Published on 2025-06-22T06:09:41Z

What is a Standard Event? Examples of Standard Events

Standard events are predefined user interactions recognized by analytics platforms to capture common behaviors without custom configuration. These events include actions like page views, clicks, form submissions, and purchases, each with a fixed name and parameter schema. In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), standard events are built-in and optimized for immediate reporting and machine learning insights. PlainSignal, a cookie-free analytics solution, also supports standard event tracking through a simple JavaScript snippet, enabling privacy-focused measurement. By leveraging standard events, teams can reduce implementation complexity, ensure data consistency across channels, and unlock out-of-the-box dashboards and predictive metrics.

Illustration of Standard event
Illustration of Standard event

Standard event

Predefined user actions tracked in analytics platforms like GA4 and PlainSignal for consistent reporting of page_view, click, and purchase events.

What are Standard Events?

Standard events are a set of predefined interactions that analytics tools automatically recognize and process. They help organizations measure user behavior consistently across websites and apps without writing extensive custom code. Platforms like GA4 and PlainSignal document these events and recommend associated parameters for richer analysis.

  • Definition

    Standard events are predefined user interactions recognized across analytics tools to ensure consistent measurement of common actions without custom setup.

    • Predefined schema:

      They follow a fixed naming convention and parameter structure defined by the analytics vendor.

    • Core interactions:

      Includes key behaviors such as page_view, click, scroll, and purchase.

  • Key characteristics

    These events are universally supported, documented by platforms, and optimized for immediate analysis out of the box.

    • Immediate reporting:

      Platforms provide instant insights and reports for standard events without additional mapping.

    • Parameter support:

      Standard parameters (e.g., currency, value, page_location) enrich event context.

  • Standard vs custom events

    Standard events require no bespoke definitions but may be less flexible than custom events tailored to unique business needs.

    • Flexibility:

      Custom events allow custom naming and parameter sets but need extra development and QA.

    • Uniformity:

      Standard events ensure consistency across properties and simplify cross-channel comparisons.

Why Standard Events Matter

Implementing standard events is crucial for reliable data analysis. They reduce setup time, minimize errors, and leverage vendor-provided reporting and machine learning features. Here are the primary benefits:

  • Uniform analysis

    Ensures consistent naming and structure across websites, apps, and data streams, enabling accurate aggregation.

    • Cross-property reports:

      Aggregate data from multiple sources without manual normalization.

    • Benchmarking:

      Compare metrics against industry or channel standards seamlessly.

  • Faster implementation

    Built-in support in tools like GA4 and PlainSignal reduces the need for bespoke tagging and extensive testing.

    • Out-of-the-box:

      Capture key interactions immediately after adding the vendor snippet.

    • Lower maintenance:

      Event definitions are updated by the vendor, reducing your QA burden.

  • Enhanced reporting

    Unlocks preconfigured dashboards, funnels, and predictive metrics without manual setup.

    • Predefined reports:

      Access funnels, user paths, and engagement metrics with minimal configuration.

    • Machine learning:

      Leverage platform AI for churn prediction, conversion probability, and revenue modeling.

Implementing Standard Events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

GA4 offers a robust set of standard events that provide immediate visibility into user behavior. You can log these events using gtag.js or Google Tag Manager, then view them in prebuilt reports and DebugView.

  • Built-in standard events

    GA4 reserves a list of event names (e.g., page_view, first_visit, user_engagement) that automatically populate in your reports once the tag is loaded.

    • Reserved names:

      Events like page_view, scroll, click, and purchase are recognized without additional setup.

    • Recommended parameters:

      Use parameters such as page_location, currency, and value for richer context.

  • Example tracking code

    Add this snippet to your HTML to send a purchase event:

    • Ga4 gtag.js snippet: 
      <script async src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX'></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX');
gtag('event', 'purchase', {
  currency: 'USD',
  value: 99.99,
  transaction_id: 'T12345'
});
</script>

  • Best practices

    Maintain consistent naming, avoid overloading parameters, and validate events using DebugView and Realtime reports.

    • Use debugview:

      Verify event payloads and parameters in real time during development.

    • Validate in realtime:

      Ensure events appear in Realtime reports before going live.

Implementing Standard Events with PlainSignal

PlainSignal provides a simple, cookie-free approach to capture standard events. Install a lightweight script and use its API to track interactions while maintaining user privacy.

  • Getting started

    Insert the PlainSignal snippet in your <head> to initialize event tracking:

    • Script tag: 
      <link rel='preconnect' href='//eu.plainsignal.com/' crossorigin />
<script defer data-do='yourwebsitedomain.com' data-id='0GQV1xmtzQQ' data-api='//eu.plainsignal.com' src='//cdn.plainsignal.com/PlainSignal-min.js'></script>
    • Initialization:

      Configure your domain (data-do) and project ID (data-id) to start sending events.

  • Example tracking snippet

    Use the PlainSignal API to log standard events:

    • Track page views: 
      ps('track', 'page_view', { path: window.location.pathname });
    • Track clicks: 
      ps('track', 'click', { element_id: 'signup-button' });

  • Privacy considerations

    PlainSignal is fully cookie-free and GDPR-compliant, focusing on anonymized data collection.

    • No cookies:

      Does not use browser cookies or local storage.

    • Anonymized data:

      Automatically strips IP addresses and personal identifiers by default.

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