Last Updated: September 22, 2022

Event parameters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) are the additional information about an event that is sent along with the event.

Event parameter overview

There are three types of event parameters in Google Analytics 4

1. Automatically collected parameters
2. Custom parameters
3. User properties

Automatically collected parameters

Some parameters are automatically collected by GA4. Such parameters are called automatically collected parameters.

For example, by default, GA4 records the following parameters with every event:

1. language
2. page_location
3. page_referrer
4. page_title
5. screen_resolution

Get this 70 page detailed checklist containing screenshots, step-by-step instructions and links to articles

Do you want to set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) fast and correctly?

Yes I want the ebook

How to see automatically-collected parameters in GA4 reports

Follow the steps below:

Step-1: Navigate to your GA4 reporting view.

Step-2: Click on ‘Events’ (under ‘Engagement’):

Step-3: Scroll down and then click on an event name. Let’s click on the ‘page_view’ event:

You should now see the detailed report about the ‘page_view’ event:

Step-4: Click on the ‘PARAMETER NAME’ drop-down menu on the right-hand side:

Step-5: Scroll down the drop-down list, and then you should be able to see all the automatically collected parameters:

Custom parameters

You can also manually send one or more parameters along with an event via GTM. Such parameters are called ‘Custom parameters’.

There are two types of custom parameters:

1. Text parameters
2. Number parameters

#1.1 Text parameters

The value of such parameters is not a number.

You can register text parameters as custom dimensions in the GA4 user interface. But you should not register them as custom metrics.

If you want to use text parameters in your GA4 reports, you need to register them as custom dimensions in the GA4 user interface.

#1.2 Number parameters

The value of such parameters is a number.

You can register number parameters as custom metrics in the GA4 user interface. But you should not register them as custom dimensions.

If you want to use number parameters in your GA4 reports, you need to register them as custom metrics in the GA4 user interface.

Note: Event category, Event action, Event label and Event Value parameters are used in GA3 but not in GA4. However, you can still pass such information about an event in GA4. You just don’t use the ‘category-action-label-value‘ format in GA4.

Get this 70 page detailed checklist containing screenshots, step-by-step instructions and links to articles

Do you want to set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) fast and correctly?

Yes I want the ebook

User properties (also known as user dimensions)

User properties are like user scoped custom dimensions of Universal Analytics. They are used to describe the attributes of your website/app users.

There are two types of user properties:

1. Predefined user properties.
2. Custom user properties

#3.1 Predefined user properties

These are automatically collected user properties.

You don’t need to write any special code or add a tag to collect such user properties. You also don’t need to register them in the GA4 user interface before you can use them in your reports.

Following are examples of predefined user properties:

• Age
• Country
• Gender
• Interests
• Language
• Device category etc

#3.2 Custom user properties

These are the user properties defined by you. You would need to register them in the GA4 user interface before using them in your reports.

Note: You can create up to 25 unique user properties per GA4 property.

To learn more about user properties, check out this article: How to create user properties in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Best practice for naming custom events and parameters

Use lower case for event/parameter names. And if your name has got two or more words then separate the words by an underscore.

For example:

• webinar_signups (instead of Webinar Signups)
• excel_chart_optins (instead of Excel Chart options)
• website_leads (instead of website-leads)

The following event names are reserved and cannot be used as the name of custom events:

1. ad_activeview
2. ad_click
3. ad_exposure
4. ad_impression
5. ad_query
6. adunit_exposure
7. app_clear_data
8. app_install
9. app_update
10. app_remove
11. error
12. first_open
13. first_visit
14. in_app_purchase
15. notification_dismiss
16. notification_foreground
17. notification_open
18. notification_receive
19. os_update
20. screen_view
21. session_start
22. user_engagement

The following parameter name is reserved and cannot be used as names for custom parameters:

• firebase_conversion

Your parameter names can not begin with:

1. google_
2. ga_
3. firebase_

Best practice for naming user properties

The following user property names are reserved and cannot be used as the names for custom user properties:

1. first_open_time
2. first_visit_time
3. last_deep_link_referrer
4. user_id
5. first_open_after_install

Your user properties names can not begin with

1. google_
2. ga_
3. firebase_

How to send an event along with a parameter to GA4

Let’s track clicks on a button as an event and then send this custom event to GA4 via GTM. Let’s also pass the button caption as additional information, along with the event via a parameter.

This exercise will help you better understand the concept of events and parameters.

Follow the steps mentioned in this article: How to set up Custom Events in GA4 via Google Tag Manager

Measurement protocol and event parameters

The measurement protocol is a set of rules that your application must follow to send event data directly to the Google Analytics servers from any device/system connected to the internet.

A basic understanding of how measurement protocol works can help you greatly in understanding event parameters.

