Goals are no longer available to use in Google Analytics 4. If you’re used to Universal Analytics (Google Analytics 3), this can be pretty confusing.
So, why are there no goals in Google Analytics 4, and how do you track your goals now?
In this article, we’ll go over Google Analytics 4 goals and how you can adapt to the new way of tracking goals and conversions.
In This Article:
- What Were Goals in Universal Analytics?
- Why Did Google Remove Goals in GA4?
- Google Analytics 4 Goals: Where'd They Go?
- Are Events Easier to Set Up Than Goals Were?
- WordPress Users: Here's An Easier Way
- Video Explanation: GA4 Goals & Why They're Gone
- Frequently Asked Questions: GA4 Goals and Why They're Gone
- How do I track conversions in Google Analytics 4 without goals?
- Are GA4 key events the same as Universal Analytics goals?
- Can I import my Universal Analytics goals into GA4?
- How many key events can I have in GA4?
- What's the difference between events and key events in GA4?
- How do I view my key events in GA4?
What Were Goals in Universal Analytics?
In Universal Analytics (GA3), Goals were a specific feature that allowed you to track important user actions as conversions. When someone completed a desired action on your website—like filling out a contact form, making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or spending a certain amount of time on your site—Universal Analytics could count that as a goal completion.
Goals were set up separately from events in Universal Analytics, and you could configure up to 20 goals per view. These goals appeared in dedicated goal reports, showing you conversion rates, goal completions, and the value of those conversions. Many website owners and marketers relied heavily on goals to measure their site’s success and understand which traffic sources were driving the most valuable actions.
The four types of goals in Universal Analytics were destination goals (reaching a specific page), duration goals (staying on site for a certain time), pages per session goals (viewing a certain number of pages), and event goals (triggering a specific event).
Why Did Google Remove Goals in GA4?
Google eliminated the separate Goals feature in GA4 to simplify conversion tracking and reduce confusion. In Universal Analytics, the distinction between events and goals created unnecessary complexity—you had to set up an event first, then create a goal based on that event, which meant managing two separate systems for tracking the same action.
With GA4, Google streamlined this process by using a single system: events. Now, any event can be marked as a “key event” (what GA4 calls conversions), eliminating the need for a separate goals interface. This approach reduces redundancy and aligns with Google’s vision of a more flexible, event-based analytics model.
Additionally, GA4’s event-based architecture is designed to handle cross-platform tracking more effectively. Since users interact with businesses across websites, mobile apps, and other digital platforms, having a unified event system makes it easier to track the complete customer journey without maintaining separate goal configurations for each platform.
The change also reflects Google’s shift toward machine learning and automation. By focusing on events that can be automatically tracked and optimized, GA4 provides more data to Google’s AI systems, which can then make better recommendations for campaign optimization and audience targeting.
Google Analytics 4 Goals: Where’d They Go?
With the release of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the Google team tried to streamline the process of tracking conversions. Also, Google Analytics 4 uses the term ‘key events’ in its reports instead of ‘conversions,’ but they’re essentially the same thing.
In Universal Analytics, there were both goals and events. If you wanted something to count as a conversion, you set it up as a goal. If you wanted an event to count as a conversion, you set that event up as a goal.
Sounds confusing, doesn’t it?
To eliminate some steps for users, Google Analytics 4 doesn’t have goals. Instead, it just has events. Events can be marked as conversions, or key events as GA4 calls them, so you still have control over what counts as a conversion for your site, like submitting a form or clicking on a video.
Google also took this a step further by automatically tracking a bunch of things as events on your site, without you needing to add event code manually. Events appear in a list by going to Configure » Events. Then you just flip the switch for ‘mark as key event’ to track them as conversions:
Are Events Easier to Set Up Than Goals Were?
Unfortunately, no. While the toggle to mark an event as a conversion is pretty cool, none of the events that Google Analytics automatically creates for you are going to be very useful to mark as a conversion. You don’t want any page view or click to count as a conversion: you still have to set up which clicks and which views should count.
