Which Kinds of Hits Does Google Analytics Track? Hits vs GA4 Events
Which Kinds of Hits Does Google Analytics Track? Hits vs GA4 Events
TL;DR
Google Analytics used to track several kinds of hits: pageviews, screenviews, events, ecommerce transactions and items, social interactions, exceptions and user timings. That was Universal Analytics, which stopped processing data in 2023. Google Analytics 4 replaced hits with one model: everything is an event. GA4 events come in four types: automatically collected events, enhanced measurement events, recommended events and custom events. To get useful data, turn on enhanced measurement, add recommended events for your business and mark the actions that matter as key events.
Key takeaways
- A hit was one piece of data sent to Google Analytics. Every pageview, click or purchase created a hit.
- Universal Analytics had 8 hit types. Pageview, screenview, event, transaction, item, social, exception and timing.
- GA4 has no hit types. A pageview, a scroll and a purchase are all events with parameters.
- There are four kinds of GA4 events. Automatically collected, enhanced measurement, recommended and custom.
- Key events show what matters. Mark leads, sign-ups and purchases as key events to measure results.
If you search for “which kinds of hits does Google Analytics track”, most answers describe Universal Analytics, the old version of Google Analytics. It no longer collects data. Today every website uses Google Analytics 4, where the idea of hits has been replaced by events.
This guide explains what hits were, how they map to Google Analytics events in GA4, which event types you should track and how to set them up step by step.
What Is a Hit in Google Analytics?
A hit was a single interaction that sent data to Google Analytics. When a visitor opened a page, played a video or bought a product, the tracking code sent a hit with details such as the page address, the time and the type of action. Google Analytics then grouped hits into sessions and users.
Which Kinds of Hits Did Google Analytics Track?
Universal Analytics tracked eight kinds of hits:
- Pageview: a page loaded on a website.
- Screenview: a screen opened in a mobile app.
- Event: a custom action, such as a click, download or video play.
- Transaction: an ecommerce purchase with total revenue.
- Item: a single product inside a transaction.
- Social: a social action, such as a share or like button click.
- Exception: an error recorded on the site or in the app.
- Timing: how long something took, such as page load time.
Universal Analytics stopped processing new data in July 2023, and its reports are no longer available. If your site still has an old UA tracking code, it does not send anything useful.
Hits vs Events: What Changed in Google Analytics 4
In GA4, every interaction is an event. An event has a name, such as page_view or purchase, and parameters that describe it, such as the page address or the order value. This makes data from websites and apps work in the same way.
| Universal Analytics hit | Google Analytics 4 event |
| Pageview | page_view |
| Screenview | screen_view |
| Event (category, action, label) | Any event with its own parameters |
| Transaction and Item | purchase with an items parameter |
| Social | share or a custom event |
| Exception | Custom event, for example error |
| Timing | Custom event or Web Vitals data |
Types of Google Analytics 4 Events
1. Automatically Collected Events
GA4 records these as soon as the tracking code is installed, for example first_visit, session_start and user_engagement. You do not need to set anything up.
2. Enhanced Measurement Events
These are turned on with switches in the GA4 data stream settings. They include page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video engagement, file downloads and form interactions.
3. Recommended Events
Google suggests standard names for common actions, such as sign_up, login, generate_lead, add_to_cart, begin_checkout and purchase. Using these names unlocks ready-made reports, especially for ecommerce.
4. Custom Events
If no recommended event fits, you can create your own, such as calculator_used or pricing_viewed. Use clear names and keep them consistent.
How to Set Up Google Analytics Events: 5 Steps
Step 1. Check That GA4 Is Installed
Open your site, then check the Realtime report in GA4. If you see your own visit, tracking works. If your site still uses an old UA code that starts with “UA-”, replace it with a GA4 tag that starts with “G-”.
Step 2. Turn On Enhanced Measurement
Go to Admin, Data streams, choose your website and open Enhanced measurement. Keep page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, file downloads and form interactions turned on.
