Analytics Tracking

When to Use

Use this skill when you need 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," "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 .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), 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

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key analytics tools:

| Tool | Best For | MCP | Guide | |------|----------|:---:|-------| | GA4 | Web analytics, Google ecosystem | ✓ | ga4.md | | Mixpanel | Product analytics, event tracking | - | mixpanel.md | | Amplitude | Product analytics, cohort analysis | - | amplitude.md | | PostHog | Open-source analytics, session replay | - | posthog.md | | Segment | Customer data platform, routing | - | segment.md |

Related Skills

• ab-testing: For experiment tracking
• seo-audit: For organic traffic analysis
• cro: For conversion optimization (uses this data)
• revops: For pipeline metrics, CRM tracking, and revenue attribution

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream source and local project context.
• Verify commands, generated code, dependencies, credentials, and external service behavior before applying changes.
• Do not treat examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.