Are you wondering how to check if Google Analytics event tracking is working?
Inside Google Analytics, you’ll find a plethora of useful tools to help analyze and monitor your ad’s website’s traffic. Using these powerful tools, you can measure your site’s performance, combing through the incredible data insights about your visitors. But the one thought needs to be said – how to check if Google Analytics event tracking is working.
Among the tools, Google Analytics also enables you to track specific events. By tracking events, you can detect when users interact with specific elements and forms on your webpage. It’ll add context to the other data insights to see how user interactions impact your overall conversion rate.
For event tracking, it’s pretty useful, right?
Except, when talking about this metric, we’re always asked one question: “how to check if Google Analytics event tracking is working.”
That’s precisely what we’re explaining in this helpful guide. We’ll answer the following questions:
- What are events in Google Analytics?
- How to track events in Google Analytics
- How to check if Google Analytics event tracking is working
What are events in Google Analytics?
Let’s clarify what we mean by events: in Google Analytics, events are user interactions on a webpage that you cannot track as page views within a session. It includes any activity users take on a webpage considered an “event” (sometimes called an “event hit”).
Such events include:
- Clicking outbound links
- Button clicks
- Video plays and watch time
- Form submissions
- File downloads
In a nutshell, it’s all the actions a user takes between entering and exiting a webpage. Say they land on a product page where they click through the product’s picture and watch a promo video. These would be classed as events and could be tracked in Google Analytics (GA). However, in standard GA reports, all these actions would merely be classed as a single pageview.
How to track events in Google Analytics
When you receive your event tracking reports, you’ll see data like:
- Total number of events and average events per session
- Total number of events based on event categories
- Session data for events and event categories
- Ecommerce data for events and event categories
It’s not hard to appreciate how invaluable such data is to optimizing your site. Alongside other key metrics, it provides a quick method to analyze how visitors use your site – and what, if anything, needs to be modified.
To start tracking events in Google Analytics, you’ll need to follow four simple steps:
Decide which variable you what to track
You’ll want to open up Google Tag Manager’s dashboard to begin. Once inside, go to “Variables” in the left-hand side menu, and click the “Configure” button.
That should open up an in-window box. Here, you can configure the built-in variable. We advise checking all variables under “Clicks,” “Forms,” and “Videos.”
After selecting all the relevant variables, you can exit by clicking “X.” Then head back to the overview menu using the left-hand side menu.
Create a new tag
Click on “Add a new tag”; in the in-window box, select “Google Analytics: Universal Analytics” as your tag type.
A new box should open titled “Tag Configuration.” You need to change the “Track Type” to “Event.”
Personalize your event tracking parameters
Now it’s time to fill out the rest of the form in this box. The “event category,” “action,” “label,” and “value” components will need to be either manually completed or filled out using the built-in variables (click the “+” button).
The final “Non-interaction” field allows you to decide whether to count a session’s event as a bounce or not.
For example: if you select “True,” when a visitor lands on your page, it triggers an event (e.g., a contact form submission), but when they leave, the session will be counted as a bounce. Otherwise, it won’t be counted as a bounce.
Finally, fill out the “Tracking ID” field with your GA tracking ID. Click “Save” to finish.
Choose an event trigger
Below the “Tag Configuration” form, click the “Triggering” section. You’ll need to click the “+” button, then the pencil icon to configure a new trigger.
First, select your trigger type – for example, form submission, element visibility, scroll depth, etc.
Next, give your trigger a name and define the condition when it should fire.
Last, click “Save” after configuring the trigger, and click “Save” in the event tag setup. You’re done.
How to check if Google Analytics event tracking is working
Once everything is set up, you’ll want to check it’s working. You’ll need to check your reports.
If everything is configured correctly, you should immediately see events begin to appear in your “Events Overview.” Go to GA then select Behavior >> Events >> Overview. Here, you’ll see all the information coming in.
On this screen, you should be able to see:
- Total events: # of times events occurred
- Unique events: # of times an event was seen at least once in a session
- Event value: the number of events multiplied by the value assigned to them
- The average value of each event: the total value of each event divided by the number of events
- Sessions with events: the number of sessions where at least one event occurred
- Events / Session with the event: the total # of events per session
For further information, you’ll need to go through the other tabs under events. For example, “Top Events” can inform you how specific website interactions influence eCommerce or how an event impacts user behavior related to a specific product.
Confused? We can help you track events in Google Analytics
If you’re still a little bewildered, that’s completely normal. Event tracking in Google Analytics can take some time to get your head around. That’s where we come in. Our expert team can help you take advantage of all Google Analytics metrics to ensure your site reach its full potential.
