Google Analytics Audit Test #

135

Tracking At Least Some Custom Events

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding site behavior.

Industries:

All

Checks For:

Utility

How powerful is your current implementation?

Insight Category:

Behavior

Can you tell what visitors are doing?

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Background

A GA4 audit is essential for uncovering missing insights—key data points that organizations don't yet know and can act upon. A well-done audit evaluates both behavioral tracking and traffic attribution, ensuring each is accurate and useful. It also assesses whether the data collected truly supports business decisions and reporting.

Test Detail

This test checks whether a Google Analytics property is tracking any custom events beyond Google Analytics’s automatically collected and recommended events. Custom events are critical for capturing site- or business-specific behaviors like:

  • CTA button clicks
  • Form starts/submits
  • Video interactions
  • Feature usage
  • Modal opens or widget interactions
  • Product filters, tabs, or specific user choices

If a property is only using out-of-the-box events, it likely misses critical touchpoints that drive conversions or explain user behavior.

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Admin > Events, scroll through the event list
  • Look for custom events that don’t appear in Google’s default list
    • Examples might include: cta_click, form_start, chat_initiated, pricing_tab_view
  • In Google Analytics > Reports > Engagement > Events, sort by event count
    • Identify which are user-defined and which are system-defined

Advanced QA

  • In BigQuery, list distinct event names:
    SELECT DISTINCT event_name
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`
    ORDER BY event_name;
  • Look for custom names not on Google’s recommended list (page_view, scroll, session_start, etc.)
  • If only default Google Analytics events are present, your tracking may be too generic to answer business-specific questions.

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Or hire a pro to design a custom event strategy aligned to your business goals.

How To Fix

  • Define a custom event tracking plan based on your goals:
    • Lead Gen: track form views, field engagement, calendar interactions
    • Ecommerce: track product filtering, wishlist adds, bundle views
    • SaaS: track feature usage, trial button clicks, onboarding steps
  • Implement events in Google Tag Manager or directly via gtag.js:
    gtag('event', 'cta_click', {
      label: 'Homepage Hero Button',
      page_section: 'hero',
    });
  • Use consistent naming conventions, and document your custom events and parameters
  • Tag and QA each new custom event using Google Analytics DebugView
  • Mark key events as Conversions if they support business KPIs
  • Hire a pro to build your custom tracking framework—so your analytics reveal real business insights, not just generic behaviors.

Tips from a Google Analytics Consultant

Focus on Insights

Every Google Analytics audit should result in a plan for more insights.

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An insight is:

  • something you don't know
  • and can act on to improve performance

The Goal

Identify and remove insight blockers. Don't get tempted to track things you can't act on!

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