Video title dimension: which videos get watched
Video title is the dimension that records which embedded video a visitor engaged with. GA4 enhanced measurement captures it for YouTube embeds that use the IFrame Player API, firing video_start, video_progress, and video_complete with a video_title parameter. The key limit: only API-enabled YouTube players are auto-tracked — other hosts and plain embeds need manual instrumentation to populate the dimension.
What this means
GA4 enhanced measurement can track video engagement for YouTube embeds that load with the IFrame Player API enabled. It fires video_start when playback begins, video_progress at 10/25/50/75% thresholds, and video_complete at the end, each carrying video_title, video_url, video_provider, and video_percent.
The video title dimension surfaces which specific videos drew plays and how far viewers got.
What it does not cover
Auto-tracking is limited to YouTube players using the IFrame API. A YouTube embed without the API parameter, or a video hosted on another platform or a self-hosted HTML5 player, will not emit these events automatically.
For those you instrument the player's own events and send custom video events so the video title dimension reflects all your videos, not just compliant YouTube embeds.
- Auto-tracks YouTube IFrame API embeds
- Fires video_start / video_progress / video_complete
- Non-YouTube or non-API players need manual events
How it appears in analytics and logs
A video title value means an auto-tracked (or manually instrumented) video was engaged. An empty video report usually means embeds lack the IFrame API parameter or the player is not YouTube.
Diagnostic use case
Use video title to see which videos drive engagement, while ensuring YouTube embeds enable the IFrame API and adding manual events for non-YouTube players.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record video engagement as first-party events, so you see which videos perform without depending solely on the embed provider's analytics.
Common mistakes
- Embedding YouTube without enabling the IFrame Player API.
- Expecting non-YouTube players to be auto-tracked.
- Reading video_complete as full attention rather than reaching the end.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Video title records the content engaged with, not the viewer. Embedding third-party players can set their own cookies; WebmasterID measures engagement first-party and does not control the embedded provider's tracking.
Related pages
- Percent scrolled dimension: a coarse depth signal
Percent scrolled is the dimension that records how far down a page a visitor scrolled. GA4 enhanced measurement, by default, fires a single scroll event at the 90% depth threshold, carrying percent_scrolled. It is a coarse engagement proxy: out of the box it tells you only whether someone reached near the bottom, and scroll depth is not the same as reading or attention.
- File name dimension: tracking downloads
File name is the dimension that records which document a visitor downloaded. GA4 enhanced measurement fires a file_download event when a link points to a recognised file extension, capturing file_name, file_extension, and link_text. It only watches a fixed list of common extensions (pdf, docx, xlsx, zip, and similar), so downloads with other extensions or behind redirects can go uncounted.
- Video engagement events
Video engagement events record interaction with embedded video: video_start, video_progress (at 10/25/50/75% milestones), and video_complete. GA4's enhanced measurement captures these for supported embeds automatically. They turn an opaque 'a video exists' into a watch-depth signal — and because progress is milestone-based, you can see where viewers drop off rather than only that they pressed play.
- Event Explorer
Inspect video engagement events first-party.
Sources and verification notes
- Google Analytics Help — [GA4] Enhanced measurement eventsDocuments video engagement events and the YouTube IFrame API requirement.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.