Step 3. Add Recommended Events for Your Business
For an online store, add ecommerce events from view_item to purchase. For a service business, add generate_lead for form submissions and calls. Google Tag Manager is the easiest way to add them without changing site code.
Step 4. Mark Key Events
In Admin, open Events and mark the actions that bring value, such as generate_lead or purchase, as key events. Key events show which pages and channels bring results, not just visits.
Step 5. Test and Review
Use DebugView in GA4 to check that each event fires once, with the right name and parameters. Then review the Events report every month and remove events nobody uses.
GA4 Events Checklist (Copy and Use)
| Area | Check | Done |
| Setup | GA4 tag with a G- ID on every page | ☐ |
| Setup | No old UA- code left on the site | ☐ |
| Enhanced measurement | Page views, scrolls, outbound clicks and downloads on | ☐ |
| Enhanced measurement | Site search and form interactions on | ☐ |
| Recommended events | generate_lead for forms and calls | ☐ |
| Recommended events | Ecommerce events from view_item to purchase | ☐ |
| Key events | Leads and purchases marked as key events | ☐ |
| Testing | Every event checked in DebugView | ☐ |
| Reports | Organic Search and AI referral traffic reviewed monthly | ☐ |
Example: Event Tracking Before and After
This example uses a fictional company, “Harbor Home Repairs”, a local repair service.
Before: The site has an old UA- tracking code that stopped collecting data. There are no GA4 events for form submissions or phone clicks, so the team cannot tell which pages bring leads.
After: A GA4 tag is installed with enhanced measurement on. The contact form sends generate_lead, phone link clicks send a custom phone_click event, and both are marked as key events. The team now sees which service pages and channels bring calls and form requests.
The second setup turns analytics from a traffic counter into a lead report. SEO decisions can now be based on which pages bring customers, not just visits.
Tracking AI Search Traffic in Google Analytics
Visitors now also come from AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot. In GA4, open Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition and look at the Session source/medium dimension. Sources like chatgpt.com or perplexity.ai show visits that came from AI answers.
To see these visits together, create a custom channel group or an exploration with a filter for AI sources. Track how many leads they bring with your key events. Learn how to grow this channel with our AI SEO services, or read about the difference between GEO vs SEO.
Common Google Analytics Event Mistakes
- Keeping an old UA code: it sends nothing, so you see no data.
- Tracking everything: too many custom events make reports hard to read.
- No key events: without them you see traffic but not results.
- Duplicate events: the same tag installed twice counts every action two times.
- Never testing: broken events after a site update go unnoticed for months.
How SEO F1RST Helps With Google Analytics
We set up GA4 so you can see which pages, keywords and channels bring leads and sales. Our Google Analytics services cover setup, events, key events and reports, and every SEO audit we run checks that tracking works correctly. Clean data also helps build a stronger SEO funnel, because you can see which content brings visitors closer to buying.
FAQ: Google Analytics Hits and Events
Which kinds of hits does Google Analytics track?
Universal Analytics tracked pageviews, screenviews, events, ecommerce transactions and items, social interactions, exceptions and user timings. Google Analytics 4 does not use hits. It tracks everything as events.
What is the difference between a hit and an event?
A hit was any piece of data sent to Universal Analytics, and an event was only one type of hit. In GA4, every interaction is an event with a name and parameters, including page views and purchases.
What are the types of events in GA4?
GA4 has four types of events: automatically collected events, enhanced measurement events, recommended events and custom events.
What are key events in Google Analytics 4?
Key events are the events you mark as important for your business, such as a lead form submission or a purchase. GA4 uses them to show which channels and pages bring results.
Can I still use Universal Analytics?
No. Universal Analytics stopped processing new data in July 2023, and its reports are no longer available. All websites need Google Analytics 4 to collect data.
About the author
Vadym Romakh, SEO and GEO Specialist at SEO F1RST
Vadym has more than 10 years of experience in SEO and leads SEO and GEO strategy for ecommerce, Shopify and B2B brands at SEO F1RST. He holds Semrush certifications in AI search optimization and builds AI-assisted workflows for SEO audits and AI visibility tracking.
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