How to Track Contact Form 7 Submissions with Google Tag Manager and GA4

4. Set to run on Frontend only

5. Click Save Changes and Activate

Option B: Add to Theme's functions.php

If you prefer to add directly to your theme (note: updates may overwrite this):

1. Go to Appearance → Theme File Editor

2. Select functions.php

3. Add the same code above at the bottom

4. Click Update File

What This Code Does:

• Listens for Contact Form 7's wpcf7mailsent event (fires only on successful submission)
• Extracts form ID and submission details
• Pushes structured data to GTM's dataLayer
• Includes form location for analyzing which pages convert best

Step 2: Create a GTM Trigger for Form Submissions

Now we'll configure GTM to listen for the custom event we're pushing.

In Google Tag Manager:

1. Go to Triggers → New

2. Name: "CF7 - Form Submission"

3. Trigger Type: Custom Event

4. Event name: form_submission

5. This trigger fires on: All Custom Events

6. Click Save

Alternative (More Specific):

If you want to track only CF7 forms (useful if you have multiple form types):

1. Create a new Trigger Variable first:

- Variables → New → Data Layer Variable

- Data Layer Variable Name: formType

- Name: "Form Type"

2. In the trigger configuration:

- Set This trigger fires on: Some Custom Events

- Add condition: Form Type equals contact_form_7

Step 3: Create Data Layer Variables (Optional but Recommended)

To capture form details in GA4, create these variables:

1. Variables → New → Data Layer Variable

- Data Layer Variable Name: formId

- Variable Name: "Form ID"

- Click Save

2. Variables → New → Data Layer Variable

- Data Layer Variable Name: formName

- Variable Name: "Form Name"

- Click Save

3. Variables → New → Data Layer Variable

- Data Layer Variable Name: formLocation

- Variable Name: "Form Location"

- Click Save

These variables let you see which specific form was submitted and from which page.

Step 4: Create a GA4 Event Tag

Now we'll send the form submission data to Google Analytics 4.

In Google Tag Manager:

1. Go to Tags → New

2. Name: "GA4 - Contact Form Submission"

3. Tag Type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event

4. Configuration Tag: Select your GA4 Configuration tag

5. Event Name: form_submission

6. Event Parameters (click "Add Row" for each):

- Parameter Name: form_type | Value: {{Form Type}}

- Parameter Name: form_id | Value: {{Form ID}}

- Parameter Name: form_name | Value: {{Form Name}}

- Parameter Name: form_location | Value: {{Form Location}}

7. Triggering: Select "CF7 - Form Submission" trigger

8. Click Save

Why These Parameters Matter:

• form_type: Distinguish CF7 from other form plugins
• form_id: Track performance of specific forms
• form_name: Human-readable form identifier
• form_location: Identify which pages drive conversions

Step 5: Test Your Implementation

Before publishing, verify everything works correctly.

Using GTM Preview Mode:

1. In GTM, click Preview

2. Enter your website URL

3. In a new tab, your website loads with GTM debug panel

4. Navigate to a page with a Contact Form 7

5. Fill out and submit the form

6. In the GTM debug panel, check:

- "form_submission" event appears in the event stream

- Your GA4 tag fires on this event

- Variables populate correctly (Form ID, Form Name, etc.)

Check the Browser Console:

1. Open Developer Tools (F12)

2. Go to Console tab

3. Submit the form

4. Look for: CF7 form submitted: [form ID]

5. Check dataLayer: Type dataLayer in console and press Enter

6. Verify the form_submission object exists with correct data

Expected dataLayer Object:

{
    event: "form_submission",
    formType: "contact_form_7",
    formId: "123",
    formName: "cf7-form-123",
    formLocation: "/contact/"
}

Step 6: Publish Your GTM Container

Once testing confirms everything works:

1. Click Submit in GTM (top right)

2. Add Version Name: "Added CF7 form tracking"

3. Add Description: "Implemented Contact Form 7 submission tracking for GA4"

4. Click Publish

Step 7: Verify Data in Google Analytics 4

After publishing, verify events reach GA4:

Real-Time Reports:

1. In GA4, go to Reports → Realtime

2. Submit a test form on your website

3. Within 30 seconds, you should see:

- Event count increase under "Event count by Event name"

- "form_submission" event listed

4. Click on the event to see parameters (form_id, form_name, etc.)

DebugView (Recommended):

1. Install Google Analytics Debugger Chrome extension

2. Enable it and refresh your website

3. In GA4, go to Configure → DebugView

4. Submit the form

5. See detailed event data including all parameters

Note: Standard GA4 reports take 24-48 hours to populate. Use Realtime or DebugView for immediate verification.

