analytics-tracking

name	analytics-tracking
description	Use when the user wants to set up, audit, or improve their analytics and tracking. Also use when the user mentions 'analytics,' 'tracking,' 'GA4,' 'Google Analytics,' 'GTM,' 'events,' 'conversions,' 'pixels,' 'UTMs,' 'attribution,' or 'what data should we track.'

Analytics Tracking

Expertise in instrumentation that connects user behavior to business outcomes. Bad tracking is noise. Good tracking answers: where do users drop off, which channels actually convert, and what does activation look like before churn?

Event Priority by Product Stage

Not all events are worth instrumenting immediately.

MVP/Prototype: Instrument sign_up, page_view, and one activation event specific to the product. Everything else is noise until the core loop is validated.

Early Users/Pilot: Add feature_used for each key feature and upgrade_intent. These two events tell you whether users understand the product and whether they're hitting the paywall at the right moment.

Growth/Candidate: Full event taxonomy. Add churn_signal — 90-day retention hinges on catching users before they cancel, not after.

Production: Add server-side events for purchase confirmation (prevents ad platform under-reporting due to browser blocking).

Core Event Taxonomy

Universal Events (every product stage)

Event	When to fire	Key properties
page_view	Every page load	page_path, page_title, referrer
sign_up	Account created	method (google/email/github), plan
login	User authenticates	method
sign_out	User logs out	session_duration

Activation Events (Pilot stage+)

Event	When to fire	Key properties
feature_used	First time user uses a key feature	feature_name, user_id
onboarding_complete	User finishes setup flow	steps_completed, time_to_complete
aha_moment	User reaches the product's core value	specific to product
upgrade_intent	User views pricing/upgrade page	source, plan_viewed

Revenue Events (Candidate stage+)

Event	When to fire	Key properties
purchase	Successful payment	revenue, currency, plan, billing_cycle
subscription_started	Trial converts to paid	plan, trial_duration
subscription_cancelled	User cancels	plan, reason, tenure
churn_signal	User hasn't activated in N days	days_inactive, plan

GTM vs Direct Implementation

GTM (Google Tag Manager) is worth the setup cost as soon as you have 2+ tracking destinations.

Without GTM: Every new pixel means a code deploy. With GTM: New pixel = 10-minute GTM configuration, no code change.

Setup order:

1. Install GTM snippet (one code deploy)
2. Route all events through dataLayer.push()
3. Add destinations (GA4, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag) as GTM tags
4. New destinations never require code changes again

dataLayer push pattern:

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
window.dataLayer.push({
  event: 'sign_up',
  method: 'google',
  plan: 'free'
});

GA4 Setup

Required configuration:

• GA4 property created and connected to GTM
• Enhanced measurement enabled (page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads)
• Conversion events marked (sign_up, purchase, activation event)
• Data retention set to 14 months (default is 2 months — change this immediately)
• Audiences created (signed in users, paying customers, churned users)

Key reports to configure:

• Funnel exploration: sign_up → activation → upgrade
• Cohort exploration: retention by signup week
• User explorer: individual user journey for debugging

Pixel Setup by Platform

Meta Pixel

Required events:

• PageView — fires on every page (handled by pixel base code)
• Lead — fires on lead magnet download or demo request
• CompleteRegistration — fires on account creation
• Purchase — fires on successful payment (with value and currency)

Conversions API (CAPI): Implement server-side events for purchases. Browser-blocking loses 15-30% of conversion events. CAPI sends directly from your server, bypassing blockers.

Google Ads Tag

Required: Conversion action for each key goal (sign_up, purchase). Import conversions from GA4 rather than implementing a separate tag — reduces measurement fragmentation.

LinkedIn Insight Tag

Required for B2B: Fires on all pages. Powers demographic reporting (job title, industry, seniority of your website visitors) and retargeting audiences.

UTM Parameter Strategy

Every link in every email, ad, and social post must have UTMs. Without UTMs, GA4 attributes traffic to "direct" and your channel data is unusable.

Standard UTM structure:

?utm_source=[source]&utm_medium=[medium]&utm_campaign=[campaign]&utm_content=[content]&utm_term=[term]

Naming convention: snake_case, lowercase, no spaces. Inconsistent UTMs = broken attribution.

Field	What it tracks	Examples
utm_source	Where traffic comes from	google, linkedin, newsletter
utm_medium	Marketing channel type	cpc, email, organic_social
utm_campaign	Specific campaign name	q1_lead_gen, product_launch
utm_content	Ad variant or link variant	hero_cta, footer_link
utm_term	Keyword (paid search)	project_management_software

Create a UTM builder spreadsheet so every team member uses the same naming convention. One inconsistency (e.g., Email vs email) creates a separate source in GA4.

Attribution Models

Last-click: All credit to the last touchpoint before conversion. Undervalues top-of-funnel content. Use at MVP stage.

Data-driven (GA4 default): Requires 400+ conversions/30 days to activate. Use at Growth stage+.

First-click: Useful for understanding acquisition channels. Run alongside last-click.

Never make channel budget decisions based on last-click alone after early stage — it systematically underfunds content and SEO.

Tracking Audit

When auditing existing tracking, grep for:

grep -rn "gtag\|dataLayer\|analytics\|pixel\|fbq\|_gaq" src/ --include="*.js" --include="*.ts" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.tsx"

Findings tell you: what's already tracked, where events fire, whether GTM is in place.

Common audit findings:

• Events firing on every render instead of once per action
• Missing properties on events (events fire but have no useful data)
• Duplicate tracking (both GTM and hardcoded pixels)
• Events not verified in GA4 DebugView or Meta Events Manager

Common Rationalizations

Rationalization	Reality
"We'll add tracking after launch"	You lose launch-day data forever. Attribution for your best traffic day is gone.
"We just need Google Analytics"	GA4 alone is fine at MVP. At Pilot you need conversion events. At Candidate you need the full pixel stack.
"UTMs are too much overhead"	One UTM naming convention doc prevents months of broken attribution. The overhead is 30 minutes once.
"Server-side tracking is too complex"	Browser-side tracking loses 15-30% of conversions to ad blockers at Candidate stage. Server-side is a sprint, not a rewrite.

Verification

• GTM installed and dataLayer events confirmed firing (GTM Preview mode)
• GA4 receiving events (DebugView shows events in real time)
• Conversion events marked in GA4
• Meta Pixel verified in Events Manager (events showing)
• UTM naming convention documented and shared with team
• Attribution model selected and documented
• Data retention set to 14 months in GA4
• Server-side CAPI implemented for purchase events (if running Meta ads)