Why Do Events Matter?

Fiorella Alvarado - November 19, 2015

In order to collect website data, Google Analytics Tracking Code (GATC) sends an “interaction” each time a user views a page on a tagged website. This baseline implementation, can provide immediate insights such as:

• The number of users who began at the Homepage and flowed to the X Section of the website
• Percentage of users who came to the website from paid advertising and submitted information to a lead-gen form
• Which traffic source that leads to the most eNewsletter sign-ups
• Blog posts with most views

However, in order for a website to present the right content to the right audience, a business needs to understand user interactions and flow through a website much more intimately.  With Event tracking (just a small amount of extra code), we can collect data on additional activities that happen on your website which cannot be tracked with the standard GATC – since they are not associated with a pageview. Some of the most common ways that Events can be leveraged on a site include:

• Form abandonment – where in the form completion flow are users existing?
• Exits to external website – partner websites, social media channels, etc.
• Downloads – what content is being downloaded the most?
• Email-to – are users opting to contact the sales team via a direct email rather than form complete?
• Popular Offers – what banner in my homepage slider gets the most interest?

An Event can be used to track a KPI, or serve as a “micro” goal. They can be especially powerful for organizations with a longer path to conversion (higher education, healthcare, financial services, etc.) as it is important to monitor what website elements assist in moving the user closer to desired outcomes.

While Events are not difficult to implement, they do require code customization and consistency. As the need for accurate and timely user and campaign data grows, it is important to empower the marketer with the ability to gather this data. Google Tag Manager allows for the deployment of your base GATC and Events with little technical resources; allowing development teams to focus on website-enhancing initiatives and marketers to “self-serve” their own tag deployment.