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Analytics intermediate 30-45 minutes

How to Track Form Submissions in Google Analytics

Learn how to accurately track website enquiries and form submissions using Google Tag Manager and GA4 to measure your marketing ROI.

Michael 26 January 2026

Tracking form submissions is the engine room of digital marketing for Australian small businesses. Without it, you’re essentially flying blind, unable to tell which of your marketing efforts—be it SEO, Google Ads, or social media—is actually generating leads and which is just wasting your budget.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up form tracking using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM). This method is more reliable than standard 'enhanced measurement' and ensures you capture every valuable enquiry.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need

Before we start, ensure you have the following:
  • A Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Property: Set up and installed on your site.
  • A Google Tag Manager (GTM) Container: Installed on every page of your website.
  • A Published Form: A contact form on your website (e.g., Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, or a native HTML form).
  • A 'Thank You' Page (Recommended): While we can track button clicks, redirecting users to a dedicated yourdomain.com.au/thank-you page is the most accurate way to track conversions.

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Step 1: Enable Built-in Variables in GTM

First, we need to make sure Google Tag Manager is 'listening' for the right information.
  • Log in to Google Tag Manager.
  • Click on Variables in the left-hand sidebar.
  • In the 'Built-in Variables' section, click Configure.
  • Scroll down to the 'Forms' section and tick all boxes: Form Element, Form Classes, Form ID, Form Target, Form Text, and Form URL.
  • Close the configuration panel. These variables are now ready to use.

Step 2: Create a Form Submission Trigger

Now we need to tell GTM what event should trigger a 'Conversion' tag.
  • Click on Triggers > New.
  • Name it: Trigger - Form Submission.
  • Click Trigger Configuration and select Form Submission under the 'User Engagement' category.
  • Important: Uncheck 'Check Validation' for now (this makes testing easier, though you can re-enable it later to ensure forms only fire when successfully sent).
  • Set it to fire on All Forms initially. We will refine this later if you have multiple forms.
  • Click Save.

Screenshot Description: You should see a trigger configuration box with the 'Form Submission' icon and the 'All Forms' radio button selected.

Step 3: Identify Your Unique Form (The 'Preview' Phase)

Most websites have multiple forms (e.g., a newsletter signup in the footer and a contact form on the contact page). We want to track them separately.
  • Click the Preview button in the top right of GTM.
  • Enter your website URL and click Connect. Your site will open in a new window.
  • Go to your contact form and fill it out with test data (use 'test@test.com'). Submit the form.
  • Go back to the Tag Assistant tab in your browser.
  • On the left sidebar, look for an event called Form Submit.
  • Click that event, then click the Variables tab in the main window.
  • Look for Form ID or Form Classes. Note down the value (e.g., contact-form-1).

Step 4: Refine Your Trigger

Now we make the trigger specific so it doesn't fire on newsletter signups if you only want to track leads.
  • Go back to your Trigger - Form Submission in GTM.
  • Change 'This trigger fires on' from 'All Forms' to Some Forms.
  • Set the condition to: Form ID (or Form Classes) contains [The value you found in Step 3].
  • Click Save.

Step 5: Create the GA4 Event Tag

Now we tell GTM to send this data to Google Analytics.
  • Click Tags > New.
  • Name it: GA4 Event - Form Submission.
  • Click Tag Configuration and select Google Analytics > Google Analytics: GA4 Event.
  • Select your Configuration Tag (your main GA4 measurement ID).
  • For Event Name, type: generate_lead. (This is a standard Google recommended event name).
  • Click Triggering and select the Trigger - Form Submission you created in Step 4.
  • Click Save.

Step 6: Test Your Tag

Never publish changes without testing!
  • Click Preview again.
  • Submit your website form once more.
  • In Tag Assistant, click the new Form Submit event.
  • Check the 'Tags Fired' section. You should see GA4 Event - Form Submission listed there.

Step 7: Publish Your Changes

If the test was successful, you need to make the changes live.
  • In GTM, click the blue Submit button in the top right.
  • Give the version a name (e.g., 'Added Lead Form Tracking').
  • Click Publish.

Step 8: Register the Conversion in GA4

Finally, we need to tell GA4 that this specific event is a 'Conversion' (now called a 'Key Event' in the latest GA4 updates).
  • Open Google Analytics.
  • Go to Admin (bottom left gear icon).
  • Under 'Data display', click Events.
  • Wait 24 hours for your generate_lead event to appear in the list.
  • Once it appears, toggle the switch under Mark as conversion (or Mark as key event).

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Pro Tips for Australian Business Owners

  • The Thank You Page Method: If your form redirects to a 'Thank You' page, it’s often easier to track a 'Page View' on that specific URL rather than a form submission. This avoids 'false positives' where a user clicks submit but the form fails due to a validation error.
  • Exclude Internal Traffic: Make sure you exclude your own office IP address in GA4 settings. Otherwise, your test submissions and daily site checks will skew your conversion data.
  • Privacy Matters: Ensure your website's Privacy Policy is updated to reflect that you are using Google Analytics to track user interactions, especially if you are collecting personal data via forms.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Duplicate Tracking: If you have 'Enhanced Measurement' turned on in GA4 and you also set up GTM tracking, you might see double the conversions. Check GA4 Admin > Data Streams > Your Stream > Enhanced Measurement and ensure 'Form interactions' is turned off if you prefer the GTM method.
  • Not Testing on Mobile: Sometimes forms behave differently on mobile browsers. Always run a test submission on your smartphone.
  • Ignoring Spam: If your form doesn't have a CAPTCHA (like reCAPTCHA v3), you might find your analytics filled with spam conversions. This will make your marketing look better than it actually is!

Troubleshooting

  • Tag Not Firing? Some modern WordPress form plugins use AJAX, which means the page doesn't reload. GTM's standard 'Form Submission' trigger sometimes misses these. If this happens, you may need to use an 'Element Visibility' trigger or a 'Data Layer' push provided by the plugin developer.
  • Variables showing 'Undefined'? Ensure you enabled the built-in variables in Step 1. If they are still undefined, the form might be inside an