Question from Reddit user:
I have created a custom event and a custom parameter for GA4 Event in Google tag manager. The custom event name is “no_search_results” and the custom parameter is “no_search_results_term”. This event is recording our website search by user with zero results and the term entered by the user.
Now I can see the event no_search_results showing in realtime report, when I click i can also see the no_search_results_term showing.
But I am not sure how to create a custom report under Reports > Library > Detailed report where I can see the event parameter list (i.e no_search_results_term)? Under dimension I select event and then filter the event name i.e no_search_results but not sure how to display parameter i.e no_search_results_term in the report column (list of terms)
Answer from Nabil:
The short answer is:
The reason your custom parameter is not showing up as a dimension option for a column in your GA4 report is that you must first explicitly register the custom parameter in the GA4 interface.
Seeing the parameter in the real-time report confirms it’s being collected correctly via Google Tag Manager, but before it can be used in standard or custom reports in the Library, it must be set up as a Custom Dimension.
Once you register no_search_results_term as a custom dimension, it will appear in the dimension selector and can be added as a column in the Detailed report.
The long answer is:
That is a very common point of confusion with GA4 – getting a custom parameter to show up in the real-time report is only the first step.
To use any custom parameter in the standard and detailed reports found in the Reports section of the GA4 interface, you have to go into Configure > Custom definitions and formally register that parameter as a Custom Dimension.
Since your parameter, no_search_results_term, is an event-scoped parameter, you will click the “Create custom dimensions” button, name your dimension something descriptive like “No Search Results Term,” select Event for the Scope, and then enter the exact parameter name, no_search_results_term, in the Event parameter field.
After you save this new custom dimension, it can take up to 48 hours to fully process the data and for the dimension to become available for use in your reports.
Once it is available, you will go back to your Reports > Library, edit or create a new Detailed report, and when adding dimensions, you will find your newly registered dimension listed under the Custom heading.
You can then use it as the primary dimension or add it as an additional column to your custom report.
While the built-in custom reports work for basic needs, a more powerful and sustainable solution for advanced analysis is to leverage the Google Analytics Data API to pull your no_search_results event data directly.
This data can then be connected to Looker Studio via its connector or the Looker Studio API for visualization.
This is an excellent solution because the API gives you immediate access to your parameter data without the processing delay of the custom dimension registration, provides greater flexibility in visualization beyond the simple GA4 table, and allows you to combine your event data with other external data sources.
Furthermore, if you are utilizing Google Tag Manager and a server-side environment like Stape or Google Cloud Platform, you can clean, transform, and enhance the no_search_results_term data before it even hits GA4, ensuring a higher quality, more consistent dataset for your API and Looker Studio reports.
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