For those of us who are dedicated to digital marketing, this week we are witnessing the beginning of a new era . A new era in which Google Analytics 4 is the protagonist and in which our way of understanding, processing and making decisions based on data has completely changed.
One of the basic concepts to start analyzing the data provided by Google Analytics 4 is to understand its measurement system well . Saying goodbye to hits and understanding what events are in GA4 is essential to be able to evaluate all the information provided by the platform update.
Therefore, below we are going to focus on explaining the biggest difference between UA and GA4: Hits and events. In addition, we will discuss the different types of events that we can work with in Google Analytics 4.
Difference between HITS and Events
Understanding the difference between Universal Analytics (UA) hits and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) events is essential to getting the most out of the tool update. In Universal Analytics , the term hit refers to the interaction that data has with the Google Analytics server . Every time a user visits a page, performs an action, or otherwise interacts with a website that is being tracked by UA, a hit is sent to the server. Hits can be of various types: page views , events , e-commerce transactions , social interactions , among others. Each hit contains information about the specific interaction that occurred, and all of this accumulates to provide an overall picture of how users are interacting with a website. Google Analytics 4, on the other hand, takes a different approach. Instead of the hit-based structure of UA, GA4 operates on an event-based model. In GA4 , almost everything is considered an event , including page views. Here, an event represents a user interaction with content that can be tracked independently . This shift to an event-driven approach provides greater flexibility and enables a deeper understanding of user behavior. And, really, the fact that GA4 measures events makes it easier for digital marketing professionals to adapt to and understand this new update to the tool. So, what types of events are there in GA4? As we will see below, some of the GA4 events are automatic and others need to be configured manually in order to activate them.
Types of Events in GA4
Automatically collected events
These are predetermined events that GA4 automatically collects and that are necessary to build the tool's basic metrics and measurements. No additional Google Tag Manager configuration or code modifications are required. Some examples of these automatic events are first_visit, session_start, page_view, and user_engagement. These events are designed to measure essential user interactions and basic session activity.Enhanced Measurement Events
These are events that Google Analytics 4 loads autonomously without the need to implement or customize additional codes . Enhanced measurement events automatically measure different interactions that are very common for all types of projects . These enhanced measurement events are 6:- Page views (page_view) – This event is recorded whenever a new page is loaded or the content of a page is updated.
- Scroll : GA4 automatically registers a scroll event when a visitor scrolls to the bottom 90% of a page.
- External link clicks (click) : When a user clicks on a link that leads to a domain other than the one they are currently on, GA4 automatically records a click event.
- Site Searches (view_search_results) – When a visitor performs a search on your site, GA4 can automatically pick up a search event. This requires that search results pages be structured in a specific way.
- Video interactions (video_start, video_progress, video_complete) – GA4 can automatically track interactions with YouTube videos embedded on your site, including when a user starts a video, watches a certain percentage of a video, and when a user finishes watching a video.
- Site Abandonment (Exit) : When a user leaves your website, GA4 automatically records an exit event.
Recommended events
These are predefined events that Google suggests using to measure additional features and behaviors . Depending on the type of project, Google recommends activating a set of events that are appropriate for the interaction of each type of website. For example, for the ecommerce category, the events add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase or refund are recommended, among others. Each of these recommended events includes certain parameters, some of which are mandatory and others not. The goal? To make them customizable, to a greater or lesser extent, in order to measure user behavior with the granularity we desire. In fact, these events are not automatically loaded, as they require additional context, or configuration of their parameters, to be meaningful.
