The sign_up event
sign_up is a GA4 recommended event that fires when a visitor creates an account. It carries a method parameter naming the registration mechanism, such as 'Google', 'email', or 'Apple'. It is a key activation event for products with accounts, marking the move from anonymous visitor to registered user — distinct from logging in, which returning users do repeatedly.
What this means
sign_up is a GA4 recommended event for user registration. It fires once when a visitor completes account creation, and its `method` parameter names how they signed up — 'email', 'Google', 'Apple', and so on. GA4 reports it as a standard event you can mark as a key event/conversion.
It captures activation: the point where someone commits enough to create an account.
Sign up versus log in
Keep sign_up (first-time account creation) separate from login (returning authentication); conflating them inflates either metric. Comparing method values shows which registration paths people prefer and whether any option is underperforming or failing. Record only the method, never the credentials — usernames, emails, and passwords must never enter analytics.
- Fires once when an account is created
- method names the registration mechanism
- Distinct from the recurring login event
How it appears in analytics and logs
A sign_up event means a new account was created. The method parameter shows which registration option people choose; a rarely-used method may be broken or poorly placed.
Diagnostic use case
Mark account creation as an activation milestone and compare sign-up methods to see which registration paths convert best.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record sign-up events first-party with the method label, so registration is measurable without storing account identifiers.
Common mistakes
- Firing sign_up on every login instead of registration.
- Storing email/username in the event.
- Omitting the method parameter.
Privacy and accuracy notes
sign_up should record that an account was created and the method used, not the username, email, or any credential. This is educational, not legal advice.
Related pages
- The login event
login is a GA4 recommended event that fires when a returning user authenticates into an account. It carries a method parameter naming how they signed in. It measures engagement of existing users and, paired with sign_up, distinguishes new registrations from returning authentications — but it must never record credentials.
- The generate_lead event
generate_lead is a GA4 recommended event that fires when a visitor expresses interest in a product or service — typically a form submission for a quote, demo, or contact. It can carry currency and value to express an estimated lead worth. It is the core conversion event for lead-generation sites, but a raw lead count says nothing about lead quality.
- Conversion events (key events)
A conversion event is an ordinary event you have marked as important — a purchase, a signup, a qualified lead. GA4 now calls these 'key events'. Nothing about the event changes; marking it tells the platform to count it as a conversion and build conversion reports around it. The decisions that matter are which events to mark, and whether to count once per session or every time.
- Events documentation
Track sign-ups first-party.
Sources and verification notes
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.