Defining Key Events for Google Analytics 4

With Google Analytics 4 (GA4) becoming the standard for tracking customer interactions, it’s essential for auto dealers to configure the right key events that signal meaningful conversions. This resource explains how GA4 events should be aligned with dealership goals, breaking them into hard and soft conversions that reflect sales, service, and parts department activities. The document highlights how events like asc_form_submission_sales (for completed sales forms) and custom_engaged_trade_shopper (for engaged trade shoppers) can be used to fine-tune ad campaigns in Google Ads and other platforms.

The report also discusses the importance of avoiding inflated metrics by using appropriate key events for campaign bidding. It emphasizes the role of soft conversions, such as media engagement or payment calculations, which can indicate customer intent even if no form was submitted. Additionally, the guide provides instructions on setting up custom events and how these signals can be integrated into Google Ads and Facebook Ads via the Facebook Conversion API, creating a seamless marketing optimization process. Overall, this guide helps dealers make the most of their GA4 setup by defining conversion events that align with their dealership’s specific operations and goals.