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Mark events as conversions

Measuring conversions in Google Analytics is crucial for evaluating the success of your online endeavors.

This process involves creating or identifying specific events that capture significant user interactions and then designating these events as conversions.

Here’s a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how to mark events as conversions

Table Of Content

  1. Before you begin
  2. Note
  3. Create vs Modify
  4. Mark an existing event as a conversion
  5. Mark a new event as a conversion
  6. Modify an event in Analytics
  7. Stop collecting conversion data
  8. Result

Before you begin

To mark an event as a conversion, you must:

  • Make sure you have the Editor or Administrator role
  • Configure the event you want to mark as a conversion

Instructions

You can set up a conversion for an existing event by marking the event as a conversion in Google Analytics.

New events, on the other hand, take time to appear in Google Analytics. You can preemptively mark the new events as conversions, so that when Analytics receives the event it will automatically be marked as a conversion.

You can mark up to 30 events as conversions.

Note

In addition to the 30 events you can manually mark as conversions, Google Analytics also automatically designates certain events as conversions. These events include:

  • purchase (web and app): Indicates a completed purchase, whether on a website or within a mobile app.
  • first_open (app only): Marks the first time a user opens your mobile app.
  • in_app_purchase (app only): Tracks in-app purchases made within a mobile app.
  • app_store_subscription_convert (app only): Denotes the conversion of a user from a free trial to a paid subscription within a mobile app.
  • app_store_subscription_renew (app only): Records the renewal of a subscription within a mobile app.

Create vs modify

Create or Modify an event

Create or Modify an event

In the realm of Google Analytics, it is imperative to understand the process of creating and modifying events, particularly when it comes to optimizing your data tracking. Marking events as conversions plays a pivotal role in this process.

When we talk about creating events, we are essentially generating new instances for tracking specific user interactions or activities on your website or application. This allows you to monitor and analyze particular user engagements, ensuring that you capture the data that aligns with your objectives. In essence, creating an event is like making a duplicate of an existing event, but with the flexibility to tailor it to your unique tracking requirements without altering the original event’s setup.

Conversely, modifying an event involves the act of refining an already established event. It allows you to make adjustments to the event’s parameters and criteria, ensuring that it precisely measures what you intend it to. By marking events as conversions during this process, you signal to Google Analytics that these specific events hold significant importance in your analytics strategy. This designation not only helps you track the events more effectively but also allows you to gauge the success and performance of key conversion actions on your platform.

Mark an existing event as conversion

To mark an event as conversion in Google Analytics, follow these professional and explanatory steps:

1. Access Your Google Analytics Account

Open Google Analytics and ensure you are logged in with the appropriate credentials.

2. Navigate to the Admin Section

Click on the “Admin” button located in the top menu. This will take you to the administrative settings of your Google Analytics account.

3. Confirm Account and Property

In the Admin section, verify that you are working within the correct account and property. It’s essential to ensure you’re making changes in the right context.

4. Access the Events Configuration

In the left-hand column under “Property,” find and click on “Events.” This will lead you to the Events configuration page.

5. Mark the Event as a Conversion

Within the “Existing events” table, locate the event that you want to designate as a conversion.

Look for a toggle switch next to the event name. Click on this toggle to enable it and mark the event as a conversion.

6. Permissions Check

If you encounter difficulties selecting the toggle switch, it’s possible that you do not have the necessary permissions to perform this action. Ensure that you have the Editor or Administrator role to make this change.

Mark a new event as a conversion

To mark a new event as a conversion in Google Analytics, follow these step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Navigate to the Admin Section

Click on the “Admin” button, which is typically located in the top menu. This action will take you to the administrative settings of your Google Analytics account.

Step 2: Confirm Account and Property

In the Admin section, carefully verify that you are working within the correct account and property. It is vital to ensure that any changes you make are applied to the intended context.

Step 3: Access the Conversions Configuration

In the left-hand column under “Property,” locate and click on “Conversions.” This will direct you to the Conversions configuration page.

Step 4: Create a New Conversion Event

Within the Conversions section, search for the option to “Create New conversion event” and click on it.

Note: If you do not see this button, it may indicate that you lack the necessary permissions to proceed. In such cases, you should verify your access rights or contact an administrator.

Step 5: Provide Event Details

A dialog box will appear, prompting you to enter information for the new event: Enter the name for the new event in the provided field. Be clear and descriptive in naming the event to facilitate later analysis.

Once you have entered the event name, click the “Save” button to confirm the creation of the new event and mark it as a conversion.

Modify an event in Analytics

Effectively modifying an event in Google Analytics, especially when it’s based on another event, involves a structured and explanatory process. Here are the steps along with detailed explanations:

Step 1. Access Event Modification – To modify an event that was previously created in Google Analytics, primarily based on another event, follow these steps:

Step 2. Navigate to the Admin Section – Begin by opening Google Analytics and ensure you are logged in with the appropriate credentials.

Then, in the left-hand menu, select “Admin.” This will take you to the administrative settings of your Google Analytics account.

Step 3. Access Event Configuration – Within the Admin section, navigate to the “Event” section, which can typically be found on the left-hand side. Click on it to access the event settings.

Step 4. Create Event (if necessary) – If you are modifying an existing event, you can skip this step. However, if you need to create a new event as part of the modification process, click on “Create event” to start configuring the new event.

Step 5. Locate and Select the Event – In the “Custom events” table, find and click on the event that you wish to modify. This action will open the event’s configuration for editing.

Step 6. Edit Event Configuration – Once you are in the event configuration, position your cursor over the top-right corner of the Configuration table. An edit icon should appear.

Click on this edit icon to access the event’s configuration settings for modification.

Step 7. Modify or Add Conditions/Parameters – Within the event’s configuration, you can now make the necessary modifications. This might involve changing conditions, adding parameters, or adjusting any other event-specific settings to suit your requirements.

Step 8. Save Your Changes – After making the desired modifications to the event, be sure to click the “Save” button to confirm and save your changes.

Stop collecting conversion data

To cease the collection of conversion data for a specific event, it is necessary to follow a systematic procedure of unmarking the event as a conversion. This can be accomplished through the Events page.

In the event that the specific event is not listed on the Events page, it is imperative to navigate to the Conversions page as an alternative method.

It is important to note that turning off a conversion event does not impact the data that has already been accumulated; historical events will still be visible in reports as conversions.

Result

The process of marking an event as a conversion initiates a configuration update. However, it is essential to be aware that this configuration update may take some time to fully apply, ranging from a few minutes to several hours.

Once an event has been marked as a conversion, its impact on reports commences from the time of its creation and onward. It is crucial to understand that this designation does not alter historical data in any way.

After marking an event as a conversion, it is advisable to allow up to 24 hours for it to be reflected in standard reports. Real-time reports, on the other hand, receive updates more swiftly and will reflect the change shortly after a user triggers a conversion event.