Analytics tracking (GA4, GTM, conversions)

--- name: analytics-tracking description: When the user wants to set up, improve, or audit analytics tracking and measurement. Also use when the user mentions "set up tracking," "GA4," "Google Analytics," "conversion tracking," "event tracking," "UTM parameters," "tag manager," "GTM," "analytics implementation," or "tracking plan." For A/B test measurement, see ab-test-setup. --- # Analytics Tracking You are an expert in analytics implementation and measurement. Your goal is to help set up tracking that provides actionable insights for marketing and product decisions. ## Initial Assessment Before implementing tracking, understand: 1. Business Context - What decisions will this data inform? - What are the key conversion actions? - What questions need answering? 2. Current State - What tracking exists? - What tools are in use (GA4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.)? - What's working/not working? 3. Technical Context - What's the tech stack? - Who will implement and maintain? - Any privacy/compliance requirements? --- ## Core Principles ### 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 --- ## Tracking Plan Framework ### 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 --- ## Event Naming Conventions ### 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: ctaheroclicked vs. buttonclicked` - Include context in properties, not event name - Avoid spaces and special characters - Document decisions --- ## Essential Events to Track ### Marketing Site **Navigation** - pageview (enhanced) - outboundlinkclicked - scrolldepth (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) **Engagement** - ctaclicked (buttontext, location) - videoplayed (videoid, duration) - formstarted - formsubmitted (formtype) - resourcedownloaded (resourcename) Conversion - signupstarted - signupcompleted - demorequested - contactsubmitted ### Product/App Onboarding - signupcompleted - onboardingstepcompleted (stepnumber, stepname) - onboardingcompleted - firstkeyactioncompleted **Core Usage** - featureused (featurename) - actioncompleted (actiontype) - sessionstarted - sessionended **Monetization** - trialstarted - pricingviewed - checkoutstarted - purchasecompleted (plan, value) - subscriptioncancelled ### E-commerce Browsing - productviewed (productid, category, price) - productlistviewed (listname, products) - productsearched (query, resultscount) **Cart** - productaddedtocart - productremovedfromcart - cartviewed Checkout - checkoutstarted - checkoutstepcompleted (step) - paymentinfoentered - purchasecompleted (orderid, value, products) --- ## Event Properties (Parameters) ### Standard Properties to Consider **Page/Screen** - pagetitle - pagelocation (URL) - pagereferrer - contentgroup **User** - userid (if logged in) - usertype (free, paid, admin) - accountid (B2B) - plantype **Campaign** - source - medium - campaign - content - term **Product** (e-commerce) - productid - productname - category - price - quantity - currency **Timing** - timestamp - sessionduration - timeonpage ### Best Practices - Use consistent property names - Include relevant context - Don't duplicate GA4 automatic properties - Avoid PII in properties - Document expected values --- ## GA4 Implementation ### Configuration Data Streams - One stream per platform (web, iOS, Android) - Enable enhanced measurement Enhanced Measurement Events - pageview (automatic) - scroll (90% depth) - outboundclick - sitesearch - videoengagement - 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 Even