Step 8: Create Custom Reports and Conversions

Mark Form Submissions as Conversions:

1. In GA4, go to Configure → Events

2. Find form_submission in the event list

3. Toggle Mark as conversion to ON

4. This event now counts as a goal completion

Create Conversion Reports:

1. Go to Reports → Engagement → Conversions

2. See total form submissions by traffic source

3. Click into form_submission for detailed breakdown

Set Up Exploration for Advanced Analysis:

1. Explore → Create new exploration

2. Technique: Free form

3. Dimensions: Add Session source/medium, Page location, Form name

4. Metrics: Add Event count, Conversions

5. Rows: Session source/medium

6. Values: Event count (form_submission)

7. Filters: Event name = form_submission

This shows which traffic sources drive the most form submissions.

Common Pitfalls That Cost You Data

Mistake 1: Not Filtering Out Spam Submissions

Problem: Bots and spam submissions inflate your conversion data, making CPL calculations inaccurate.

Impact: You think you're getting 50 leads per month, but only 30 are real. Your actual CPL is 67% higher than reported.

Fix:

• Install a CF7 spam filter (reCAPTCHA, Akismet)
• Only track wpcf7mailsent event (already implemented above—this fires only on successful submissions)
• Use honeypot fields to catch bots before they submit

Mistake 2: Not Tracking Form Location

Problem: You have contact forms on multiple pages but don't know which pages convert best.

Impact: You can't optimize page content or prioritize traffic to high-converting pages.

Fix: Already included in our implementation—formLocation parameter captures the page URL.

Mistake 3: Not Setting Up Conversions in Ad Platforms

Problem: Google Ads and Facebook can't optimize for form submissions if they don't receive the conversion data.

Impact: Your campaigns optimize for clicks instead of leads, wasting 30-40% of ad spend.

Fix:

• Import GA4 conversions to Google Ads
• Set up Facebook Conversions API to send server-side form submission events
• Configure TikTok pixel to track form submissions

Mistake 4: Not Testing After WordPress Updates

Problem: WordPress or CF7 plugin updates can break your tracking code.

Impact: You lose weeks of conversion data before noticing.

Fix:

• Add GTM monitoring alerts for sudden drop in form_submission events
• Test tracking after major WordPress updates
• Document your implementation for troubleshooting

Advanced: Send Conversions to Ad Platforms

Basic GA4 tracking is great for analysis, but ad platforms need real-time conversion signals for optimization.

Google Ads Enhanced Conversions:

1. In GTM, modify your GA4 tag

2. Enable Send user data to Google

3. Add email field data if collected in your form

4. Import GA4 conversions to Google Ads (in Google Ads UI)

Facebook Conversions API:

Set up server-side tracking to send CF7 submissions to Facebook:

1. Use Facebook's Conversions API

2. Send Lead event on form submission

3. Include user data (hashed email) for better matching

4. This bypasses iOS 14+ restrictions and improves attribution accuracy by 30-40%

This requires server-side implementation—see "When to Get Professional Help" below.

TikTok Pixel:

1. In GTM, create a new TikTok Pixel tag

2. Event Type: SubmitForm

3. Trigger: CF7 - Form Submission

4. This sends form submission events to TikTok for campaign optimization

When to Get Professional Help

DIY CF7 tracking works for basic implementations, but consider professional help when:

Complexity Indicators:

• Multiple form types (CF7 + Gravity Forms + WooCommerce checkout)
• Multi-step forms requiring step-by-step tracking
• High ad spend (>$10K/month) where tracking errors are costly
• Server-side tracking needed for Facebook CAPI or Google Enhanced Conversions
• Advanced attribution across multiple touchpoints
• Integration with CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce) requiring custom webhooks
• GDPR/privacy compliance requiring consent-gated tracking

Professional Implementation Saves You:

• 20+ hours of troubleshooting and testing
• Costly tracking errors that inflate your CPL calculations
• Lost conversion data from improper setup
• Ad spend waste from platforms lacking conversion signals

Get Expert Form Tracking Implementation

DataLayer.Site Professional Services:

✓ Complete form tracking setup for Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WooCommerce

✓ Multi-platform conversion tracking (Google Ads, Facebook CAPI, TikTok)

✓ Server-side tracking for iOS 14+ attribution accuracy

✓ Lead attribution dashboards showing true cost per lead by channel

✓ CRM integration for closed-loop revenue tracking

✓ 30-day support included

Average Client Results:

