Quizzes can help personalize the shopping experience and improve engagement.
- Subscription Replenishment: Tracks when a user opts for auto-replenishment of a product. This event is crucial for understanding long-term customer value and loyalty.
- Loyalty Program Enrollment: Tracks when a user signs up for the loyalty program. Loyalty programs are powerful tools for retention, making this a key event to monitor.
- Referral Link Share: Tracks when a user shares a referral link with friends or family. This event is important for tracking organic growth and customer advocacy.
- Discount Code Application: Tracks when a user applies a discount code during checkout. Understanding discount usage can help refine pricing strategies and promotional offers.
- Subscription Retention Offer Acceptance: Tracks when a user accepts a retention offer when attempting to cancel their subscription. This event is vital for understanding the effectiveness of your retention strategies.
4. Education (Online Courses, E-Learning Platforms, Schools)
- Course Enrollment Completed: Tracks when a user successfully completes the enrollment process for a course. This is a critical event for understanding conversion rates.
- Lesson Started: Tracks when a student begins a lesson within a course. This event indicates engagement with course content.
- Lesson Completed: Tracks when a student completes a lesson. This helps in understanding student progress and course effectiveness.
- Quiz Attempted: Tracks when a student attempts a quiz or test. This event is crucial for assessing student participation and knowledge retention.
- Quiz Passed: Tracks when a student passes a quiz or test. This event is important for measuring learning outcomes and success rates.
- Certificate Download: Tracks when a student downloads a course completion certificate. This is a key indicator of course completion and achievement.
- Forum Participation: Tracks when a student participates in a course-related forum or discussion board. This event is vital for understanding engagement and community building.
GA4 Custom Dimensions for Ecommerce Businesses
Below is a list of custom dimensions specific to ecommerce (B2C) businesses and their scope in parentheses.
1. Retail (Fashion, Electronics, etc.)
- Discount Type Applied (Event): Tracks the type of discount code applied (e.g., percentage off, free shipping).
- Product Availability (Item): Captures whether the product is in-stock, out-of-stock, or available for pre-order.
- Bulk Purchase Quantity (Item): Captures the quantity of items purchased in bulk.
- Customer Loyalty Status (User): Tracks the user’s loyalty status (e.g., new, returning, loyal).
- Size Guide Type (Event): Tracks the type of size guide interacted with (e.g., apparel, footwear).
- Gift Card Value (Item): Captures the monetary value of the gift card purchased (e.g., $25, $50).Gift Card Recipient (Event): Indicates whether the gift card was purchased for self-use or as a gift for someone else.
2. Subscription Box Services
- Subscription Plan Type (User): Tracks the type of subscription plan the user is on (e.g., monthly, quarterly, annual).
- Gift Recipient Status (Event): Indicates whether the subscription is a gift and tracks details related to the recipient.
- Referral Program Participation (User): Captures whether the user is part of a referral program.
- Subscription Cancellation Reason (Event): Tracks the reason provided by the user for canceling their subscription.
3. Health & Wellness
- Health Concern (Event): Tracks the specific health concern or focus (e.g., weight loss, skin care, immunity) the user is interested in.
- Loyalty Tier (User): Captures the user’s current tier in the loyalty program (e.g., bronze, silver, gold).
- Quiz Result (Event): Tracks the result or recommendation provided to the user from a health or skin quiz.
- Replenishment Frequency (User): Tracks how often the user opts to replenish their subscription products (e.g., monthly, bi-monthly).
4. Education (Online Courses, E-Learning Platforms, Schools)
- Course Difficulty Level (Event): Tracks the difficulty level of the course the user is enrolling in or completing (e.g., beginner, intermediate, advanced).
- Lesson Type (Event): Captures the type of lesson being started or completed (e.g., video, reading, interactive).
- Quiz Difficulty (Event): Tracks the difficulty level of the quiz attempted by the student (e.g., easy, medium, hard).
- Quiz Score (Event): Tracks the student’s score received after passing an assessment or quiz (e.g., 70%, 80%, 90%).
- Certification Type (Event): Captures the type of certificate the user is downloading (e.g., completion, merit, distinction).
Conclusion
Leveraging GA4 custom events and dimensions can provide you with a granular understanding of user behavior, enabling you to optimize every aspect of the customer journey. Whether you’re in B2B or Ecommerce, the key to success lies in tracking the right interactions and adding contextual data that allows for deep, actionable insights.
By implementing the custom events and dimensions discussed in this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to enhance your digital marketing strategies, improve customer experience, and drive significant business growth. Don’t just track data—turn it into your most powerful asset.