GA4’s New "Lead Generation Objective": Useful Shortcut or False Confidence?
- Marc Alexander
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Google Analytics 4 is evolving fast. One of its newest features—quietly released in June 2025—is the “Lead Generation” business objective.
At first glance, it sounds like a dream for marketers:
“Select ‘Lead Generation’ and GA4 will automatically track and report on lead funnel events like generate_lead, qualified_lead, and converted_lead.”
But as with most GA4 features, the power comes with conditions—and if you don't know what you're doing, it can give you a false sense of insight.
At Metric Owl, we’ve seen both the upside and the risk. Here’s our breakdown.
What Is the Lead Generation Objective in GA4?
When you go into GA4’s Admin panel and select “Business Objectives”, you can now choose Lead Generation.
Doing so prompts GA4 to:
Automatically surface lead-centric reports
Set up conversions like generate_lead
Guide you toward tracking qualified_lead and converted_lead events
Prebuild exploration templates based on funnel stages
It’s designed to “fast-track” B2B and service-based websites into meaningful reporting without requiring deep GA4 configuration.
What’s Good About It
Lower barrier to entry for smaller teams
Provides direction for new GA4 users unsure what to track
Encourages use of business-aligned event names
Begins to align tracking with sales funnels, not just page views
We’ve long advocated for schema names like generate_lead over vague ones like form_submit. In that sense, Google is finally catching up.
⚠️ What You Still Need to Watch Out For
Despite the promise, this feature doesn’t eliminate the need for planning, QA, or strategic thinking.
1. Google Doesn’t Know Your Funnel
A generate_lead for one business might mean “any enquiry form filled.”
For another, it’s “a demo booked” or “sales contacted via WhatsApp.”
Others might qualify based on geography, industry, or job title.
GA4 can’t guess this. You still have to define it.
2. Predefined Events ≠ Proper Implementation
Even if you adopt Google’s suggested events, you still need to:
Fire the event on the right trigger (not a button click, but a successful submit)
Capture the right parameters (form_type, user_intent, etc.)
Ensure it respects user consent
QA the data for duplicates or missing values
3. Duplicate Events = Bad Data
We’ve seen teams fire both form_submit and generate_lead for the same interaction. Or worse, they fire these on page load after a redirect. The result?
Messy reporting
Inflated lead counts
Misattributed conversions
4. No Shared GUID = Lost Attribution Downstream
This is one of the biggest missed opportunities we see.
Even with perfectly fired events like generate_lead, most businesses cannot connect those GA4 sessions to what happens in their CRM — because there's no shared unique identifier passed between systems.
That means: You can’t trace leads back to source/medium You can’t analyse ROI by channel or campaign You’re stuck with broken attribution from GA4 to Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics, or wherever you manage deals
Most web analysts simply point this out.
At Metric Owl, we go a step further. We design and implement solutions to make that connection work in your environment.
That might include:
Generating a GUID in the browser (or using GA4’s client_id)
Storing it in the CRM alongside the lead record
Setting up backend matching via BigQuery or secure data exports
Ensuring privacy-safe handling under GDPR and Consent Mode
And we’ll work directly with your developers, marketing ops, or RevOps teams to make it usable in reporting—so you stop guessing where your best leads come from.
If your GA4 can’t talk to your CRM, you’re flying blind. Metric Owl gives your funnel a common language.
🦉 Metric Owl’s Take: Use It—But Do It Properly
We’re not against automation. But shortcuts are only valuable when they’re part of a smart strategy.
Our approach:
✅ Align event names to your lead stages
✅ Design parameter structures that power downstream analysis
✅ Implement tracking that respects privacy and performance
✅ Pass identifiers that link GA4 with CRM reality
Summary: What to Watch For with GA4’s Lead Objective
✅ Do This | ❌ Don’t Do This |
Define what “lead” and “conversion” mean for your business | Assume Google’s defaults apply to your funnel |
QA every event and parameter | Trust that GA4’s setup just works |
Fire events on successful interactions | Fire on click or page load |
Use a shared GUID across GA4 and CRM | Skip session attribution downstream |
Treat lead tracking as a lifecycle | Set and forget |
Ready to Make Your Lead Data Actually Useful?
If you want GA4 tracking that:
Reflects real user intent
Maps to your CRM outcomes
And gives your marketing team true attribution power
👉 Book a GA4 schema and CRM integration review with Metric Owl. Let’s connect the dots from click to customer—with clarity, legality, and precision.
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