To do that, you’ll need to go the Configure » Events tab, click the Create button, and set up your conversion events. For instance, this is how a thank you page event looks:
Then, if you want that event to count as a conversion, you have to go to the Configure » Key events tab, click the New key event button, and create a new conversion that matches the name of the event you just created:
WordPress Users: Here’s An Easier Way
Setting up your events is hard, especially if you’re not a Google Analytics pro. Even seasoned Universal Analytics users have to relearn the whole conversion event creation process in Google Analytics 4!
Thankfully, if you’re a WordPress user, there’s a plugin that can take care of event tracking for you: MonsterInsights.
MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics (both Universal Analytics and GA4), so you can view all the data that matters most right in your WordPress dashboard.
Plus, with the click of a button, you can set up sophisticated tracking features such as event tracking, eCommerce tracking, form tracking, custom dimension tracking, outbound link tracking, and more.
So, without setting up events in Google Analytics, you can get:
- Outbound link clicks
- Form impressions and submissions
- Video clicks
- Scroll tracking
- eCommerce tracking
- Author tracking
- And more
If you want an easier way to track your goals and events, get started with MonsterInsights today.
Video Explanation: GA4 Goals & Why They’re Gone
To learn more about connecting WordPress and Google Analytics 4, read How to Add Google Analytics 4 to WordPress (Best Way).
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for more helpful Google Analytics tips.
Frequently Asked Questions: GA4 Goals and Why They’re Gone
Why are there no goals in Google Analytics 4?
Google removed the separate Goals feature in GA4 to simplify conversion tracking. Instead of maintaining both events and goals like in Universal Analytics, GA4 uses a single event-based system where any event can be marked as a “key event” (conversion). This eliminates redundancy and makes conversion tracking more straightforward, though the setup process still requires configuration.
What replaced goals in GA4?
Key events replaced goals in GA4. Key events are simply events that you mark as important conversions for your business. Any event tracked in GA4 can be designated as a key event by toggling the “mark as key event” switch in the Events or Key events section. This functions the same way goals did in Universal Analytics but uses a unified event system.
How do I track conversions in Google Analytics 4 without goals?
To track conversions in GA4, first create or identify the event you want to track (such as form submissions or purchases), then mark that event as a key event in the Configure » Key events section. The event will then appear in your conversion reports. For WordPress users, MonsterInsights automatically sets up important events like form submissions, eCommerce transactions, and outbound clicks without requiring manual configuration.
Are GA4 key events the same as Universal Analytics goals?
Yes, GA4 key events serve the same purpose as Universal Analytics goals—they track important user actions as conversions. The main difference is that key events are built on GA4’s event-based architecture rather than being a separate feature. Functionally, they provide the same conversion tracking and reporting capabilities that goals offered in Universal Analytics.
Can I import my Universal Analytics goals into GA4?
No, you cannot directly import goals from Universal Analytics into GA4. Because the two platforms use different tracking architectures, you need to manually recreate your important conversions as key events in GA4. This involves setting up events for the actions you tracked as goals, then marking those events as key events in your GA4 property.
How many key events can I have in GA4?
GA4 allows you to mark up to 30 events as key events (conversions) per property. This is more than the 20 goals allowed per view in Universal Analytics, giving you greater flexibility to track important actions across your website and apps.
What’s the difference between events and key events in GA4?
Events in GA4 are any user interactions tracked on your site, such as page views, clicks, scrolls, or video plays. Key events are specific events you’ve designated as important conversions for your business. While GA4 automatically tracks many events, only the events you manually mark as key events will appear in your conversion reports and count toward your conversion metrics.
How do I view my key events in GA4?
To view key events in GA4, navigate to Reports » Engagement » Key events in your GA4 property. This report shows you how many times each key event occurred, the conversion rate, and the total value of those conversions. You can also see key event data in the Configure » Key events section where you manage which events are marked as conversions.