10-01-2025

Measuring forms in GA4 is now easier

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It’s been over a year since Google Analytics 4 was introduced. During this time, the new version of Google Analytics (GA4) has continued to evolve, with many new features added. One of these features is the Enhanced Measurement option, which makes it easier to track interactions on your website.

In the past, tracking form submissions was a time-consuming task that required extensive technical knowledge. However, Google Analytics 4 now makes it simpler to measure forms, giving you better insights into how your visitors interact with them.

What events are included in Enhanced Measurement?

Out of the box, Google Analytics 4 automatically tracks several events for you. This reduces the need for manual setup in tools like Google Tag Manager and allows you to start collecting valuable information right away.

Examples of these events include:

  • Scrolls

An event is automatically recorded for each page when a user reaches the bottom of the page, allowing you to better measure interaction. The scroll percentage that triggers the event can be customized.

  • Outbound clicks

Every time a visitor clicks on an external link, the event is recorded. Links to domains set up as cross-domain tracking are not counted as outbound clicks.

  • On-page search

If your website has a search function, you can configure it to record all search queries using the query parameter. The query parameter appears in the URL after the question mark. For example, in the URL https://universonline.nl/?s=Student, the letter “s” is the parameter.

  • Video interaction

When someone starts or completes a YouTube video, an event is recorded. For now, this feature works natively only with YouTube. However, it can be extended through Google Tag Manager (GTM).

  • File downloads

Track a file download every time a visitor clicks on a downloadable file.

  • And now also… form interactions!

How does automatic form tracking work?

Enhanced measurement doesn’t just track form submissions; it also tracks interactions. This means you’re not only measuring the submit() event triggered when a form is submitted, but also when the form is used for the first time during a session.

You’ll see the following two events in Google Analytics 4:

  • form_start: Indicates the first time a user interacts with a form during a session.
  • form_submit: Shows when a user submits a form.

Several parameters are automatically sent along with these events:

  • form_id: This is the id attribute in the DOM element.
  • form_name: This is the name attribute in the DOM element.
  • form_destination: This is the URL to which the form is submitted.
  • form_submit_text: This is the text of the submit button, if it exists.

Things to keep in mind

The new functionality isn’t perfect. When it comes to collecting data through forms, there are countless ways to implement forms. Currently, this feature only works with forms that trigger the submit() event. If you use a custom JavaScript callback that builds an HTTP request to your web server, this feature won’t work.

There are also JavaScript libraries that use dummy form submissions to collect GET data about their users (e.g., Facebook). In such cases, you might see a form event in GA4 for every page load if the Facebook Pixel is triggered on the pageview event. We’re hopeful that a solution will be developed for this scenario.

Google Analytics 4 is the future: the time is now

Tracking your forms—and many other components—becomes easier with Google Analytics 4. The latest version of GA enables you to collect data on visitor interactions, helping you better understand what works and what doesn’t. If you’re not familiar with Google Analytics 4 yet, now is the perfect time to start using it. Need help? Our specialists are happy to assist you!