You can find more details about measurement protocol from here: Introduction to Measurement Protocol in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Version 2

Other articles related to GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

#1 Google Analytics 4 Intro

1. What is GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – The Apps + Web Property?
2. Key Benefits of Using Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. Setup GA4 – Upgrade to GA4 – Implementation Guide
4. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) vs Universal Analytics – What is the Difference?
5. GA4 vs GA4 360 – Pricing, Limits, Billing and More
6. Google Analytics 4 Training & Tutorial with FREE GA4 ebook

#2 Google Analytics 4 Property

1. Google Analytics Account Hierarchy (Structure Explained)
2. Understanding Google Analytics Measurement ID (GA4)
3. Google Signals GA4 – See Demographics (Gender, Age) in Google Analytics 4
4. Using the GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Test Property
5. Google Analytics 4 Sub Properties Tutorial
6. Roll up Property in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Tutorial

#3 Google Analytics 4 Integrations

1. How to connect GA4 (Google Analytics 4) with Google Data Studio
2. How to link GA4 (Google Analytics 4) with Google Ads
3. How to link Google Search Console to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. How to Install Google Analytics 4 on Shopify
5. GA4 Firebase Integration – Correctly Add App Data Streams to GA4 Property

#4 Google Analytics 4 Events

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Event Tracking Setup Tutorial
2. Understanding Event Parameters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. Recommended Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. Enhanced Measurement Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. Automatically Collected Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
6. How to Set Up GA4 Custom Events via Google Tag Manager
7. Events Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
8. How to Rename Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
9. How to Use Google Analytics 4 Event Builder

#5 Google Analytics 4 Conversions

1. Google Analytics 4 Conversion Tracking Guide – GA4 Goals
2. How to Import Conversions from GA4 Property to Your Google Ads account
3. GA4 Conversion Rate – How to find it and use it

#6 Google Analytics 4 Dimensions

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Dimensions Tutorial
2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Custom Dimensions Tutorial
3. GA4 User Properties (User Scoped Custom Dimensions) – Tutorial
4. Event Scoped Custom Dimensions in GA4 – Tutorial

#7 Google Analytics 4 Metrics

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Metrics Tutorial with Free Google Analytics 4 Ebook
2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Custom Metrics Tutorial
3. What are Predictive Metrics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

#8 Google Analytics 4 Ecommerce

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Ecommerce Tracking via GTM – Tutorial

#9 Google Analytics 4 Specialized Tracking

1. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Enhanced Measurement Tracking Tutorial
2. Cross Domain Tracking in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Setup Guide
3. GA4 Site Search – Tracking Site Search in Google Analytics 4
4. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Scroll Tracking Tutorial
5. Self-referral Google Analytics 4 – Referral exclusion GA4
6. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Data Import Tutorial
7. Google Analytics 4 Content Grouping – Create Content Groups in GA4
8. How to Track Single Page Apps in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
9. utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign Parameters – GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

#10 Google Analytics 4 filters

1. GA4 filters – Understanding Data Filters in Google Analytics 4
2. How to Create and Test Filters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
3. Exclude Internal Traffic in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) via IP Filter

#11 Google Analytics 4 Explorations

1. Free Form Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Exploration Report
2. How to Use the User Lifetime Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. How to Use Path Exploration Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Path Analysis
4. How to Use Segment Overlap Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. How to Use the Funnel Exploration Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) – Funnel Analysis
6. Cohort Exploration Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
7. How to Create Landing Pages Report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
8. How to Create Google Ads report in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
9. How to Segment GA4 Data by Data Stream
10. Organic Search Traffic Analysis in GA4 – Complete Guide

#12 Google Analytics 4 Advanced

1. Understanding Google Analytics 4 Sessions
2. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Measurement Protocol Tutorial
3. How to Build Comparisons (Advanced Segments) in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. Understanding Automated Insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
5. Understanding Channel Groupings in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
6. Understanding Data Sampling in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

#13 Google Analytics 4 Reports

1. How to Create Custom Insights in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
2. How to Use Debug View Report in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

#14 Google Analytics 4 Attribution

1. Guide to Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
2. How to Change Attribution Models in GA4 (Google Analytics 4)?
3. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Conversion Paths Report in Attribution
4. GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Model Comparison Report in Attribution
5. Advertising Snapshot in GA4 (Google Analytics 4) Attribution
6. GA4 Attribution Modelling Tutorial

#15 Google Analytics 4 Audiences

1. GA4 Audiences – Creating Custom Audience in Google Analytics 4
2. How to Create a Remarketing Audience in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
3. Understanding Audience Triggers in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
4. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Predictive Audiences – Tutorial

#16 Google Analytics 4 BigQuery

1. GA4 BigQuery – Connect Google Analytics 4 with BigQuery
2. BigQuery GA4 Schema – Send Custom GA4 Data to BigQuery
3. How to Backfill GA4 Data in BigQuery
4. How to Connect and Export Data from GA

Frequently asked questions about Event parameters in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)