analytics-tracking

name	analytics-tracking
version	1.0
description	ACTIVATE when the user wants to SET UP or audit analytics tracking — GA4 install, GTM setup, event tracking, UTM parameters, conversion tracking, tracking plan. Trigger phrases: 'set up tracking', 'GA4 setup', 'conversion tracking', 'event tracking', 'UTM parameters', 'tag manager', 'GTM', 'analytics implementation', 'tracking plan'. For PULLING/REPORTING GA4 data, see google-analytics. For search-side data, see search-console.

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

Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before implementing tracking, understand:

1. Business Context - What decisions will this data inform? What are key conversions?
2. Current State - What tracking exists? What tools are in use?
3. Technical Context - What's the tech stack? 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 | Category | Properties | Trigger | Notes
---------- | -------- | ---------- | ------- | -----

Event Types

Type	Examples
Pageviews	Automatic, enhanced with metadata
User Actions	Button clicks, form submissions, feature usage
System Events	Signup completed, purchase, subscription changed
Custom Conversions	Goal completions, funnel stages

For comprehensive event lists: See references/event-library.md

---

Event Naming Conventions

Recommended Format: Object-Action

signup_completed
button_clicked
form_submitted
article_read
checkout_payment_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

---

Essential Events

Marketing Site

Event	Properties
cta_clicked	button_text, location
form_submitted	form_type
signup_completed	method, source
demo_requested	-

Product/App

Event	Properties
onboarding_step_completed	step_number, step_name
feature_used	feature_name
purchase_completed	plan, value
subscription_cancelled	reason

For full event library by business type: See references/event-library.md

---

Event Properties

Standard Properties

Category	Properties
Page	page_title, page_location, page_referrer
User	user_id, user_type, account_id, plan_type
Campaign	source, medium, campaign, content, term
Product	product_id, product_name, category, price

Best Practices

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

---

GA4 Implementation

Quick Setup

1. Create GA4 property and data stream
2. Install gtag.js or GTM
3. Enable enhanced measurement
4. Configure custom events
5. Mark conversions in Admin

Custom Event Example

gtag('event', 'signup_completed', {
  'method': 'email',
  'plan': 'free'
});

For detailed GA4 implementation: See references/ga4-implementation.md

---

Google Tag Manager

Container Structure

Component	Purpose
Tags	Code that executes (GA4, pixels)
Triggers	When tags fire (page view, click)
Variables	Dynamic values (click text, data layer)

Data Layer Pattern

dataLayer.push({
  'event': 'form_submitted',
  'form_name': 'contact',
  'form_location': 'footer'
});

For detailed GTM implementation: See references/gtm-implementation.md

---

UTM Parameter Strategy

Standard Parameters

Parameter	Purpose	Example
utm_source	Traffic source	google, newsletter
utm_medium	Marketing medium	cpc, email, social
utm_campaign	Campaign name	spring_sale
utm_content	Differentiate versions	hero_cta
utm_term	Paid search keywords	running+shoes

Naming Conventions

• Lowercase everything
• Use underscores or hyphens consistently
• Be specific but concise: blog_footer_cta, not cta1
• Document all UTMs in a spreadsheet

---

Debugging and Validation

Testing Tools

Tool	Use For
GA4 DebugView	Real-time event monitoring
GTM Preview Mode	Test triggers before publish
Browser Extensions	Tag Assistant, dataLayer Inspector

Validation Checklist

• Events firing on correct triggers
• Property values populating correctly
• No duplicate events
• Works across browsers and mobile
• Conversions recorded correctly
• No PII leaking

Common Issues

Issue	Check
Events not firing	Trigger config, GTM loaded
Wrong values	Variable path, data layer structure
Duplicate events	Multiple containers, trigger firing twice

---

Privacy and Compliance

Considerations

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

Implementation

• Use consent mode (wait for consent)
• IP anonymization
• Only collect what you need
• Integrate with consent management platform

---

Output Format

Tracking Plan Document

# [Site/Product] Tracking Plan

## Overview
- Tools: GA4, GTM
- Last updated: [Date]

## Events

| Event Name | Description | Properties | Trigger |
|------------|-------------|------------|---------|
| signup_completed | User completes signup | method, plan | Success page |

## Custom Dimensions

| Name | Scope | Parameter |
|------|-------|-----------|
| user_type | User | user_type |

## Conversions

| Conversion | Event | Counting |
|------------|-------|----------|
| Signup | signup_completed | Once per session |

---

Task-Specific Questions

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?

---

Tool Integrations

Key analytics tools by use case:

Tool	Best For
GA4	Web analytics, Google ecosystem — deep dive in references/ga4-implementation.md
GTM	Container-based tag management — deep dive in references/gtm-implementation.md
Mixpanel	Product analytics, event tracking
Amplitude	Product analytics, cohort analysis
PostHog	Open-source analytics, session replay
Segment	Customer data platform, routing

---

Related Skills

• marketing-analytics:google-analytics — pull/report GA4 data once tracking is live
• marketing-analytics:search-console — search-side reporting complement
• marketing-content:seo-audit — site-health audit that feeds tracking priorities