How to Create Custom Events and Mark as Key Event (Conversion)

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Tired of waiting on developers to track simple website actions? In the world of analytics, generic "page views" rarely tell the whole story. You need to know exactly when a user visits your specific "Thank You" page, views a particular product, or reaches a confirmation screen. Historically, setting up this kind of granular tracking required messing with code or waiting weeks for a dev team to update the site.

But with Google Analytics 4 (GA4), that friction is gone. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to create custom events and mark them as conversions directly within the user interface—no coding required. Ready to take control of your data? Let’s dive in.

Quick Answer:

To create a custom event in Google Analytics 4 without editing code, navigate to Admin, and under Data display, click Events. Click the Create event button to define your new event by setting conditions based on existing parameters (e.g., event_name equals page_view and page_location contains a specific URL). To mark it as a key event (formerly known as a conversion), simply toggle the "Mark as key event" switch directly in the creation screen, or activate the toggle later from the main Events list.

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Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to track specific user behaviors (like visiting a "Thank You" or "Free AI Tools" page) as conversions.

1. Navigate to Events: In the GA4 interface, go to the Admin section. Under the Data display column, click on Events.
2. Create a New Event: Click the + Create event button.
3. Name Your Event: In the Event name field, enter a descriptive name for your new event. For example, if you are tracking a "thank you" page view, you could name it thank_you.
4. Mark as Key Event (Conversion): To mark this new event as a key event, you have two options:
• During creation: Click the toggle next to Mark as key event. You can also set a Default key event value and Counting method.
• After creation: If you don't mark it during creation, you can go to the Events page at any time and toggle the switch in the "Mark as key event" column for the desired event.
5. Configure the Event: Under Choose how to create an event, select Create without code.
6. Set the Trigger: In the section Identify an existing event to use as the trigger for the new event, select the event that will trigger your new custom event. For a "thank you" page, you would typically use the page_view event.
7. Define the Conditions: Specify the conditions that must be met for the event to be triggered. For a specific page, you would set the URL to be equal to the URL of your confirmation page (e.g., https://www.example.com/thank-you.html).
8. Create the Event: Click the Create button.

 Your new custom event will now appear in the Custom events table. It may take some time for the event to be processed and appear in your reports.

GA4 Event Creation Examples

Here are three common scenarios using the Parameter, Operator, and Value structure.

1. Tracking a "Thank You" Page (Conversion)

Scenario: You want a custom event to fire when someone lands on /order-confirmed so you can mark it as a conversion.

• Custom Event Name: generate_lead (or purchase_success)
• Conditions:

Parameter	Operator	Value
event_name	equals	page_view
page_location	contains	/order-confirmed

2. Tracking Clicks to an External Partner Site

2. Tracking Clicks to an External Partner Site

Scenario: You want to track specifically when users click a link to go to "https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&source=gmail&q=example-partner.com".

• Custom Event Name: partner_click
• Conditions:

Parameter	Operator	Value
event_name	equals	click
link_url	contains	example-partner.com

3. Tracking a PDF Download

3. Tracking a PDF Download

Scenario: You want a specific event for when users download your specific "2024-Report.pdf", distinct from generic file downloads.

• Custom Event Name: download_annual_report
• Conditions:

Parameter	Operator	Value
event_name	equals	file_download
file_name	equals	2024-Report.pdf

4. Tracking Scrolls on Product Pages

Scenario: You have a general `article_scroll` event, but you want a specific event to track when users scroll to the bottom of your product pages.

Custom Event Name: product_scroll

Conditions:

• Condition 1:
• Parameter: `event_name`
• Operator: `equals`
• Value: `article_scroll`
• Condition 2:
• Parameter: `page_location`
• Operator: `contains`
• Value: `product`

5. Tracking High-Value Purchases

Scenario: You want to create an event specifically for purchases over $100 to easily identify high-value transactions.

Custom Event Name: large_purchase

Conditions:

• Condition 1:
• Parameter: `event_name`
• Operator: `equals`
• Value: `purchase`
• Condition 2:
• Parameter: `value`
• Operator: `greater than or equal to`
• Value: `100`

Key Considerations for GA4 Events and Key Events

Understanding the capabilities and limitations of event and key event (conversion) tracking in Google Analytics 4 is essential for effective data analysis and reporting. Here are some of the most important points to keep in mind:

No-Code Event Creation

One of the most powerful features of GA4 is the ability to create new events directly from the user interface without needing to modify your website's code. This is a significant advantage for marketers and analysts, as it allows for agile and independent tracking of user interactions, such as form submissions or button clicks, without relying on developer resources.

Key Event (Conversion) Limits

There is a strict limit of 30 key events (conversions) per property. This limitation requires a strategic approach to conversion tracking. You must carefully select and prioritize the events that are most critical to your business objectives to be marked as key events. This encourages a focused and meaningful measurement strategy.

App Event Limits

For mobile applications, there is a limit of 500 unique event names per property. App developers and marketers need to be aware of this constraint when designing their app's analytics implementation. Careful planning is necessary to ensure all essential user interactions are tracked without exceeding this limit.

Data Processing Time (Latency)

While the configuration of new events and key events is immediate, it's important to note that there is a delay before the data appears in your reports. It may take some time for the data to be processed and reflected in your GA4 property. This is a normal characteristic of the platform, and being aware of this data latency can help manage expectations and prevent confusion.

Final Thoughts

Unlock Granular Insights in Minutes Moving from Universal Analytics to GA4 has given marketers the power to be more agile than ever. By mastering custom events, you can instantly adapt your tracking strategy to match your current business goals without technical bottlenecks.

Just remember to keep an eye on your property limits, specifically the 30 conversions per property cap. Use this feature strategically to track your most critical KPIs, verify them in Realtime reports, and start making data-driven decisions today.

Watch this video to know more

FAQ: Creating GA4 Custom Events Without Code

1. Can I create custom events in GA4 without using Google Tag Manager or code? Yes. Google Analytics 4 allows you to create new custom events directly within the Admin interface by using the "Create event" feature. This method uses existing events (like page_view) as a trigger to define more specific actions.

2. How do I mark a custom event as a Key Event (Conversion)? You can mark an event as a Key Event either during the creation process by toggling the "Mark as key event" switch, or afterward by going to the Events list in the Admin section and toggling the switch in the "Mark as key event" column.

3. What is the limit for Key Events in a GA4 property? Each GA4 property has a strict limit of 30 Key Events (formerly known as conversions). It is important to prioritize the most critical actions for your business.

4. Why isn't my new custom event showing up in reports immediately? GA4 has a data processing delay (latency). While the configuration is immediate, it usually takes 24 to 48 hours for the data to fully process and appear in your standard reports. You can use the Realtime report to verify if the event is firing correctly.

5. What common conditions are used for "No-Code" events? The most common setup involves triggering a new event when a page_view occurs on a specific URL. For example, setting the parameter page_location to "equals" or "contains" your /thank-you page URL.

About the Author

I’m Anup Ain, a Digital Marketing Strategist and blogger.