Basics of Enhanced Measurement Events in GA4

Ever wondered how successful businesses optimize their online performance and user experiences effortlessly? The answer lies in Enhanced Measurement Events

In this blog post, we will cover all the details you need to know about enhanced measurement events.

So, let’s dive in!

What Is Enhanced Measurement in GA4?

Enhanced Measurement in Google Analytics 4 streamlines data collection by automatically tracking specific user interactions on websites or apps. It eliminates the need for manual event tracking codes, simplifying essential data gathering for businesses.

With Enhanced Measurement, you can include additional events without altering the website’s code or using a GTM container.

While it’s perfect for those seeking the basics, implementing recommended or custom events will provide a more comprehensive view. Dive deeper and gain a complete understanding by reading this article.

If you are not familiar with the important settings you need to configure in GA4, we recommend checking out our detailed article on the subject!

How to Enable Enhanced Measurement Events in GA4

In just a few simple steps, you can enable enhanced measurement events in your Google Analytics 4 account.

Intermediate

5 min

Step 1Step 1: Go to Admin

Step 2Step 2: Click on Data Streams

Step 3Step 3: Click on Web Stream

Step 4Step 4: Toggle on the button

Step 5Step 5: Exclude unwanted events

Step 6Step 6: Turn off the switch

How to Find Enhanced Measurement Events in GA4

To find enhanced measurement events recorded in reporting view, you have two options.

1. Using Events Report
2. Using Exploration Tool

Let’s begin with using events report!

Intermediate

5 min

Step 1Reports

Step 2Events

Step 3Event name

Now, let’s see how to find enhanced measurement events in GA4 using exploration tool! Accessing event data through the Exploration tool in GA4—a versatile option offering multiple report creation techniques. Let’s dive into an example to showcase its functionality:

Imagine you wish to analyze data related to your enabled site search events, specifically focusing on the top keywords users entered during site searches. Follow our comprehensive step-by-step guide to easily achieve this.

Intermediate

15 min

Step 1Go to "Explore"

Step 2Create a new exploration

Step 3Click "+" to add a Dimension

Step 4Add "search term"

Step 5Move "Search term" under Rows

Step 6Add "event count" in Metrics

Step 7Double-click "Event count"

Step 8See the report

Step 9Drag "Event name" under Filters section

Step 10Select match type

Step 11Enter the expression

Step 12Lastly, click "Apply"

Step 13Here is your report as a free form

Which Events Can Be Tracked by Enhanced Measurement in GA4

1. page_view:
   • Definition: This event is automatically tracked when a user views a page on the website or app.
   • Example: When a visitor opens the homepage or navigates to a specific product page, a “page_view” event is recorded in Google Analytics 4.
2. scroll:
   • Definition: The “scroll” event is triggered when a user scrolls through the content of a webpage.
   • Example: As a user scrolls down a blog post, Google Analytics 4 captures the “scroll” event to understand how far users engage with the content.
3. outbound link click:
   • Definition: This event is recorded when a user clicks on a link that leads to an external website or domain, taking them away from the current site.
   • Example: If a visitor clicks on a hyperlink that directs them to a partner website, GA4 registers the “outbound link click” event.
4. view_search_results:
   • Definition: The “view_search_results” event is triggered when a user performs a search on the website or app and views the search results page.
   • Example: If a user searches for “smartphones” on an e-commerce site and views the list of search results, GA4 logs the “view_search_results” event.
5. video_start:
   • Definition: When a user starts playing a video on the website or app, the “video_start” event is automatically tracked.
   • Example: When a visitor clicks the play button to watch a promotional video, GA4 records the “video_start” event.
6. video_progress:
   • Definition: The “video_progress” event is recorded as the user watches a video and reaches specific milestones, such as 25%, 50%, 75%, etc., of the video’s duration.
   • Example: As a viewer watches a tutorial video and reaches the halfway mark, GA4 captures the “video_progress” event.
7. video_complete:
   • Definition: When a user finishes watching a video, the “video_complete” event is automatically logged.
   • Example: After a user watches a webinar until the end, GA4 registers the “video_complete” event.
8. file_download:
   • Definition: This event is triggered when a user initiates the download of a file (e.g., PDF, image, document) from the website or app.
   • Example: If a visitor clicks on a “Download PDF” button, GA4 tracks the “file_download” event.
9. form_start:
   • Definition: The “form_start” event is recorded when a user begins to fill out a form on the website or app.
   • Example: When a user clicks on a “Contact Us” form and starts entering their details, GA4 logs the “form_start” event.
10. form_submit:
    • Definition: This event is automatically tracked when a user successfully submits a form on the website or app.
    • Example: After a visitor fills in their information and clicks the “Submit” button on a registration form, GA4 captures the “form_submit” event.

