In April 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) started to offer two methods for counting conversions: Once per event and once per session. If you saw the update, which might have gone under the radar if it wasn’t for Charles Farina and Search Engine Journal, you might have thought the following:
- Ugh, another thing in GA4 I need to learn about!
- Should all my conversions use the same method?
- How do I determine which method is right for each conversion?
We hear you (especially on point 1), so this article aims to answer your questions and alleviate your frustration.
Counting Methods: What They Mean
In GA4, you can select how you want each conversion on your site to be counted. The below table details what each method means and which types of conversion they apply to by default.
Universal Analytics used the ‘once per session’ method for goals and whilst using this method in GA4 will make UA and GA4 match more closely, it doesn’t feel like a good enough reason to use this method to us.
As a site that produces regular downloadable resources, we always found that using a goal for measuring those downloads was limiting. Our audience would typically come to our site looking for guidance on a particular topic, so they’d inevitably download multiple resources on that topic. Only the event allowed us to see that; the goal gave a very different and more misleading perspective.
Recommended Counting Methods for Measurement Scenarios
Both counting methods have their uses though, so we’ve broken them down by common measurement scenarios:
1. Scenario: A user might download multiple resources/files in a session, e.g. all my guides on site migrations.
Recommended Counting Method: Once Per Event
Rationale for Counting Method: You want to know all the content that resonates with each user, not just the first resource they downloaded.
2. Scenario: A user might submit a contact form multiple times because they haven’t realised the first submission was successful.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event OR Once per session
Rationale for Counting Method: Once per event: You want to know whether lots of users are submitting the form multiple times because your site isn’t making it clear that the submission has been successful, which allows you to improve your site.
Once per session: You don’t have the resource to analyse the number of form submissions per user and/or you have site limitations that mean you can’t make it clearer to users when their form has been successfully submitted. If you receive lots of spam form submissions, this option will limit the number that inflate your conversion reporting.
💡 Tip: If you’re measuring all form submissions via the enhanced measurement event form_submit, you’ll be recording two very different forms with the same event, e.g. a general enquiry form and a newsletter sign up form. Avoid setting this to ‘once per session’, so you record submissions from all your form types.
💡 Tip: Ensure you have CAPTCHA enabled on your forms to prevent spam submissions.
3. Scenario: A user purchases a product.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event
Rationale for Counting Method: If you don’t offer the option to amend orders, and it’s possible a user could make more than one transaction in the same session, this counting method ensures you don’t miss out on counting the second transaction and subsequent revenue. It’s unlikely that ‘once per session’ will cause you huge troubles though, should you choose that instead.
4. Scenario: A user clicks on an email address link.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event OR Once per session
Rationale for Counting Method: Unless a user is likely to visit your site with two purposes in mind (e.g. enquire about your services and enquire about being a guest on your podcast), which requires them to enquire to two email addresses, you’ll likely be fine with either counting option. To be on the safe side, ‘once per event’ will be best at mirroring the actions your users took.
5. Scenario: A user clicks on a phone number link.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event
Rationale for Counting Method: Assuming most calls take place from a mobile phone, users are likely to click the link on the site once. If they need to redial because the line was engaged, they’ll probably redial from their call history, not by clicking the link on the site a second time. So you’ll likely be fine with either counting option, but to be on the safe side, once per event will be best at mirroring the actions your users took.
6. Scenario: A user watches an embedded video.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event
Rationale for Counting Method: Depending on how many videos you use on your site and the purpose of the user’s visit, they could easily watch more than one video in their session.
7. Scenario: A user clicks a link that takes them to a third-party site.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event
Rationale for Counting Method: Depending on how many third-party links you have in your content and the purpose of the user’s visit, they could easily click more than one link in their session. If you provide research and guides that contain links to external sources, this will be particularly applicable.
8. Scenario: A user uses on-site search functionality to look for content related to a keyword or phrase.
Recommended Counting Method: Once per event
Rationale for Counting Method: It’s best to assume that not everyone will find the information they’re looking for easily. These people will use site search, and they’ll probably refine their query if the first one doesn’t provide the results they want. The quality and accuracy of search functionality can vary by site; when it’s poor, users will refine their search.
People can also search for multiple queries in a session, particularly if they’re looking for specific SKUs and you have a huge inventory that makes it time-intensive to filter products on a category page.
Breaking each conversion type down by thinking about what user action it’s measuring and whether your users are likely to make it more than once in a session will tell you which counting method is right. Hopefully your measurement scenarios have been covered in this post, and you now have the answers you need.
If they aren’t, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll do our best to get back to you with a recommendation.
Happy reporting!
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