# GA4 Key Events Report: Conversions by Event and Channel

- URL: https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/google-analytics/key-events-report
- Published: 2026-11-03
- Updated: 2026-11-03
- Author: David Bressler, Founder (https://betteranalyst.com/authors/david-bressler)

> **Summary:** A GA4 key events report counts each goal event (sign_up, generate_lead, purchase) and its rate across channels and devices. GA4 renamed conversions to key events in 2024, so the Data API fields are keyEvents, sessionKeyEventRate and userKeyEventRate. This report shows which goals move and where they come from.

Data source: [Google Analytics](https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/google-analytics)

Report on GA4 key events (formerly conversions): counts and rates by event name, channel and device, using the renamed Data API fields. Sample and setup.

## Who this report is for

Marketers and product managers who track several goals in GA4 and need to see each one separately rather than a single blended conversion count.

## What the report includes

*Metrics and dimensions in this report*

| Metric | Source field | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Event name | eventName | Separates each goal, such as sign_up, generate_lead and purchase. |
| Key events | keyEvents | Count of key events; filter by eventName to count one goal. |
| Session key event rate | sessionKeyEventRate | Share of sessions with any key event, for per-visit efficiency. |
| User key event rate | userKeyEventRate | Share of users who triggered a key event, better for longer buying cycles. |
| Event count | eventCount | Total occurrences, useful for spotting duplicate firing (many events per user). |
| Device category | deviceCategory | Mobile versus desktop goal completion, a frequent source of hidden friction. |
| Channel | sessionDefaultChannelGroup | Which channels drive each goal. |

## How to build it in Better Analyst from Google Analytics

1. In Better Analyst, open Connectors, choose Add Connector, then Google Analytics.
2. Click Connect with Google and sign in with an account that has Viewer or Admin access to the GA4 property. Better Analyst requests read-only access.
3. Pick the GA4 account and property from the dropdowns and click Connect. Universal Analytics properties are not supported.
4. Ask Better Analyst which events are marked as key events in the property, then request counts by event name for the period.
5. Add a breakdown by channel and device, and ask for the user key event rate alongside the session rate.

## Questions to ask

- “Show key events by event name for the last 30 days compared with the previous 30 days.”
- “What's the user key event rate for sign_up by device category?”
- “Which channels drive the most generate_lead events per 1,000 sessions?”
- “Are any key events firing more than once per session on average?”

## Sample output

Sample data for illustration, not real account data.

*Sample data: key events by device, last 30 days (illustrative)*

| Event name | Device | Key events | Users | Events per user |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| sign_up | desktop | 1,284 | 1,251 | 1.03 |
| sign_up | mobile | 962 | 940 | 1.02 |
| generate_lead | desktop | 418 | 395 | 1.06 |
| generate_lead | mobile | 731 | 244 | 3.00 |

## Charts to use

- **Key events by event name** (Column chart): Volume of each goal this period versus the previous period.
- **Events per user by device** (Bar chart): Flags goals that fire several times per user, like generate_lead on mobile in the sample, which suggests a tagging bug.

## Keep it up to date

Add an alert on each critical key event, for example when daily sign_up count drops by more than half versus the previous day, which catches broken forms or tags within a day.

## Further reading

- [Conversion rate formula](https://betteranalyst.com/metrics/conversion-rate)
- [Google Analytics connector](https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/google-analytics)
- [Alerts](https://betteranalyst.com/product/alerts)
- [Alerts docs](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/alerts/overview)

[Try Better Analyst free](https://betteranalyst.com/signup)

## Frequently asked questions

### What happened to conversions in GA4?

In 2024 Google renamed conversions to key events in GA4. In the Data API, conversions became keyEvents, sessionConversionRate became sessionKeyEventRate and userConversionRate became userKeyEventRate.

### Why do my key event counts look too high?

A key event can fire more than once per session, for example on form re-submits or page reloads. Compare events with users; a ratio well above 1 suggests duplicate firing.

### Do key events match conversions in Google Ads?

Not necessarily. Google Ads conversions use their own attribution settings and counting rules, so numbers often differ from GA4 key events.

## Related reports

- [GA4 Channel Performance Report: Traffic to Revenue](https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/google-analytics/channel-performance-report)
- [GA4 Landing Page Report: Engagement and Conversions by Page](https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/google-analytics/landing-page-report)
- [GA4 BigQuery Export Analysis: Query Raw Events Without SQL](https://betteranalyst.com/data-connectors/bigquery/ga4-export-analysis)