What Are the Benefits of Using Enhanced Measurement Events in GA4

Time-Saving

One of the most significant advantages of Enhanced Measurement is the time it saves for developers and marketers. Traditionally, implementing tracking codes for various events involved technical complexities and manual effort.

With Enhanced Measurement, this cumbersome process becomes a thing of the past. Let’s look at how this benefits both developers and marketers:

• Developers: Instead of spending hours meticulously adding tracking codes for every event, developers can enable Enhanced Measurement within the GA4 interface, freeing up valuable time. This allows them to focus on other critical development tasks, improving overall project efficiency.

Example: Suppose a web developer is working on an e-commerce site that frequently adds new products and landing pages.

Instead of manually adding tracking codes for each new page, the developer activates Enhanced Measurement, ensuring that essential events like page views and outbound link clicks are automatically tracked without additional coding.

• Marketers: Marketers often need to track user interactions and campaign performance promptly. With Enhanced Measurement, they can skip the back-and-forth with developers to implement event tracking and swiftly access crucial data for their marketing campaigns.

Example: A digital marketer is running a limited-time promotion and needs to monitor the click-through rate on a banner ad that leads to a landing page.

By enabling Enhanced Measurement, the marketer can effortlessly track outbound link clicks, obtaining real-time data to optimize the campaign’s performance.

Consistent Data Collection

Enhanced Measurement ensures uniform data collection across all pages of a website or app, leading to more reliable insights.

This is achieved through predefined standard events that cover common user interactions. Consistency in data collection facilitates accurate reporting and analysis, providing businesses with a clearer understanding of user behavior.

Example: An online news website wants to track user engagement with its content.

By using Enhanced Measurement’s “scroll” event, the website consistently captures data on how far users scroll through articles, allowing the editorial team to identify patterns in user engagement and optimize content layout accordingly.

If you have missed any points during the Shopify GA4 integration, take a look at our detailed guide on troubleshooting Shopify GA4 Integration!

Reduced Development Efforts

For developers, Enhanced Measurement lightens the development workload by taking charge of event tracking automatically. This reduction in development efforts leads to increased productivity and enables developers to concentrate on more complex tasks.

Example: A mobile app developer is working on a new feature that requires extensive code implementation.

Instead of spending time on event tracking, the developer enables Enhanced Measurement, allowing the app to capture user interactions effortlessly. This way, the developer can focus on perfecting the core functionality of the app.

User-Centric Analysis

The heart of any successful digital strategy lies in understanding user behavior and preferences. Enhanced Measurement’s automatic tracking of user interactions empowers businesses to gain a comprehensive view of how visitors engage with their digital properties.

This deeper understanding enables them to tailor their online experiences to meet user expectations, fostering customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Example: An e-commerce website uses Enhanced Measurement to track user interactions with its product filters and search results. Analyzing this data, the business discovers that users frequently use certain filter options to narrow down their searches.

Armed with this insight, the website optimizes its product filtering system, leading to a smoother and more user-friendly shopping experience.

Conclusion

In summary, Google Analytics 4’s Enhanced Measurement Events offer a seamless way to optimize online performance and user experiences. With automatic data collection and simplified tracking, businesses can save time, reduce development efforts, and gain accurate insights. This feature enables data-driven decisions, user-centric analysis, and success in the digital landscape. If you seek valuable insights into user behavior, Enhanced Measurement in GA4 is the solution for you!

Moreover, don’t forget to track GA4 e-commerce events that will enable you to conduct a detailed performance analysis of your Shopify Store!