How to Track Website Conversions in GA4

To track website conversions in GA4, you need two things: an event that fires only when the conversion genuinely happens, and that event marked as a key event. GA4 records page views and some interactions automatically, but it has no idea that a form submission from your quote page is the thing your business runs on until you tell it. Without that, every question about which pages or channels bring in leads is answered by opinion.

The conversion rate optimisation checklist puts measurement before testing for this reason. This article is the step-by-step version.

Conversions are now called key events

In March 2024 Google renamed conversions in GA4 to key events. The word conversion now refers specifically to a key event imported into Google Ads to measure and optimise campaigns. Events previously marked as conversions became key events automatically. If you see older guides talking about conversions in GA4 menus, that is the same thing under its old name.

Google's key events documentation covers the terminology. At the time of writing (October 2026), the flow is: event, then key event, then optionally a Google Ads conversion.

Step 1: decide what counts as a conversion

Write the list before touching GA4. For a typical service business:

Mark only the primary actions as key events at first. Too many key events make the reports meaningless: if everything is a conversion, nothing is.

Step 2: choose how to detect the conversion

There are three common methods, and the right one depends on how your form works.

Method A: a thank-you page

After a successful submission, the visitor is sent to a dedicated page, such as /thank-you. You then count views of that page.

This is the simplest and most reliable method for most small business sites, provided the thank-you page is only reachable by submitting the form and is set to noindex so it does not appear in search. It is one reason contact form best practices recommend a dedicated confirmation page.

Method B: an event pushed on success

If your form submits without leaving the page, the site's code can send an event when, and only when, the submission succeeds. Google recommends an event named generate_lead for lead forms. This can be sent directly with the Google tag or pushed to the data layer for Google Tag Manager to pick up.

This is the most accurate method, because it ties the event to a confirmed success rather than an attempt. It needs a developer to add the line of code to the form's success handler.

Method C: enhanced measurement form events

GA4's enhanced measurement can record form_start and form_submit events automatically. They are useful as a rough signal, but treat them with caution for lead tracking. Depending on how a form is built, they may record attempts that failed validation or were never delivered, or miss forms that submit without a normal page submission. Google's enhanced measurement documentation explains what each event captures.

If enhanced form events are your only tracking, test them carefully against your inbox before trusting them.

Step 3: create the event in GA4

For Method A, create an event from page views:

1. In GA4, go to Admin, then Data display, then Events.
2. Choose Create event.
3. Name it, for example enquiry_submitted.
4. Add conditions: event_name equals page_view, and page_location contains /thank-you.
5. Save.

For Method B, the event is created by the site's code or by a Tag Manager tag, so it appears in the Events list once it has fired.

Step 4: mark it as a key event

Once the event exists:

1. Go to Admin, Data display, Events.
2. Find the event and mark it as a key event using the toggle or star.

You can also add it in advance under Admin, Data display, Key events by entering the exact event name. Marking a key event requires the Editor or Marketer role.

GA4 also lets you change a key event's counting method, either once per event or once per session. Once per session stops a visitor who submits twice from being counted as two leads.

Step 5: test before you trust it

1. Open DebugView in GA4 (under Admin) with debug mode enabled, using Google Tag Manager's preview mode or the Google Analytics debugger extension.
2. Submit the form yourself.
3. Confirm the event appears once, with the right name.
4. Submit with a deliberate error and confirm the event does not fire.
5. Check the Realtime report shows it as well.
6. Compare GA4's count with your inbox over the following fortnight.

Step 4 catches the most common setup mistake: counting attempts as leads.

Tracking phone and email clicks

Clicks on phone and email links are worth tracking as secondary events, especially on mobile where tapping a number is often the conversion. Set them up in Google Tag Manager with a click trigger on links starting with tel: or mailto:. Remember they record intent, not completed calls or sent emails.

Settings worth changing

• Data retention. GA4 keeps user-level data for explorations for 2 months by default. Change it to 14 months under Admin, Data collection and modification, Data retention, so you can compare periods. Standard reports are not affected.
• Internal traffic. Filter out your own office's visits so your testing does not inflate the numbers.
• Search Console link. Linking Search Console shows search queries alongside behaviour. The Google Search Console guide covers setting it up.

Consent and accuracy

Under UK law, analytics cookies have generally required consent under PECR, so a share of visitors who decline will not be tracked. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 introduced an exemption for some cookies used solely for statistical purposes, provided people are clearly informed and can easily opt out. Whether your setup qualifies depends on how GA4 is configured and what the data is used for, so check the ICO's current guidance on cookies before changing your banner. This is general information, not legal advice.

The practical consequence: GA4 will undercount. Use it for trends, comparisons and sources. Use your inbox or CRM as the true number of leads.

Reading the results

With key events in place, the questions you can answer change:

• Which channels bring leads? Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition, with the key events column selected.
• Which pages lead to enquiries? Landing page reports show which entry pages are followed by a key event.
• Is the site improving? The key event rate over time, compared against a baseline recorded before changes.

A worked example with hypothetical numbers: say organic search brings 1,200 sessions a month and 18 key events, while paid search brings 300 sessions and 9 key events. Paid converts at twice the rate, but organic brings twice the leads. Both matter, and without key events you would only see the session counts. How SEO and conversion optimisation work together covers what to do with that kind of insight.

When the numbers look wrong

If key events are near zero but enquiries are arriving, the trigger is wrong. If key events are high but the inbox is quiet, you are probably counting attempts, or the form is failing to deliver, which is the first thing why website visitors are not turning into leads tells you to check.

If you would like tracking set up properly, it is included in the SEO service and in new builds through the website development service.