• Cost per lead reduction: -25%
• Attribution accuracy: 95%+
• Setup time: 3 days vs 2+ weeks DIY

Investment: Starting at $1,800 for complete form tracking implementation

Get a free 30-minute consultation:

📅 Book a call: Schedule here

📧 Email: contact@datalayer.site

📞 Phone: [To be added]

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Events Not Appearing in GTM Preview

Check:

• Browser console for errors
• CF7 form successfully submits (you receive the email)
• Code snippet is active (check Snippets plugin or functions.php)
• Type dataLayer in browser console—verify form_submission object exists

Solution:

• Clear browser cache
• Disable browser extensions (ad blockers can block GTM)
• Check CF7 JavaScript isn't blocked by security plugins

Problem: Events Fire in GTM but Not in GA4

Check:

• GA4 configuration tag fires before the event tag (check GTM Preview tag sequence)
• GA4 Measurement ID is correct in configuration tag
• Event name is valid (lowercase, no spaces)

Solution:

• Verify GA4 tag fires on "All Pages" before form submission
• Check GA4 DebugView instead of Realtime (more reliable)
• Wait 10-15 minutes and check again

Problem: Form Submissions Count Is Too High

Likely Cause: Spam submissions or multiple events firing

Solution:

• Verify you're using wpcf7mailsent event (not wpcf7submit which fires on all attempts)
• Install spam protection (reCAPTCHA)
• Check GTM Preview—ensure tag fires only once per submission

Problem: Variables Are Empty in GA4

Check:

• Data Layer variables are configured correctly in GTM
• Variable names match exactly (case-sensitive)
• dataLayer object contains the expected values (check browser console)

Solution:

• In GTM Preview, click on the form_submission event → Variables tab
• Verify your Data Layer Variables populate
• Check spelling in your WordPress code snippet

Measuring Success: Key Metrics to Track

Once tracking is live, monitor these metrics weekly:

Conversion Metrics:

• Form submissions by source/medium – Which channels drive leads?
• Conversion rate by landing page – Which pages convert best?
• Form completion rate – How many visitors who see the form actually submit?
• Cost per lead (CPL) – Ad spend ÷ form submissions by channel

Optimization Opportunities:

• High-traffic, low-conversion pages – Improve form placement or page content
• High CPL channels – Reduce spend or improve targeting
• Best-performing traffic sources – Scale budget here
• Time to conversion – How long from first visit to form submission?

Set Up GA4 Custom Reports:

Create a dashboard showing:

1. Form submissions by traffic source (last 30 days)

2. Top converting pages

3. Form submission trend over time

4. Geographic breakdown of leads

Next Steps: Advanced Form Tracking

Once basic CF7 tracking is working, consider:

1. Multi-Step Form Tracking

Track each step of complex forms to identify drop-off points:

• Step 1 viewed
• Step 2 reached
• Step 3 completed

2. Form Field Interaction Tracking

See which fields cause users to abandon:

• Fields focused
• Fields completed
• Fields left blank

3. Form Abandonment Tracking

Retarget users who started but didn't complete forms:

• Create audience in GA4: "Form Started but Not Submitted"
• Use in Google Ads and Facebook retargeting

4. Revenue Attribution

Connect form submissions to closed deals:

• Integrate with CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Track Lead → Opportunity → Closed Won
• Calculate true marketing ROI, not just leads

Want help with advanced tracking? Contact us for custom implementation.

Conclusion

Accurate Contact Form 7 tracking is foundational for data-driven marketing. With this implementation, you now have:

✓ Complete visibility into which traffic sources drive form submissions

✓ Conversion data feeding back to ad platforms for optimization

✓ Cost per lead tracking by channel for budget allocation

✓ Page-level insights showing which content converts visitors into leads

This tracking enables you to reduce wasted ad spend, scale high-performing channels, and calculate true marketing ROI.

Key Takeaways:

1. CF7 doesn't track submissions automatically—manual GTM implementation required

2. Use wpcf7mailsent event for accurate, spam-free conversion data

3. Send conversion signals to ad platforms (Google Ads, Facebook) for campaign optimization

4. Monitor weekly to identify optimization opportunities

Ready for professional implementation? DataLayer.Site offers complete form tracking setup with server-side conversion tracking, attribution dashboards, and CRM integration. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your specific needs.

Need help with your implementation? Comment below with your questions or book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your form tracking challenges.