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Track Event Bookings with Google Analytics 4

Learn how to track event bookings and revenue using Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. Whether you're using our widget on your website or our landing pages, this guide will help you set up complete conversion tracking in about 20 minutes.

Aaron Bird avatar
Written by Aaron Bird
Updated over 2 weeks ago

What This Guide Covers

This guide will help you track bookings made through our event booking widget using Google Analytics 4 (GA4). You'll be able to see:

  • 📊 How many people view your booking pages

  • 💰 Purchase conversions with transaction values

  • 🎯 Which marketing campaigns drive bookings

  • 📈 Detailed ecommerce data in GA4

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes
​

Before you start: Make sure you've completed one of these prerequisite guides:

Note: This is an advanced-level technical guide. For assistance setting this up, please contact our support team

Before You Start

You'll need:

  • Access to your Google Tag Manager account

  • Access to your Google Analytics 4 property

  • Your GA4 Measurement ID (format: G-XXXXXXXXXX)

To find your GA4 Measurement ID:

  1. Log into Google Analytics 4

  2. Click Admin (gear icon, bottom left)

  3. Under Property, click Data Streams

  4. Click on your web data stream

  5. Copy the Measurement ID (starts with G-)

Watch the summary video

Step 1: Create Data Layer Variables

These variables capture booking data from the widget and make it available to Google Analytics.

How to Create Variables:

  1. In Google Tag Manager, click Variables (left sidebar)

  2. Scroll to User-Defined Variables section

  3. Click New

Create These 5 Variables:

Variable 1: currency

  • Click Variable Configuration

  • Select Data Layer Variable

  • Data Layer Variable Name: currency

  • Click Save

  • Name it: currency

Variable 2: items

  • Click New again

  • Select Data Layer Variable

  • Data Layer Variable Name: items

  • Click Save

  • Name it: items

Variable 3: pageTitle

  • Click New

  • Select Data Layer Variable

  • Data Layer Variable Name: pageTitle

  • Click Save

  • Name it: pageTitle

Variable 4: transaction_id

  • Click New

  • Select Data Layer Variable

  • Data Layer Variable Name: transaction_id

  • Click Save

  • Name it: transaction_id

Variable 5: value

  • Click New

  • Select Data Layer Variable

  • Data Layer Variable Name: value

  • Click Save

  • Name it: value

Variable 6: GA4 Measurement ID

  • Click New

  • Select Constant

  • Data Layer Variable Name: GA4 Measurement ID

  • Value: <Your measurement ID>

  • Click Save

You should now have 6 new variables in your User-Defined Variables list.

Step 2: Create Event Triggers

Triggers tell Google Tag Manager when to fire your tracking tags.

Trigger 1: Widget Page View

  1. Click Triggers (left sidebar)

  2. Click New

  3. Click Trigger Configuration

  4. Select Custom Event

  5. Event name: page_view

  6. This trigger fires on: All Custom Events

  7. Click Save

  8. Name it: Widget Page View

Trigger 2: Widget Purchase

  1. Click New again

  2. Click Trigger Configuration

  3. Select Custom Event

  4. Event name: purchase

  5. This trigger fires on: All Custom Events

  6. Click Save

  7. Name it: Widget Purchase

Step 3: Set Up GA4 Configuration Tag

Important: Check if you already have a GA4 tag installed.

Check for Existing GA4 Tag:

  1. Click Tags (left sidebar)

  2. Look for a tag with type "Google Tag" or "Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration"

If you found one:

  • ✅ Note the tag name (you'll need it later)

  • ✅ Skip to Step 4

If you didn't find one:

  • Continue below to create a new GA4 Configuration Tag

Create New GA4 Configuration Tag:

  1. Click Tags → New

  2. Click Tag Configuration

  3. Select Google Tag

  4. Tag ID: Enter your GA4 Measurement ID (e.g., G-XXXXXXXXXX)

  5. Click Triggering

  6. Select All Pages

  7. Click Save (top right)

  8. Name it: GA4 Configuration

Step 4: Create GA4 Page View Event Tag

This tracks when people view pages within the booking widget.

  1. Click Tags → New

  2. Click Tag Configuration

  3. Select Google Analytics: GA4 Event

  4. Configuration Tag:

    • Click the dropdown

    • Select your GA4 Configuration tag (from Step 3)

    • Note: If you don't see this dropdown, make sure you selected "Google Analytics: GA4 Event" not "Google Tag"

  5. Event Name: page_view

  6. Click Event Parameters accordion to expand it

  7. Click Add Row

    • Parameter Name: page_title

    • Value: Click the + icon → Select {{pageTitle}}

  8. Click Triggering

  9. Select Widget Page View (the trigger you created in Step 2)

  10. Click Save (top right)

  11. Name it: GA4 - Page View

Step 5: Create GA4 Purchase Event Tag

This tracks completed bookings with full transaction details.

  1. Click Tags → New

  2. Click Tag Configuration

  3. Select Google Analytics: GA4 Event

  4. Configuration Tag:

    • Click the dropdown

    • Select your GA4 Configuration tag

  5. Event Name: purchase

  6. Click Event Parameters accordion to expand it

  7. Click Add Row four times and add these parameters:

Parameter Name

Value

transaction_id

{{transaction_id}}

value

{{value}}

currency

{{currency}}

items

{{items}}

To add the values, click the + icon next to the Value field and select the variable from the list

  1. IMPORTANT: Scroll down to the Ecommerce section

    • Click to expand it

    • Check the box: "Send ecommerce data"

    • Data source: Select "Data Layer"

  2. Click Triggering

  3. Select Widget Purchase (the trigger you created in Step 2)

  4. Click Save (top right)

  5. Name it: GA4 - Purchase

Step 6: Publish Your Changes

  1. Click Submit (top right, blue button)

  2. Add a description: "Added GA4 tracking for event booking widget"

  3. Click Publish

Your tracking is now live! 🎉

How to Test Your Setup

Test 1: Preview Mode

  1. In GTM, click Preview (top right)

  2. Enter your website URL (the page with the booking widget)

  3. Click Connect

  4. Your website opens in a new tab with a GTM debug panel at the bottom

Complete a test booking and watch for:

  • ✅ Widget Page View trigger fires when you navigate in the widget

  • ✅ Widget Purchase trigger fires when you complete a booking

  • ✅ GA4 - Page View tag fires with the page view trigger

  • ✅ GA4 - Purchase tag fires with the purchase trigger

If the tags fire successfully, you're good to go!

