Google Analytics Bag O' Tricks

Google Analytics Bag o’ Tricks

Simo Ahava (NetBooster) – SUPERWEEK 2015

SUPERWEEK 2015 | #SPWK | @SimoAhava

Simo Ahava | NetBooster

@SimoAhava

http://google.me/+SimoAhava

[email protected]

www.simoahava.com


My (GA) Developer Philosophy


If you build it, data will

come



The Web is (inherently)

stateless


User intent is untrackable

in the stateless Web


The life span of a web pageENTRANCE

EXIT


The life span of a web pageENTRANCE

EXIT


No, browser cookies are

not the solution (or HTML

Storage)


document.cookie = 'returning=true'; document.cookie = 'articlesRead=3';


They provide you with

temporary state only


Google Analytics is

stateful


From https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/platform/customdimsmets


Google Analytics is better

at pattern-matching than a

browser


But it requires quality

input


When the stateless and the stateful unite

Meaningful data


How do we find and

collect meaningful data?


No, how do we ask the

right questions?


When a user doesn’t view a page, is it a Page View?


Surely not?

* Obligatory Conference Presentation Meme


APIS, WORKERS, LIBRARIES, SPECIFICATIONS

ECMAScriptDOMSettableTokenListWeb AudioAutocompleteErrorEventAnimation TimingDOMTokenListDOMFullscreenDrag and DropSVGIndexed DBDocumentFragmentDOMErrorFile APIChildNode

MediaDOMImplementationWeb Sockets and MessagingEventWebGLVisibilityWeb StorageDocumentEventSourceCSS Object ModelCommentWeb WorkersAttrWebRTCSelectors

DocumentTypeOfflineElementCharacterDataBrowserCanvasEventListenerCustomEventShadow DOM CloseEventFile System API BroadcastChannelTyped ArraysPointer LockElements


APIS, WORKERS, LIBRARIES, SPECIFICATIONS

ECMAScriptDOMSettableTokenListWeb Audio AutocompleteErrorEventAnimation TimingDOMTokenListDOM FullscreenDrag and DropSVG Indexed DB DocumentFragmentDOMErrorFile API ChildNode

MediaDOMImplementationWeb Sockets and Messaging EventWebGLVisibilityWeb Storage DocumentEventSourceCSS Object ModelCommentWeb WorkersAttrWebRTCSelectors

DocumentTypeOfflineElementCharacterDataBrowserCanvasEventListenerCustomEventShadow DOM CloseEventFile System API BroadcastChannelTyped ArraysPointer LockElements


PAGE VISIBILITY API


PAGE VISIBILITY API

Visible: document['hidden'] = falseHidden: document['hidden'] = true


PAGE VISIBILITY API

Visible: document['hidden'] = falseHidden: document['hidden'] = true

document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', function() { dataLayer.push({'event' : 'visibilityChange'

});});


PAGE VISIBILITY API

Meaningful data:

When a page is loaded in hidden state, do not send a Page View.

If the visibility of the page changes from hidden to visible, then

send the Page View.


PAGE VISIBILITY API


DETAILED GUIDE

http://goo.gl/DFgxmi


THE PROCESS

1. Page is loaded in the browser

1. Page is loaded in the browser2. Is the Visibility API supported?3. Is the page visible?4. Is a Visibility Change detected?

yes / noFIRE PAGE VIEW

…and remove visibility listener……and end the process…


THE PROCESS

2. Is the Visibility API supported?





THE PROCESS




…and remove visibility listener……and end the process…>> >>


THE PROCESS





document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', function() {

dataLayer.push({'event' : 'visibility-

Change'});

});


THE PROCESS

3. Is the page visible?





THE PROCESS






THE PROCESS






THE PROCESS

4. Is a Visibility Change detected?





THE PROCESS

4. Is a Visibility Change detected?





What just happened?


We made a metric more

meaningful


But it’s only meaningful if

the questions it answers

are relevant


How can we measure content engagement?


Content engagement is

notoriously difficult to

track


Adjusted Bounce Rate

Adjusted


Adjusted Bounce Rate

Adjusted

Not happy with a metric? Sure! Tweak the data

collection. Don’t tackle the real

problem, i.e. your horrible content!


Scroll Tracking

http://cutroni.com/blog/2014/02/12/advanced-content-tracking-with-universal-analytics/


Scroll Tracking

Better, but it isolates the action of reading as the sole

qualification of engagement.


Content is to a blog what

products are to a web

store


Shopping Reading Behavior


Checkout Behavior Content Engagement


Product Article Performance


Product Content List Performance


Internal Promotions


Step 1: Terminology


Product: A blog articleProduct price: Words in an articleProduct impression: Views of a title or title+ingress in contentlistsProduct list: Widget / contentarea where product impressionscan be gathered fromProduct list click: Clicks on entriesin a product list

Product detail view: Page loadof an article pageAdd to cart: First scroll on an article pageCheckout: 1/3, 2/3, and 3/3 scroll depth on an article pagePurchase: 3/3 scroll depth on an article page and minimum of 60 seconds dwell time


Step 2: Data Collection


PRODUCT LISTS


PRODUCT LISTS

Product impression

Product impressionProduct

impressions

Internal promotion


PRODUCT LISTS


ARTICLE PAGE


ARTICLE PAGE: INITIAL PAGE LOAD = PRODUCT DETAIL VIEW


ARTICLE PAGE: SCROLLING BEGINS = ADD TO CART


ARTICLE PAGE: SCROLL DEPTH = CHECKOUT


ARTICLE PAGE: SCROLL DEPTH + DWELL TIME = PURCHASE


TIPS

1. Use dataLayer, don’t do what I did (DOM scrape)

2. Feel free to leave something out if it isn’t meaningful

or doesn’t make sense

3. Design the data collection with analysis in mind – not

because it’s fun and cool

4. If using GTM, remember that only the most recent

’ecommerce’ object push is sent with a tag! Always

remember to push an ’event’ value with an

’ecommerce’ object push

5. Read Google’s Dev Guide! It’s all in there.


TIPS












TIPS












TIPS












TIPS












FURTHER READING

http://goo.gl/lMWqW8


FURTHER READING

http://goo.gl/xYNVb3


FURTHER READING

http://enhancedecommerce.appspot.com/


FURTHER READING

https://github.com/sahava/eec-gtm


Learning & Doing


JAVASCRIPT

http://www.codecademy.com/en/tracks/javascript


JAVASCRIPT

Nicholas Zakas: Professional JavaScript For Web Developers (3rd Edition)


JAVASCRIPT

Cody Lindley: DOM Enlightenment


JAVASCRIPT

Douglas Crockford: JavaScript: The Good Parts


HTML5

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/HTML/HTML5


THANK YOU

@SimoAhava

http://google.me/+SimoAhava

[email protected]

www.simoahava.com

Date post:	14-Jul-2015
Category:	Data & Analytics
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Google Analytics Bag O' Tricks

Data & Analytics