What replaced "conversions" in GA4?

Google renamed "conversions" to "key events" in September 2024. The terminology changed to avoid confusion with Google Ads' separate, differently configured conversion tracking — the underlying mechanics in GA4 stayed the same.

How do you mark an event as a key event in GA4?

Go to Admin > Events, find the event, and toggle "Mark as key event." It's a labeling step on data already flowing into your property — no new tracking code is needed.

Are GA4 key events the same as Google Ads conversions?

No. They're tracked and configured separately, even though the concepts are similar. You can import a GA4 key event into Google Ads as a conversion, but they don't sync automatically.

How many key events can a GA4 property have?

Up to 30 key events per property. Built-in events like purchase (and first_open for apps) are sometimes marked automatically; everything else, including custom events, must be flagged manually.

What Are Key Events in GA4?

A key event in GA4 is any event you've manually flagged as important enough to track as a conversion — a purchase, a signup, a demo request. Google renamed "conversions" to "key events" in September 2024 to avoid confusion with Google Ads' own use of the word "conversion." The mechanics didn't change: you still mark an existing event as a key event in Admin, and GA4 still counts it the same way.

Why Google renamed conversions to key events

In September 2024, Google renamed "conversions" to "key events" inside the GA4 interface. The reason was confusion, not a technical overhaul: Google Ads has its own, separate concept called a "conversion," tracked and configured independently through Ads conversion actions. Marketers kept mixing up the two, assuming a GA4 conversion automatically was a Google Ads conversion, or vice versa.

Renaming GA4's version to "key events" was meant to make the boundary obvious: GA4 key events and Google Ads conversions are different systems that happen to sound alike. You can import a GA4 key event into Google Ads as a conversion, but they don't sync automatically just because the underlying event exists in both places.

Nothing about how the data is tracked or calculated changed with the rename — only the label in the UI and documentation.

How to mark an event as a key event

Marking a key event is a labeling operation, not a tracking change. Go to Admin > Events in GA4, find the event you want to flag (it must already be flowing into your property), and toggle "Mark as key event." No new code, tag, or SDK change is required — you're just telling GA4 to treat data it's already collecting as a meaningful outcome.

This works for both built-in events (like purchase) and custom events you've set up yourself (like generate_lead or a custom demo_request event). If the event isn't showing up in GA4 yet, you need to fix the underlying tracking first — the key event toggle has nothing to flag until the event exists.

Which events are key events by default

Some events get marked as key events automatically depending on your property setup — purchase is a common one for ecommerce properties, and first_open is often auto-marked for app properties. These defaults exist because Google assumes most businesses care about them out of the box.

Most other meaningful actions are not automatically flagged. form_submit, sign_up, generate_lead, and any custom event you've built have to be manually marked as key events — GA4 has no way of knowing a custom event matters to your business unless you tell it.

It's worth auditing Admin > Events after any new tracking setup, since it's easy to add a new custom event and forget the second step of actually marking it as a key event.

Limits and practical impact

GA4 caps you at 30 key events per property. That's generous for most sites, but it means you should mark events deliberately — purchase, sign-up, lead form, and a handful of others that map to real business outcomes — rather than flagging every custom event you track.

Once marked, a key event shows up in GA4's dedicated Key events report, giving you a focused view instead of digging through the full event count list. Key events can also be imported into Google Ads as conversion actions, which is what lets you optimize ad bidding around them — but that import is a separate, manual linking step, not automatic just because something is marked as a key event in GA4.

FAQ

What replaced "conversions" in GA4?: Google renamed "conversions" to "key events" in September 2024. The terminology changed to avoid confusion with Google Ads' separate, differently configured conversion tracking — the underlying mechanics in GA4 stayed the same.
How do you mark an event as a key event in GA4?: Go to Admin > Events, find the event, and toggle "Mark as key event." It's a labeling step on data already flowing into your property — no new tracking code is needed.
Are GA4 key events the same as Google Ads conversions?: No. They're tracked and configured separately, even though the concepts are similar. You can import a GA4 key event into Google Ads as a conversion, but they don't sync automatically.
How many key events can a GA4 property have?: Up to 30 key events per property. Built-in events like purchase (and first_open for apps) are sometimes marked automatically; everything else, including custom events, must be flagged manually.

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