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GA4 Analytics 101: Funnels, Conversions, and Chat Tracking

A simple step-by-step guide for landings and product funnels

Learn why analytics is critical for landing pages and funnels, and how to set up GA4, conversions, chat tracking, and Firebase events with a simple 101 process.


Time to read: 8 min

GA4 Analytics 101: Funnels, Conversions, and Chat Tracking

Analytics is not just a dashboard. It is how you prove what works, fix what does not, and scale what does. If you have a landing page, a funnel, or a product, you need a measurement system. This guide is a simple, step-by-step 101 for GA4 (sometimes called G4), conversions, chat tracking, and Firebase events.

We will answer the big questions first, then walk through a practical setup you can follow in under a day.

Why you need analytics at all

Without analytics, you are guessing. You do not know:

  • Which channel brings the right users.
  • Which page convinces them to stay.
  • Where they drop off.
  • Which feature actually drives revenue.

Analytics lets you answer those questions with evidence. It also protects your budget because you stop spending on channels or pages that do not work.

Why analytics is crucial for landing pages

Landing pages are designed for one job: move the visitor to the next step. That could be a signup, a call booking, or a purchase. Analytics tells you:

  • If the page loads fast enough to keep attention.
  • Which headline or CTA actually converts.
  • Where people scroll and where they leave.
  • Whether your paid traffic is wasting money or making money.

Without tracking, a landing page is just an expensive poster.

Why you need funnels (and why they matter)

A funnel is the path from "first visit" to "result." Funnels matter because people rarely convert in one step. A typical funnel might be:

  1. Visit the landing page.
  2. Click "Get a Demo."
  3. Submit a form or open a chat.
  4. Book a call.
  5. Pay or sign a contract.

Analytics shows you exactly where the leaks are so you can fix them. If 60 percent drop off at step 2, your CTA or page content is the issue. If 80 percent drop off after opening chat, your chat flow needs work.

What we want to measure (simple list)

For most projects, start with these:

  • Traffic source (UTM parameters).
  • Landing page view.
  • CTA click.
  • Form submit or chat open.
  • Qualified lead.
  • Purchase or agreement.

Everything else is nice to have. These are your core business signals.

Step-by-step setup (GA4, conversions, chat, Firebase)

Step 1: Define your business goals and key events

Before you touch GA4, write down the 3 to 5 outcomes that matter. Examples:

  • Booked call
  • Submitted lead form
  • Completed checkout
  • Qualified chat lead

These become your "key events" (conversions in GA4).

Step 2: Create a GA4 property

  1. Go to Google Analytics.
  2. Create a new account or open your existing one.
  3. Add a new GA4 property.
  4. Choose the correct time zone and currency.

This gives you the GA4 property where events will be collected.

Step 3: Create a web data stream

  1. Inside your GA4 property, add a data stream for Web.
  2. Enter your site URL.
  3. Enable Enhanced Measurement (scrolls, clicks, page views, etc).

Enhanced Measurement gives you baseline tracking with no code changes.

Step 4: Install GA4 tracking

You have two common options:

Option A: Direct gtag installation

Add this in the head of your site:

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX');
</script>

Option B: Use Google Tag Manager (recommended)

  1. Create a GTM container.
  2. Add the GTM script to your site.
  3. In GTM, add a GA4 configuration tag with your measurement ID.

GTM is easier for event tracking because you can add events without redeploying code.

Step 5: Verify data in real time

Open your site and go to GA4 -> Realtime. You should see your visit. If you do not, stop and fix this first before adding more events.

Step 6: Define and send custom events

You will need a few custom events beyond the default ones:

  • cta_click
  • form_submit
  • chat_open
  • chat_qualified
  • purchase

If you are using GTM, create a custom event tag that fires on clicks or form submissions. If you are using gtag, send events from code:

gtag('event', 'cta_click', {
  button_text: 'Book a Demo',
  page_path: window.location.pathname
});

Keep event names clear and consistent. Avoid spaces and use lowercase with underscores.

Step 7: Mark key events as conversions

In GA4, go to Admin -> Events. Find your event and toggle it as a key event. That is how you mark conversions in GA4.

If the event does not exist yet, trigger it at least once on the site so GA4 records it.

Step 8: Build a basic funnel in GA4

Go to Explore -> Funnel Exploration, then define steps like:

  1. page_view on the landing page
  2. cta_click
  3. form_submit or chat_open
  4. purchase or lead_qualified

This shows you exactly where people drop off and which traffic source performs best.

Step 9: Add chat tracking

Chat is part of most funnels now, but it is often invisible in analytics. Track these events:

  • chat_open
  • chat_message_sent
  • chat_qualified
  • chat_booked_call

If you use a chat widget, you can usually hook into its API or callback events. Send those events to GA4 via GTM or gtag. The goal is simple: show how chat contributes to conversions.

Step 10: Track form quality, not just form submits

A form submit alone is not enough. Add a follow-up event for qualified leads:

  • lead_qualified
  • demo_booked

This turns analytics into decision-making, not just counting clicks.

Step 11: Add Firebase events (for apps)

If you have a mobile app, use Firebase Analytics:

  1. Create a Firebase project.
  2. Link it to your GA4 property.
  3. Add the Firebase SDK to your app.
  4. Log events like sign_up, purchase, and subscribe.

Firebase automatically sends analytics data to GA4 when linked, so your app and web data can live in one place.

Step 12: Use UTM tags on every campaign

UTMs are how you know which channel or campaign created results. Use them consistently:

https://example.com/landing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_offer

Without UTMs, your traffic reports are mostly guesswork.

A simple, universal event list (use this as your starter kit)

  • page_view
  • scroll
  • cta_click
  • form_start
  • form_submit
  • chat_open
  • chat_message_sent
  • lead_qualified
  • purchase

You can start with this list and evolve it later.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Tracking too many events with no purpose.
  • Not marking key events as conversions.
  • Forgetting UTMs.
  • Measuring clicks instead of outcomes.
  • Not verifying events in Realtime before going live.

Final thought

GA4 is not hard. What is hard is deciding what matters. When you focus on a few key outcomes and set up clear events, analytics becomes a growth engine. You will know what to fix, what to scale, and what to stop doing.

If you want a clean, production-ready setup for GA4, conversions, chat tracking, and Firebase events, reach out via our contact page.

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