analytics-tracking

Before implementing tracking, understand:

1. Business Context

- What decisions will this data inform?

- What are the key conversion actions?

- What questions need answering?

1. Current State

- What tracking exists?

- What tools are in use (GA4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.)?

- What's working/not working?

1. Technical Context

- What's the tech stack?

- Who will implement and maintain?

- Any privacy/compliance requirements?

---

1. Track for Decisions, Not Data

• Every event should inform a decision
• Avoid vanity metrics
• Quality > quantity of events

2. Start with the Questions

• What do you need to know?
• What actions will you take based on this data?
• Work backwards to what you need to track

3. Name Things Consistently

• Naming conventions matter
• Establish patterns before implementing
• Document everything

4. Maintain Data Quality

• Validate implementation
• Monitor for issues
• Clean data > more data

---

Structure

```

Event Name | Event Category | Properties | Trigger | Notes

---------- | ------------- | ---------- | ------- | -----

```

Event Types

Pageviews

• Automatic in most tools
• Enhanced with page metadata

User Actions

• Button clicks
• Form submissions
• Feature usage
• Content interactions

System Events

• Signup completed
• Purchase completed
• Subscription changed
• Errors occurred

Custom Conversions

• Goal completions
• Funnel stages
• Business-specific milestones

---

Format Options

Object-Action (Recommended)

```

signup_completed

button_clicked

form_submitted

article_read

```

Action-Object

```

click_button

submit_form

complete_signup

```

Category_Object_Action

```

checkout_payment_completed

blog_article_viewed

onboarding_step_completed

```

Best Practices

• Lowercase with underscores
• Be specific: cta_hero_clicked vs. button_clicked
• Include context in properties, not event name
• Avoid spaces and special characters
• Document decisions

---

Marketing Site

Navigation

• page_view (enhanced)
• outbound_link_clicked
• scroll_depth (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)

Engagement

• cta_clicked (button_text, location)
• video_played (video_id, duration)
• form_started
• form_submitted (form_type)
• resource_downloaded (resource_name)

Conversion

• signup_started
• signup_completed
• demo_requested
• contact_submitted

Product/App

Onboarding

• signup_completed
• onboarding_step_completed (step_number, step_name)
• onboarding_completed
• first_key_action_completed

Core Usage

• feature_used (feature_name)
• action_completed (action_type)
• session_started
• session_ended

Monetization

• trial_started
• pricing_viewed
• checkout_started
• purchase_completed (plan, value)
• subscription_cancelled

E-commerce

Browsing

• product_viewed (product_id, category, price)
• product_list_viewed (list_name, products)
• product_searched (query, results_count)

Cart

• product_added_to_cart
• product_removed_from_cart
• cart_viewed

Checkout

• checkout_started
• checkout_step_completed (step)
• payment_info_entered
• purchase_completed (order_id, value, products)

---

Standard Properties to Consider

Page/Screen

• page_title
• page_location (URL)
• page_referrer
• content_group

User

• user_id (if logged in)
• user_type (free, paid, admin)
• account_id (B2B)
• plan_type

Campaign

• source
• medium
• campaign
• content
• term

Product (e-commerce)

• product_id
• product_name
• category
• price
• quantity
• currency

Timing

• timestamp
• session_duration
• time_on_page

Best Practices

• Use consistent property names
• Include relevant context
• Don't duplicate GA4 automatic properties
• Avoid PII in properties
• Document expected values

---

Configuration

Data Streams

• One stream per platform (web, iOS, Android)
• Enable enhanced measurement

Enhanced Measurement Events

• page_view (automatic)
• scroll (90% depth)
• outbound_click
• site_search
• video_engagement
• file_download

Recommended Events

• Use Google's predefined events when possible
• Correct naming for enhanced reporting
• See: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735

Custom Events (GA4)

```javascript

// gtag.js

gtag('event', 'signup_completed', {

'method': 'email',

'plan': 'free'

});

// Google Tag Manager (dataLayer)

dataLayer.push({

'event': 'signup_completed',

'method': 'email',

'plan': 'free'

});

```

Conversions Setup

1. Collect event in GA4
2. Mark as conversion in Admin > Events
3. Set conversion counting (once per session or every time)
4. Import to Google Ads if needed

Custom Dimensions and Metrics

When to use:

• Properties you want to segment by
• Metrics you want to aggregate
• Beyond standard parameters

Setup:

1. Create in Admin > Custom definitions
2. Scope: Event, User, or Item
3. Parameter name must match

---

Container Structure

Tags

• GA4 Configuration (base)
• GA4 Event tags (one per event or grouped)
• Conversion pixels (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

