Analytics Tracking

Expert analytics implementation — every meaningful action captured accurately, consistently, and actionably.

Before Starting

If marketing-context.md exists, read it first. Then gather: current state (GA4/GTM setup, tech stack, CMP), business context (conversion actions, micro-conversions, paid campaigns), and goals (from scratch, audit, or debug).

How This Skill Works

• Mode 1: Set Up From Scratch — Build tracking plan, implement GA4/GTM, define events, configure conversions
• Mode 2: Audit Existing — Audit coverage, gap-fill, clean up data quality issues
• Mode 3: Debug Issues — Structured debugging for missing events, mismatched numbers, GTM preview issues

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Event Taxonomy Design

Format: object_action (snake_case, verb at end)

Good	Bad
form_submit	submitForm, FormSubmitted
plan_selected	clickPricingPlan
checkout_completed	purchase, checkoutDone

Rules: Always noun_verb, lowercase + underscores only, consistent tense (_started, _completed, _failed).

For the full SaaS event taxonomy catalog, standard parameters, and custom dimension recommendations, see references/event-taxonomy-guide.md.

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GA4 Setup

1. Create property, add web data stream
2. Configure Enhanced Measurement (keep page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, search)
3. Add custom events via GTM data layer (preferred) or gtag
4. Mark conversions (max 30 per property): signup_completed, checkout_completed, demo_requested

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GTM Setup

Use data layer push pattern (most reliable):

window.dataLayer.push({
  event: 'signup_completed',
  signup_method: 'email',
  user_id: userId
});

For full container structure, tag/trigger/variable patterns, and CSS selector click configuration, see references/gtm-patterns.md.

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Cross-Platform Tracking

UTM Convention

Parameter	Convention	Example
utm_source	Platform (lowercase)	google, linkedin
utm_medium	Traffic type	cpc, email, social
utm_campaign	Campaign ID	q1-trial-push

Rule: Never tag organic/direct traffic with UTMs.

For attribution windows by platform, cross-domain tracking setup, and consent management impact, see references/debugging-playbook.md.

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Data Quality

Common issues: duplicate events (GTM + hardcoded gtag), bot traffic, consent mode gaps. Under GDPR, implement Advanced Consent Mode via GTM for modeled data. Expected consent rate: 60-75% EU, 85-95% US.

For deduplication fixes, bot filtering, and consent mode configuration, see references/debugging-playbook.md.

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Output Artifacts

Request	Output
Build tracking plan	Event taxonomy, GA4 config, GTM structure
Audit tracking	Gap analysis, data quality scorecard (0-100)
Set up GTM	Tag/trigger/variable config per event
Debug missing events	Structured steps: GTM Preview + DebugView + Network tab

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Related Skills

• campaign-analytics: For analyzing performance. NOT for implementation.
• ab-test-setup: For designing experiments. Events feed A/B tests.
• gdpr-dsgvo-expert: For GDPR compliance. This skill covers consent mode implementation.