How ClickPatrol events work
Step 1: Configure triggers in Google Tag Manager
Step 2: Send events to GA4 via GTM
Step 3: Create audiences in GA4 based on ClickPatrol events
Processing time in GA4
Summary

Once ClickPatrol is correctly installed on your website, it automatically sends specific events based on visitor behavior. These events can be used in Google Tag Manager (GTM) to trigger tags or in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to build audiences.

The two key events that ClickPatrol sends are:

legitimate – triggered for visits identified as valid/human
suspicious – triggered for visits identified as suspicious or likely invalid traffic

This article explains how these events work and how to use them in both GTM and GA4.

How ClickPatrol events work

ClickPatrol monitors visitor behavior and sends events directly into the browser via the dataLayer, which is used by Google Tag Manager. These events are pushed as soon as a visitor is identified as either legitimate or suspicious.

You do not need to manually configure anything within ClickPatrol to activate these events — once the script is installed and active, the events are pushed automatically.

Step 1: Configure triggers in Google Tag Manager

Log in to your GTM workspace
Go to Triggers and click New
Choose Trigger Type: Custom Event
In the Event Name field, enter legitimate (repeat these steps for suspicious)
Set This trigger fires on: All Custom Events
Save the trigger

Now you can use these triggers to fire any tag you want — for example:

Send a conversion only if the visitor was legitimate
Fire an alert or log tag when a suspicious visit occurs

Step 2: Send events to GA4 via GTM

In GTM, go to Tags and click New
Choose Tag Type: GA4 Event
Select your GA4 configuration tag or enter your Measurement ID
Set the Event Name to legitimate or suspicious (depending on the trigger)
Add any optional parameters (e.g., page path, timestamp)
Under Triggering, choose the corresponding trigger you created
Save and publish your container

This ensures the events appear in your GA4 reports.

Step 3: Create audiences in GA4 based on ClickPatrol events

Go to your GA4 property
Navigate to Admin > Audiences
Click New Audience
Choose Create a custom audience
Add a condition: Event name equals legitimate (or suspicious)
Optionally, refine with additional criteria (e.g., landing page, device type)
Save the audience

You can now use these audiences for analysis or in Google Ads (if linked) for retargeting or exclusion.

Processing time in GA4

Note that events sent to GA4 may not appear immediately. Due to how GA4 processes and batches data, it can take several hours — and sometimes up to 24 hours — before the events are visible in your reports or audience builder. This is normal behavior within the GA4 system.

Summary

By integrating ClickPatrol events with Google Tag Manager and GA4, you can:

Filter out suspicious users from conversions
Create reliable audiences for remarketing
Improve data quality and ad targeting

If you don’t see the events firing, make sure the ClickPatrol script is correctly placed on your site and that your GTM container is published.

Abisola

Meet Abisola! As the content manager at ClickPatrol, she’s the go-to expert on all things fake traffic. From bot clicks to ad fraud, Abisola knows how to spot, stop, and educate others about the sneaky tactics that inflate numbers but don’t bring real results.

View all posts by Abisola

Using ClickPatrol events in Google Tag Manager and GA4

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