Triggers

• Page View (DOM Ready, Window Loaded)
• Click - All Elements / Just Links
• Form Submission
• Custom Events

Variables

• Built-in: Click Text, Click URL, Page Path, etc.
• Data Layer variables
• JavaScript variables
• Lookup tables

Best Practices

• Use folders to organize
• Consistent naming (Tag_Type_Description)
• Version notes on every publish
• Preview mode for testing
• Workspaces for team collaboration

Data Layer Pattern

```javascript

// Push custom event

dataLayer.push({

'event': 'form_submitted',

'form_name': 'contact',

'form_location': 'footer'

});

// Set user properties

dataLayer.push({

'user_id': '12345',

'user_type': 'premium'

});

// E-commerce event

dataLayer.push({

'event': 'purchase',

'ecommerce': {

'transaction_id': 'T12345',

'value': 99.99,

'currency': 'USD',

'items': [{

'item_id': 'SKU123',

'item_name': 'Product Name',

'price': 99.99

}]

}

});

```

---

Standard Parameters

| Parameter | Purpose | Example |

|-----------|---------|---------|

| utm_source | Where traffic comes from | google, facebook, newsletter |

| utm_medium | Marketing medium | cpc, email, social, referral |

| utm_campaign | Campaign name | spring_sale, product_launch |

| utm_content | Differentiate versions | hero_cta, sidebar_link |

| utm_term | Paid search keywords | running+shoes |

Naming Conventions

Lowercase everything

• google, not Google
• email, not Email

Use underscores or hyphens consistently

• product_launch or product-launch
• Pick one, stick with it

Be specific but concise

• blog_footer_cta, not cta1
• 2024_q1_promo, not promo

UTM Documentation

Track all UTMs in a spreadsheet or tool:

| Campaign | Source | Medium | Content | Full URL | Owner | Date |

|----------|--------|--------|---------|----------|-------|------|

| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

UTM Builder

Provide a consistent UTM builder link to team:

• Google's URL builder
• Internal tool
• Spreadsheet formula

---

Testing Tools

GA4 DebugView

• Real-time event monitoring
• Enable with ?debug_mode=true
• Or via Chrome extension

GTM Preview Mode

• Test triggers and tags
• See data layer state
• Validate before publish

Browser Extensions

• GA Debugger
• Tag Assistant
• dataLayer Inspector

Validation Checklist

• [ ] Events firing on correct triggers
• [ ] Property values populating correctly
• [ ] No duplicate events
• [ ] Works across browsers
• [ ] Works on mobile
• [ ] Conversions recorded correctly
• [ ] User ID passing when logged in
• [ ] No PII leaking

Common Issues

Events not firing

• Trigger misconfigured
• Tag paused
• GTM not loaded on page

Wrong values

• Variable not configured
• Data layer not pushing correctly
• Timing issues (fire before data ready)

Duplicate events

• Multiple GTM containers
• Multiple tag instances
• Trigger firing multiple times

---

Considerations

• Cookie consent required in EU/UK/CA
• No PII in analytics properties
• Data retention settings
• User deletion capabilities
• Cross-device tracking consent

Implementation

Consent Mode (GA4)

• Wait for consent before tracking
• Use consent mode for partial tracking
• Integrate with consent management platform

Data Minimization

• Only collect what you need
• IP anonymization
• No PII in custom dimensions

---

Tracking Plan Document

```

# [Site/Product] Tracking Plan

• Tools: GA4, GTM
• Last updated: [Date]
• Owner: [Name]

Marketing Events

| Event Name | Description | Properties | Trigger |

|------------|-------------|------------|---------|

| signup_started | User initiates signup | source, page | Click signup CTA |

| signup_completed | User completes signup | method, plan | Signup success page |

Product Events

[Similar table]

| Name | Scope | Parameter | Description |

|------|-------|-----------|-------------|

| user_type | User | user_type | Free, trial, paid |

| Conversion | Event | Counting | Google Ads |

|------------|-------|----------|------------|

| Signup | signup_completed | Once per session | Yes |

[Guidelines]

```

Implementation Code

Provide ready-to-use code snippets

Testing Checklist

Specific validation steps

---

If you need more context:

1. What tools are you using (GA4, Mixpanel, etc.)?
2. What key actions do you want to track?
3. What decisions will this data inform?
4. Who implements - dev team or marketing?
5. Are there privacy/consent requirements?
6. What's already tracked?

---

• ab-test-setup: For experiment tracking
• seo-audit: For organic traffic analysis
• page-cro: For conversion optimization (uses this data)