GA4 Key Events: What Replaced Conversions and How to Set Them Up
How to mark key events in GA4, the 30-event limit, which events to choose, and how key events flow to Google Ads as conversions.
A key event is any GA4 event you mark as important, and it is what GA4 now calls a conversion. Mark the three to five actions that map to pipeline or revenue, not every click. You do it in Admin → Events with a star, and new events can be marked before they arrive.
- Key events replaced "conversions" in GA4's naming. Google Ads still uses "conversions".
- Standard properties can mark up to 30 key events; 360 can mark 50.
- Mark an existing event with the star in Admin → Data display → Events.
- Create a dedicated event for the real outcome (generate_lead on success) rather than flagging a broad form_submit.
- Key events feed attribution (lesson 12) and Google Ads bidding when imported (lesson 15).
Checked 4 November 2026 (CET) against Google Analytics Help and Google developer documentation. GA4 menus and limits change, so confirm in your own property. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.
01How do you mark a key event?
- Go to Admin → Data display → Events.
- Find the event and click the star to mark it as a key event.
- For an event that has not arrived yet, use the key events screen to create it by exact name so GA4 counts it once it is collected.
Google notes the role needed: Editor or above for existing events, Marketer or above for new ones. Check your access first if the star is greyed out.
02Which events should be key events?
| Business | Good key events | Usually not key events |
|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | generate_lead (demo), sign_up (trial), purchase | scroll, file_download of a generic PDF |
| Ecommerce | purchase, begin_checkout (secondary) | add_to_wishlist |
| Publisher | sign_up (newsletter), subscription purchase | page_view |
Ledgerline, our fictional SaaS company, uses three: generate_lead with form_id = demo_request, sign_up for trials and purchase for self-serve plans.
03Make one event count once
If a user refreshes a thank-you page, a page-view-based key event fires again. Prefer firing the event on the form success callback. GA4 also has a counting method per key event (once per event or once per session) in the key events settings; once per session suits lead forms where duplicates are noise.
Our view: the number of key events is a governance decision, not a technical one. Agree them with sales and finance and write them down.
Next: UTM tagging that GA4 reads correctly. Or return to the GA4 for Marketers track.
04Common questions
Are key events the same as conversions? Key events are what GA4 used to call conversions. In Google Ads, the term conversion remains; you can import GA4 key events into Ads as conversions.
How many key events can I have? Google allows 30 key events on standard properties and 50 on Analytics 360, in addition to some events Google marks by default.
Who can mark a key event? Google says you need the Editor role or above to mark an existing event, and Marketer or above to mark a new event ahead of collection.
Questions people ask
3 answersAre key events the same as conversions?
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Key events are what GA4 used to call conversions. In Google Ads, the term conversion remains; you can import GA4 key events into Ads as conversions.
How many key events can I have?
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Google allows 30 key events on standard properties and 50 on Analytics 360, in addition to some events Google marks by default.
Who can mark a key event?
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Google says you need the Editor role or above to mark an existing event, and Marketer or above to mark a new event ahead of collection.
Sources
- Google Analytics Help, Mark events as key eventssupport.google.com
- Google Analytics Help, About eventssupport.google.com
- Google Analytics Help, Get started with attributionsupport.google.com
- Google Analytics Help, Connect Google Ads to Google Analyticssupport.google.com
- All accessed 4 Nov 2026.