# Google Analytics

See the chats, calls, texts, leads and appointments your AI receptionist handles as events in your own Google Analytics 4 property.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/analytics/google-analytics

- **Direction:** Out
- **Sign-in:** None for website events; a Measurement ID and an API secret for the rest
- **Time to set up:** About ten minutes

## What this does

Small Business Chatbot sends what happens in website chat, on calls and by text to your Google Analytics 4 property as events. They start in two places, so there are two paths:

- **Website chat events** go through the Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager tag already on your site. They land in the visitor's session, with its source and campaign. No setup.
- **Calls, texts, leads and appointments** happen away from your site, so the app sends them from its servers once you save a Measurement ID and an API secret.

Every event name starts with `sbc_`. Events carry the channel, IDs, counts and the lead quality score. Names, emails, phone numbers, message text and transcripts are never sent.

## Before you start

- A GA4 property, with its Google tag or Google Tag Manager on your website.
- Access to the property's Admin in GA4, to create an API secret.
- The chat widget on your site: [Any website](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/your-website/any-website).

## Website chat events

1. **Open the panel**

   In the app, open **Integrations › Google Analytics**. Under **Website chat events**, **Send chat events to the Google Analytics or Tag Manager on my website** is ticked. It is on by default. To turn it off, untick it and click **Save**, the button in the next card, which saves both cards.

   ![The Website chat events card with its box ticked and the three website events listed](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/integrations/google-analytics-website-events-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Integrations › Google Analytics, October 2026*

2. **On Tag Manager, add triggers**

   Sites on Google Tag Manager get the events in the data layer. In Tag Manager, add a Custom Event trigger for each event name you want, and send it to GA4 with a GA4 Event tag.

## Get two values from GA4

1. **Copy the Measurement ID**

   In GA4, open **Admin › Data streams** and click your web stream. The **Measurement ID** starts with `G-`.

2. **Create an API secret**

   On the same screen, open **Measurement Protocol API secrets**. Create one named Small Business Chatbot and copy its value.

## Save them in the app

1. **Paste and save**

   In **Integrations › Google Analytics**, under **Calls, texts, leads and appointments**, paste the **Measurement ID** and the **API secret**. Click **Save**. The panel shows **Saved.** and **Connected since** today's date.

2. **Send a test event**

   Click **Send test event**. The panel shows **Test event sent.** Within a minute, `sbc_test_event` shows in GA4 under **Reports › Realtime** and in **DebugView**.

   ![The Calls, texts, leads and appointments card with an example Measurement ID, a hidden API secret, and the Save and Send test event buttons](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/static/images/docs/integrations/google-analytics-test-event-2026-10-28.webp)
   *Integrations › Google Analytics, October 2026*

After saving, the **API secret** field shows only its last four characters. To change it, paste a new one and click **Save**. To stop the server events, tick **Remove the saved API secret** and click **Save**.

## The events

| Event | When it fires | Sent |
|---|---|---|
| `sbc_widget_opened` | A visitor opens the chat widget | From your website |
| `sbc_conversation_started` | A visitor sends their first message | From your website |
| `sbc_lead_captured` | A visitor submits the chat lead form | From your website |
| `sbc_chat_ended` | A website chat ends and is saved | From the app |
| `sbc_call_ended` | A phone call the AI receptionist answered ends | From the app |
| `sbc_text_ended` | A text conversation ends | From the app |
| `sbc_lead_captured` | A contact is added to the [CRM](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/crm/contacts) | From the app |
| `sbc_appointment_booked` | An appointment is booked in chat or on the [booking page](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/calendars/google-calendar-and-outlook#your-public-booking-page) | From the app |
| `sbc_appointment_rescheduled` | An appointment is moved | From the app |
| `sbc_appointment_cancelled` | An appointment is cancelled | From the app |

`sbc_lead_captured` comes from both places. On the website event, the widget's lead form was sent. On the event from the app, `sbc_contact_source` says where the contact came from.

## What each event carries

| Parameter | On | Value |
|---|---|---|
| `sbc_channel` | Chat, call, text and appointment events | Usually `chat`, `call`, `text` or `booking_page` |
| `sbc_conversation_id` | Chat, call and text endings | The conversation's ID in the app |
| `sbc_contact_captured` | Chat, call and text endings | `yes` or `no` |
| `sbc_lead_quality_score` | Chat, call and text endings | The conversation's lead quality score, when there is one |
| `sbc_message_count` | Chat, call and text endings | Messages in the conversation |
| `sbc_contact_id`, `sbc_contact_source` | `sbc_lead_captured` from the app | The contact's ID and where it came from |
| `sbc_appointment_id`, `sbc_appointment_source`, `sbc_appointment_status`, `sbc_duration_minutes` | Appointment events | The appointment's ID, where it was booked, its status and its length |

To see a parameter in reports, register it in GA4 under **Admin › Custom definitions**.

## Count them as conversions

In GA4, open **Admin › Events** and switch on **Mark as key event** for the events that count as results, such as `sbc_appointment_booked` and `sbc_lead_captured`. If Google Ads is linked to the property, you can import those key events there. You do the marking and the import in Google's tools.

## What it does

- Keeps the visitor's session, source and campaign on website chat events.
- Counts a returning caller as one user, with an ID made by hashing your workspace and the caller's number, so the number itself is never sent.

## If something goes wrong

| You see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The Measurement ID looks wrong. It starts with G- and is found in GA4 under Admin, Data streams. | The ID isn't a GA4 Measurement ID | Copy the ID from your web stream in GA4 |
| The API secret looks wrong. Copy it from GA4 under Admin, Data streams, Measurement Protocol API secrets. | The value has spaces or is too long | Copy the secret's value again |
| **Send test event** is greyed out | The ID and the secret aren't both saved | Save both, then try again |
| Google Analytics could not be reached. | The test got no answer from Google | Try again in a minute |
| Google Analytics answered followed by a status code, or a message from Google | Google refused the event | Check that the ID and the secret come from the same web stream |
| No website events in GA4 | The site has no GA4 or Tag Manager tag, the box is unticked, or Tag Manager has no trigger for the event | Add the tag, tick the box, or add the trigger |