Test 2: GA4 Realtime Report

  1. Log into Google Analytics 4

  2. Click Reports → Realtime

  3. In another tab, complete a test booking on your website

  4. Back in GA4, you should see:

    • Event count increases for page_view

    • Event count increases for purchase

    • Event name list shows both page_view and purchase

If you see these events, tracking is working correctly! ✅

Test 3: GA4 DebugView (Advanced)

For more detailed testing:

  1. In GA4, go to Admin → DebugView

  2. Open your website in a new tab

  3. Add ?_ga_debug=1 to the end of your URL

    • Example: https://yourwebsite.com?_ga_debug=1

  4. Complete a test booking

  5. In DebugView, you should see:

    • page_view event with page_title parameter

    • purchase event with transaction_id, value, currency, and items parameters

Troubleshooting

I don't see any events firing in Preview Mode

Check these:

  1. Is the widget on the page you're testing?

    • The events only fire when someone interacts with the booking widget

  2. Is the tag published?

    • Click Submit → Publish in GTM

  3. Are the triggers spelled correctly?

    • Event names are case-sensitive

    • page_view is correct

    • Page_View or pageview will NOT work

  4. Try refreshing the preview connection

    • Click Disconnect then Preview again

Tags fire in Preview Mode but I don't see events in GA4

Check these:

  1. Is the GA4 Measurement ID correct?

    • In GTM, open your GA4 Configuration tag

    • Verify the Measurement ID matches your GA4 property

  2. Wait a few minutes

    • Realtime reports can have a 30-second to 2-minute delay

    • DebugView is usually instant

  3. Check you're looking at the right GA4 property

    • Make sure you're logged into the correct GA4 account

I see page_view but not purchase events

  1. Did you complete a test booking?

    • The purchase event only fires after a successful booking

  2. Is the Purchase tag configured correctly?

    • Open the GA4 - Purchase tag

    • Verify "Send ecommerce data" is checked

    • Verify the trigger is Widget Purchase

  3. Check the browser console for errors

    • Right-click → Inspect → Console tab

    • Look for any red error messages

Purchase events show in GA4 but without revenue/items

Check these:

  1. Is "Send ecommerce data" checked?

    • In the GA4 - Purchase tag

    • Expand the Ecommerce section

    • Make sure the checkbox is ticked

  2. Is the data source set to "Data Layer"?

    • Right below the checkbox

  3. Are the variables created correctly?

    • Go to Variables in GTM

    • Make sure value, currency, and items variables exist

    • Variable names must match exactly (case-sensitive)

What Happens Next

In Google Analytics 4:

Within 24-48 hours, you'll see:

  • Purchase events in Reports → Monetization → Ecommerce purchases

  • Transaction revenue in your reports

  • Individual transaction details

  • Items purchased (ticket types, quantities, etc.)

To view purchase data:

  1. GA4 → Reports → Monetization → Ecommerce purchases

  2. You'll see metrics like:

    • Total revenue

    • Number of transactions

    • Average purchase value

    • Items purchased

In Google Ads (If Applicable):

To track bookings as Google Ads conversions:

  1. Link GA4 to Google Ads (if not already linked)

    • GA4 → Admin → Product Links → Google Ads Links

  2. Import the purchase conversion

    • Google Ads → Goals → Conversions

    • Click "New conversion action" → Import → Google Analytics 4

    • Select the purchase event

    • Click Import and Continue

  3. Wait 24-48 hours for conversions to start appearing

For detailed instructions, see our guide: "Setting Up Google Ads Conversions"

Data Privacy & Compliance

What data is tracked:

  • Anonymous transaction IDs

  • Purchase amounts and currency

  • Item details (ticket types, quantities)

  • Page titles within the widget

What is NOT tracked:

  • Customer names

  • Email addresses

  • Credit card information

  • Personal identifiable information (PII)

GDPR/Privacy Compliance:

  • This setup is compliant with GDPR and privacy regulations

  • Only anonymous transaction data is collected

  • Ensure your privacy policy mentions the use of Google Analytics

  • If you use cookie consent tools, GA4 tags should respect consent settings

Summary Checklist

Before finishing, make sure you've completed:

  • ✅ Created 5 Data Layer Variables

  • ✅ Created 2 Custom Event Triggers

  • ✅ Set up GA4 Configuration Tag (or verified existing one)

  • ✅ Created GA4 Page View Event Tag

  • ✅ Created GA4 Purchase Event Tag with ecommerce data enabled

  • ✅ Published your GTM container

  • ✅ Tested in Preview Mode

  • ✅ Verified events appear in GA4 Realtime

  • ✅ Completed at least one test booking

Support

Need help? We're here for you:

  • 💬 Live Chat: Contact Us

  • 🎥 Video Tutorial: [coming soon]

Related Articles
Cross-Domain Conversion Tracking For Landing Pages
Adding Google Tag Manager to Your Website
Adding Google Tag Manager to Your Eventrac Landing Pages
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