Troubleshooting key events in Google Analytics 4
Key events in GA4 replaced goals from Universal Analytics. Here's how to fix key events that are missing, too low or too high.
In Universal Analytics you tracked conversions with goals. In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), goals are gone. Instead, you mark an event as a key event. Key events used to be called conversions in GA4, and you may still see that name in Google Ads.
If a key event is missing, lower than you expect, or higher than you expect, work through the checks below in order. Most problems are fixed in the first three.
1. Check that the event is marked as a key event
An event only counts as a key event after you turn on the star next to it.
In GA4, go to Admin > Data display > Events.
Find your event and turn on Mark as key event.
If the event isn't in the list yet, go to Admin > Data display > Key events and click New key event. Enter the event name exactly as it is sent.
2. Check that the event name matches exactly
GA4 event names are case sensitive. sign_up, Sign_Up and signup are three different events. If the name you marked doesn't match what your site sends, nothing will be counted.
Littledata sends standard GA4 event names, such as purchase, sign_up and begin_checkout. See the full list of events Littledata tracks.
3. Test the event in Realtime or DebugView
Standard GA4 reports can take 24 to 48 hours to fill in. Don't wait a day to find out the setup is wrong. Test it live instead.
Open your store in a new browser window and complete the action, such as creating an account.
In GA4, go to Reports > Realtime overview.
Look for your event in the Key events by event name card.
For more detail, use Admin > Data display > DebugView with the Google Analytics Debugger Chrome extension turned on.
If the event shows in Realtime but not in your reports, it's most likely the normal processing delay. Check again tomorrow.
4. Track the action, not the page
A common mistake carried over from Universal Analytics is turning a page view into a key event. For example, counting a view of a "thank you" page as a sign up.
This breaks easily:
People can reload the page or bookmark it, so one action is counted many times
People can reach the page without completing the action
If the page URL changes, the key event stops working
Use the event for the action instead. For Shopify purchases, mark the purchase event as a key event. Don't create a key event from views of the Shopify order status page. Littledata sends purchase from our servers, so it's counted even when the customer never reaches that page.
If you must build a key event from a page view, go to Admin > Data display > Events > Create event. Set the condition event_name equals page_view and page_location contains part of the URL. Then mark the new event as a key event.
5. Check the counting method
Each key event has a counting method. You can change it under Admin > Data display > Key events.
Once per event counts every time the event happens. Use this for
purchase.Once per session counts it once, no matter how many times it happens in a visit. Use this for actions like
generate_lead, where repeats in one visit don't add value.
If your numbers look too high or too low, the counting method may be the cause.
6. Check for duplicate tracking
If purchase key events are much higher than your Shopify orders, you probably have two tools sending the same event. A common cause is the Google & YouTube sales channel in Shopify running alongside Littledata.
Follow our guide to fix duplicate tracking in GA4.
7. Check consent and ad blockers
Events sent from the browser are blocked when a visitor declines cookies or uses an ad blocker. This can make browser events like sign_up look low.
Littledata sends checkout and purchase events from our servers, so these are much less affected. For browser events, see:
8. Check for broken sessions across domains
If a customer moves to another domain to finish an action, GA4 can start a new session. The key event then gets credited to the wrong source, often a payment provider like PayPal.
If you have your own second domain, set up cross-domain measurement in GA4.
If payment providers show up as sources, add them to your unwanted referrals list.
Key events in Google Ads
If a key event is correct in GA4 but missing in Google Ads, the problem is the import, not GA4. See how to track conversions from Shopify into Google Ads.
Need a custom key event?
If the action you want to track isn't one of Littledata's standard events, you can build it in the Event Editor. For example, you could track purchases from a specific collection and mark that event as a key event in GA4.
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