How to use Google Analytics data to optimize a launch

The first step is making sure GA4 is tracking the right events. Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 works with an event-based model, which allows much deeper customization.

For a typical launch, we recommend setting up the following custom events:

• page_view_capture: fired when the user lands on the capture page
• lead_signup: fired when the signup form is submitted
• cpl_watched: fired when the lead watches at least 50% of the pre-launch content
• checkout_started: fired when the user opens the sales page
• purchase_completed: fired when the payment is confirmed

Picture a launch where simply adding the "cpl_watched" event reveals that only 38% of leads are actually consuming the pre-launch content. With that number in hand, the team can rework the email strategy and aim, for example, to win back 15 percentage points of engagement before the cart opens.

How to set it up in practice

Open GA4, go to Admin > Events and create custom events. For more complex events, use Google Tag Manager. Create specific tags for each stage of the funnel and set the triggers based on URLs, button clicks or time on page.

An important tip: name your events in a standard way. Use prefixes such as "lc_" (launch) to tell them apart from the main site events. For example: lc_lead_signup, lc_checkout_started.

Knowing where your traffic comes from is essential to allocate budget intelligently. In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition to see the main sources.

In a hypothetical example of a personal finance digital product, suppose 67% of buyers come from organic traffic, while Facebook Ads, which takes 72% of the media budget, drives only 18% of sales. A number like that justifies moving budget, and, in this scenario, the reallocation could raise the overall launch ROAS by 2.4x in the next cycle.

Practical tip: use UTMs consistently

For traffic source data to be reliable, standardize your UTM parameters. We suggest the following format:

• utm_source: platform (google, facebook, instagram, email)
• utm_medium: media type (cpc, organic, social, email)
• utm_campaign: launch name (launch-finance-course-2026)
• utm_content: creative variation (testimonial-video-a, benefits-carousel)

Keep a central spreadsheet with every UTM of the launch. It prevents inconsistencies and makes the analysis easier later.

The Explore > Funnel exploration report in GA4 is a gold mine for launches. It shows exactly how users move through your funnel, where they drop off and which paths lead to conversion.

Set up a funnel exploration with the following steps:

1. 1Visit to the capture page
2. 2Signup completed
3. 3Pre-launch content (CPL) viewed
4. 4Visit to the sales page
5. 5Purchase completed

The biggest bottleneck usually shows up between steps 2 and 3. To illustrate: imagine only 42% of registered leads watch the first pre-launch video. In a hypothetical launch in the health and wellness niche, adding WhatsApp reminders on top of email could raise that rate to 61%.

Segmenting by device

Another valuable insight: analyze the funnel with desktop and mobile apart. Suppose the sales page converts at 4.2% on desktop and only 1.1% on mobile. In this example, optimizing the page for mobile devices, cutting load time from 6.3s to 2.1s and adjusting the layout of the buy button, could take mobile conversion to 3.4%.

Cart opening day is the most critical moment. The GA4 Realtime report becomes your best friend at that point.

Build a panel with the following real-time metrics:

• Active users right now: watch for peaks and drops
• Events per minute: follow signups, sales page visits and purchases
• Active traffic sources: see which channels are delivering at that moment

One practice we recommend is assigning one person on the team exclusively to monitor GA4 during the first 4 hours of open cart. Imagine noticing a sudden drop in email traffic 45 minutes after the first sequence goes out. When investigating, the team finds that the email is landing in Gmail's promotions tab, and a quick fix to the subject line of the second send can bring the flow back.

Custom alerts

Set up alerts in GA4 to be notified automatically when critical metrics leave the expected range. For example: an alert when purchase events drop more than 50% compared with the previous hour, or when traffic from a specific source goes to zero.

GA4 audience segments let you isolate specific groups of users and analyze their behavior in detail. For launches, we recommend creating the following segments:

• Engaged leads: users who watched more than 75% of at least two pre-launch videos
• Cold leads: registered leads who have not opened any email in the last 7 days
• Returning visitors: users who opened the sales page more than 3 times without buying
• Buyers: users who completed the purchase

In an illustrative example of a digital marketing course, imagine the "engaged leads" segment converts at 12.3%, while the overall base converts at only 2.8%. A number like that supports investing in retargeting just for the engaged segment, which, in this scenario, could return R$ 8.40 for every R$ 1 spent.

Google Analytics 4 offers a complete arsenal for anyone who wants to launch intelligently. From the initial event setup to the post-launch analysis, every data point collected is an optimization opportunity.

Do not wait for the next launch to start. Set up your GA4 now, define your events, standardize your UTMs and start collecting data from the warm-up phase. The sooner you start, the smarter your decisions will be when the cart opens.

Want help setting up your data and analytics structure for the next launch? Kiron Funnels brings every metric of your funnel into a single dashboard, combining traffic, lead and sales data so you can decide with confidence.