How to Set Up Event Tracking Google Analytics

The event tracking Google Analytics feature allows you to glean deeper insights than tracking page views alone. Google Analytics tracks page views by default, but it’s important to take the next step and create an “event.” This will give you access to key metrics that measure marketing effectiveness like whether a visitor clicked a button to download a PDF.

Since Google Analytics does not automatically track certain events, it’s important to set it up yourself to better understand how users interact with your site and which types of content and campaigns work best. The tool monitors and tracks certain actions over time depending on what you set up as an event. For example, an event could be when a user clicks on a link or downloads a PDF.

Instructions for Creating Event Tracking Google Analytics

Here are instructions for setting up event tracking in Google Analytics:

• Know HTML: To create an event, you need to enter a short line of code alongside the HTML in the official link. The code will prompt Google Analytics to track actions as events. You will need to edit the HTML code in your website, so if you are not familiar with HTML, make sure to contact your digital team for assistance.
• Insert the HTML Coding: The example below illustrates an event tracking coding that tracks downloads of our IT white paper.
  The ‘Download’ section of code is called the category, which is the type of event the code is tracking. We labeled this line of code download because we are monitoring downloads of the IT white paper. The other part of code defines the action the user completes. In our case, we’re tracking downloads of our IT white paper.
• Create New Categories and Actions For Each Event: Each time you set up a new event, you will need to make a new category and action label. There are many different combinations of actions and categories. Another category you can monitor is Time on Site, or the amount of time the user spends on a particular action.
• Monitor Progress and Measure Results: Once you insert the event tracking codes you want to follow, make sure to stay informed by visiting your website’s Google Analytics page. You can check on your event tracking Google Analytics metrics by selecting the Behavior tab, then Events and finally, Overview. Here you can access a complete picture of your events and user-friendly reports.

By tracking events on Google Analytics, you can better understand how users interact with your site, and which content and campaigns are most popular among visitors. Page views are a good metric to monitor, but event tracking allows you to see more specific information about actions that users are taking.

It’s worth taking this extra step to gauge the performance of your site, feature effectiveness and improvement areas. With this information in hand, companies can maximize their marketing investments and make more informed brand decisions.

If you interested in learning more information about how you can measure your PR and digital marketing programs with Google Analytics, download our Step-by-step Guide for Measuring PR with Google Analytics or shoot us an email at digital@walkersands.com.