An analyst wants to use the form_submission event for bidding optimization in a linked Google Ads account. According to the recommended workflow in Google Analytics, what's the required first step before this event can be used as a conversion for advertising?
Correct Answer
The event must be designated as a key event.
Why is this the correct answer?
The event must be designated as a key event. In GA4, key events are the events a business has declared important — the concept that replaced 'conversions' in the Analytics interface. Marking form_submission as a key event is what makes it eligible to be shared with a linked Google Ads account, where it appears as a conversion action and can then be selected for bidding optimisation. Until that flag is set, the event is collected and visible in reports but is just one of many events and cannot be imported. The full workflow runs in order: collect the event, mark it as a key event, link the Google Ads account, import the key event as a conversion action, and then choose whether it should be primary, and therefore used for bidding, or secondary for reporting only.
Why are the other options wrong?
The event property must be linked to Google Search Console.
Search Console linking brings organic search query data into Analytics. It has no bearing on sharing an event with Google Ads.
The event’s parameters must be marked as custom dimensions
Registering parameters as custom dimensions lets you report on the detail within an event. It is not a prerequisite for importing the event as a conversion.
The event data must be analyzed in a custom exploration.
Building an exploration analyses data that has already been collected. Analysis is not required before an event can be used for bidding.
Real-world example
An agency cannot find their client's demo form in the Google Ads conversion import list. The event was firing correctly in GA4 but had never been marked as a key event. One toggle later it appears in Google Ads, is imported as primary, and Smart Bidding starts optimising towards demo requests.
Topics in this question
About the Google Analytics Certification (GA4)
The Google Analytics Certification tests your understanding of GA4: how data is collected through events, how accounts, properties and data streams fit together, and how to use standard reports, explorations and audiences to answer business questions.
Exam guide and all 238 Google Analytics (GA4) questions →Related Google Analytics (GA4) questions
- 1An analyst has been asked to prepare an event to be used for bidding optimization in a linked Google Ads account. According to the recommended workflow, what action must be taken after identifying the important event but before creating the conversion for ads?Explained
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