A few weeks ago, Ginny Mavin from Google Ads Liaison announced the introduction of key events and conversions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), aiming to streamline and enhance the accuracy of conversion reporting across both Analytics and Google Ads. This update seeks to address long-standing issues with discrepancies in conversion reporting, a common frustration among marketers. With these changes, a conversion will now uniformly reflect in both Google Ads and GA4 reports. These changes are positive news for PPC Agencies who often have to tackle discrepancies between attribution and misreporting.
The main changes are as follows:
- In GA4, what were previously known as legacy conversions will now be termed ‘key events’. These key events are essentially those activities crucial to a business for behavioural measurement. Within GA4’s reporting framework, these will maintain the same measurement capabilities as before, ensuring continuity and reliability in data interpretation.
- Key events will be specifically designated as conversions when they are shared with Google Ads, integrating seamlessly into performance reporting. This ensures that conversions are accurately reflected and measurable across both platforms.
- Additionally, GA4 will expand its cross-channel conversion performance reporting. Beyond just Google Ads, new reporting capabilities will be available in the Advertising workspace of GA4, making it a central hub for monitoring Ads conversion performance.
No immediate actions are required from GA4 or Google Ads users, as legacy conversions will automatically be converted to key events. Any conversions shared with Google Ads will continue to be labelled as such and included in performance reports under the Advertising section.
📊 We’re introducing key events & conversions in GA4. Let’s dive into why & what advertisers need to know:
Why the update?
Discrepancies in conversions reporting have long been a frustration among marketers. The aim is to provide a much more consistent view of conversions across…— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) March 21, 2024
This update is part of a broader enhancement of the GA4 platform, with more features and tools expected to be introduced in the near future. This enhancement is crucial for clients to understand as it directly impacts how conversion tracking and performance metrics are interpreted and used for strategic decision-making in marketing campaigns. While the transition to GA4 hasn’t been smooth for many digital agencies and clients, Google are continuing to add and refine features.
These are welcome changes for GA4 and Google Ads users but do have the potential to disrupt reporting depending on setups. If you’d like to learn more about changes to GA4 or any of our other digital marketing services, please contact us.
