How to Check Goals in Google Analytics 4

Trying to find where your "Goals" went in Google Analytics 4 can be frustrating. You log in, click around the familiar-looking interface, but the simple "Goals" menu you relied on in Universal Analytics is nowhere to be found. This article will clear up the confusion, showing you exactly where to find your performance data and how to set up what are now called "Conversions" in GA4.

Why You Can't Find "Goals" in GA4

The biggest shift from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 is its data model. UA was built around sessions and pageviews, while GA4 is built around events. In GA4, almost everything a user does is considered an event - a page view, a scroll, a click, a form submission. This change is a good thing, as it provides a more flexible and accurate way to measure user interactions.

The Short Answer: They're Now Called "Conversions"

In the new, event-based world of GA4, a "Goal" is simply an important event that you want to track as a key business outcome. That's it. Instead of configuring specific "Goal Types" like Destination, Duration, or Pages/Session, you now just tell GA4, "Hey, this specific event, like a purchase or a generate_lead, is really important to me. Please track it as a conversion."

Once you get used to this new mindset, you'll find it’s a much more powerful way to track what really matters on your site or app.

How to Check Your Goal Performance in GA4 (The Quick Way)

If you're just looking for a high-level overview of how your most important actions are performing, GA4 has a dedicated report for that. This is the direct replacement for the old "Goals" overview report.

The Conversions Report

Here’s how to find it step-by-step:

Log in to your Google Analytics 4 property.
In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Reports.
In the Life cycle collection, expand the Engagement section.
Click on Conversions.

Here, you'll see a table listing all the events you've designated as conversions. The default columns include:

Conversions: The total number of times the conversion event was triggered.
Total users: The number of unique users who triggered that conversion.
Event revenue: The revenue associated with the conversion event (if you've set that up).

You can click on any individual conversion event name in the table to drill down into a more detailed report for that specific action, looking at its performance by source, medium, or campaign.

Setting Up New "Goals" (Conversions) in GA4

If you need to set up tracking for a new key action, you have two primary methods. The process is always two steps: first, ensure the event exists, and second, mark that event as a conversion.

Method 1: Toggling Existing Events as Conversions (The Easiest Way)

GA4 automatically tracks many events out of the box through "enhanced measurement," including scrolls, outbound clicks, video engagement, and file downloads. You might find that the action you want to track is already being collected as an event. If so, setting it up as a conversion takes just a few clicks.

Let's say you have a "Contact Us" form that, when submitted, triggers an event called generate_lead. Here's how to turn that into a conversion:

Click the Admin gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
In the Property column, find the Data streams section and click on Events.
This page shows a list of all events being collected in your property. Find the event you want to track as a goal (e.g., generate_lead).
On the right side of that event's row, you'll see a toggle under the "Mark as conversion" column. Simply switch it on.

That's it! Within 24-48 hours, GA4 will start populating the Conversions report with data for this newly designated conversion. It's the simplest way to get started.

Method 2: Creating a New Event from Existing Parameters (No Code Needed!)

What if the event you want to track doesn't exist yet? The most common scenario is tracking visits to a specific "thank you" or confirmation page, which was known as a "Destination Goal" in Universal Analytics.

In GA4, you can create a new event based on certain conditions - like a page_view event happening on a specific URL. This is done entirely within the GA4 interface, with no need to modify your website's code.

Let's walk through creating a conversion for anyone who visits your /thank-you-for-subscribing page:

Go to Admin > Events (under Data streams).
Click the blue Create event button.
On the next screen, click the Create button.
Now you'll configure your new custom event. Here’s how to fill out the fields:
- Custom event name: Give it a clear, descriptive name. Avoid spaces and use underscores. For example: newsletter_signup_thankyou.
- Matching Conditions: This is where you tell GA4 when to fire your new event.
  - Set the first condition:
    - Parameter: event_name
    - Operator: equals
    - Value: page_view
  - Click Add condition to add a second rule.
  - Set the second condition:
    - Parameter: page_location (this contains the full URL)
    - Operator: contains
    - Value: /thank-you-for-subscribing
Click Create in the top right.

Very Important Final Step: You've just created the event, but you still need to mark it as a conversion. Your newly created event (newsletter_signup_thankyou) won't appear in the Events list immediately. Check back in a few hours (or after you've visited the thank-you page yourself once or twice). Once you see it in the list at Admin > Events, simply toggle it on as a conversion, just like in Method 1.

How to Verify Your Conversions are Working

Waiting 24 hours to see if your new conversion is tracking correctly can be nerve-wracking. Thankfully, GA4 has a real-time testing tool called DebugView that lets you see events as they fire on your site.

Using GA4's DebugView

The easiest way to enable this is to install the official Google Analytics Debugger Chrome extension.
Once installed, navigate to your website and click the extension icon to turn it ON.
In a separate browser tab, go to your GA4 property and navigate to Admin > DebugView (found under Data streams).
Now, back on your website tab, perform the action that should trigger your conversion (e.g., submit the form and land on the thank-you page).
Watch the DebugView stream. You should see your events appear in near real-time. Your custom event (e.g., newsletter_signup_thankyou) will appear in the timeline. If you've correctly marked it as a conversion, it will show up in blue with a small green flag icon next to it.

Seeing that green flag is your confirmation that everything is set up perfectly.

Final Thoughts

Switching from Universal Analytics "Goals" to Google Analytics 4 "Conversions" requires a slight mental shift, but it ultimately provides a more robust and customizable system. By understanding that any user event can be marked a conversion, you can move beyond simple page visits and start tracking the specific interactions that truly define success for your business.

Setting this up is a critical first step, but the real challenge is quickly turning that data into action. Constantly clicking through different GA4 reports to piece together your performance story takes time. At Graphed, we solve this by letting you connect your analytics and simply ask for what you need. Instead of navigating menus, you can just type, "Show me my top 5 conversion events from organic search last month," and get an instant visualization. We help you skip the manual work and get straight to the insights.