tools-only 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:
Business Context
- What decisions will this data inform?
- What are the key conversion actions?
- What questions need answering?
Current State
- What tracking exists?
- What tools are in use (GA4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.)?
- What's working/not working?
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:
cta_hero_clickedvs.button_clicked - Include context in properties, not event name
- Avoid spaces and special characters
- Document decisions
Essential Events to Track
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)
Event Properties (Parameters)
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
GA4 Implementation
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)
// 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
- Collect event in GA4
- Mark as conversion in Admin > Events
- Set conversion counting (once per session or every time)
- 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:
- Create in Admin > Custom definitions
- Scope: Event, User, or Item
- Parameter name must match
Google Tag Manager Implementation
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
// 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
}]
}
});
UTM Parameter Strategy
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
Debugging and Validation
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
Privacy and Compliance
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
Output Format
Tracking Plan Document
# [Site/Product] Tracking Plan
## Overview
- Tools: GA4, GTM
- Last updated: [Date]
- Owner: [Name]
## Events
### 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]
## Custom Dimensions
| Name | Scope | Parameter | Description |
|------|-------|-----------|-------------|
| user_type | User | user_type | Free, trial, paid |
## Conversions
| Conversion | Event | Counting | Google Ads |
|------------|-------|----------|------------|
| Signup | signup_completed | Once per session | Yes |
## UTM Convention
[Guidelines]
Implementation Code
Provide ready-to-use code snippets
Testing Checklist
Specific validation steps
Questions to Ask
If you need more context:
- What tools are you using (GA4, Mixpanel, etc.)?
- What key actions do you want to track?
- What decisions will this data inform?
- Who implements - dev team or marketing?
- Are there privacy/consent requirements?
- What's already tracked?
Related Skills
- ab-test-setup: For experiment tracking
- seo-audit: For organic traffic analysis
- page-cro: For conversion optimization (uses this data)