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Event

An event is a recorded interaction or occurrence used to measure behaviour within a website, application, or analytics system.

An event is a recorded interaction or occurrence within a website, application, or analytics system.

Events are one of the main building blocks used to measure behaviour.

Common Examples

Events may represent actions such as:

  • Viewing a page
  • Clicking a link
  • Starting a form
  • Submitting a form
  • Downloading a file
  • Playing a video
  • Completing a purchase
  • Opening a navigation menu

Events can also represent system behaviour rather than deliberate user actions.

How It Works

An event usually has a name and may include additional information.

For example:

form_submit

might include:

  • form_name
  • page_type
  • service
  • audience

Those additional values can become dimensions or support more detailed analysis.

A data layer can help expose this information to analytics and tag-management systems consistently.

Why It Matters

Events translate meaningful behaviour into measurable signals.

A page view can tell you that someone reached a contact page.

An event can tell you that they:

  • Started the form
  • Encountered an error
  • Submitted it successfully

That creates a much better picture of the interaction.

Common Problems

Common event problems include:

  • Tracking every click
  • Using inconsistent names
  • Creating separate events where parameters would be clearer
  • Sending the same event multiple times
  • Measuring an interaction without knowing why
  • Event definitions changing over time
  • Tracking implementation details rather than meaningful behaviour

How to Improve

Define events through the measurement plan.

Use clear, consistent names and document what causes each event to fire.

Include only the contextual information needed for useful analysis.

Important events may also represent conversions.