Content: Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics events, event tracking setup, GA4 setup
Tracking: Do I really need it?
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” — the famous saying actually fits online marketing surprisingly well. For many companies, their website is still an empty forest. And no, if a user does something on your website and no one is there to notice it, nothing happens with that information.
This is exactly why event tracking and Google Analytics are a must for every business. It’s the only way to find out what truly works on your website, where users regularly struggle and where improvements are needed.
I also use event tracking and analytics myself. And instead of listing advantages here, this is the perfect opportunity for a little transparency and a “show don't tell” moment. So come along for a small live demo with a real-world example:
The importance of tracking
Tracking isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a crucial building block for your online success. It allows you to understand exactly what’s happening on your website and how we can make the most of it.
(Psst, by the way: If you prefer to jump right in and find out what you still need to set up on your website for tracking… click here!)
The Google Tag Manager (GTM)
The Google Tag Manager is a tag management tool that helps embed many different tracking codes into a website without needing to modify the site itself. Setup is easy (at least most of the time): You insert a small (invisible to users) snippet at the top of your website that loads every time the page is opened. Everything else happens in GTM.
By default, Tag Manager supports many different types of tags: Google Analytics integration, GA4 event tracking, Google Ads conversion tracking, or social media pixels. All of this can be implemented quite easily and without much effort. For every tag, I can define when it triggers and which data it sends to the respective “receiver” — such as Google Analytics. And beyond that, I have tons of flexibility: Google Tag Manager is highly adaptable and doesn’t require complicated custom code. This allows me to write my own tags, triggers, and variables for use cases where no template exists yet.
Privacy first
Your privacy matters to me. That’s why, with Tag Manager, I ensure GDPR- and revDSG-compliant tracking. This means I only collect data when you explicitly agree to it. Everything stays legally and ethically in the green zone. On my site, this happens when you click “Sure!” in the cookie banner. Tag Manager checks, for each session, whether you have the corresponding user consent cookie, and only tracks if you do.
Google Analytics and event tracking
But let’s assume you agree to tracking. What do I track and why? Basically, it can be divided into two categories:
| Google Analytics 4 Standard Tracking | Google Analytics 4 Event Tracking |
|---|---|
| By default, Google Analytics 4 already tracks metrics that are important for almost every website: for example how you found the website (Google, direct entry, social media, etc.), which pages you visited, and how long you stayed. | If you want to understand in more detail what users are doing, you can set up additional event tracking. In my case, there are 4 different events that I explain in detail. |
- Google Analytics 4 Standard Tracking: By default, GA4 tracks metrics that are important for almost every website: for example how you found the website (Google, direct entry, social media, etc.), which pages you visited, and how long you stayed.
- Google Analytics 4 Event Tracking: If you want to know more precisely what users are doing, you can set up additional event tracking. In my case, there are 4 different events that I explain in detail.
Of course, you could track much more, but I consciously follow the principle of data minimization & data economy. It’s in the user’s interest not to be “monitored”. But it's also beneficial for site owners to stay focused on what matters. The reason is data quality: 4 meaningful metrics are easier to review and evaluate than 40 mostly irrelevant ones.
By the way: My event tracking is fundamentally anonymous because I want to analyze user behavior, not individual users. Which specific person did what is of course not analyzed.
Event Tracking 1 – Error pages
What I track: If a user opens a page that doesn’t exist, Google Analytics logs an event called “Error”. Two parameters are also collected: the URL path (e.g. “/datenschutzt”) and the page title (e.g. “😱 404 😱 | Marco Aures: Online Marketing”).
Why I track it: The reason is straightforward. I don’t want users hitting error pages when browsing my site. By capturing it as an event, I can analyze several things and identify the issue. The title tells me which error occurred (e.g. the 404 error when a non-existent page is requested). The page path helps me identify what page the user was actually trying to access (in our example probably “/datenschutz” instead of “/datenschutzt”). Together with GA4 data, I can check whether I accidentally inserted a broken link somewhere on my site.
Event Tracking 2 – Button clicks
What I track: When a visitor clicks a contact button. I also track which button exactly via “Button_ID” and the page path.
Why I track it: Ideally, I’d find out when a user clicks the button through the submitted contact form. But that isn’t always the case. I want to see if 100 people initiate the first step but never submit the form. Did I maybe enter the wrong email address and their messages disappear into the void? Is it maybe too complicated to get in touch, and I should explain above the button what information I need from a user? Because I also track which button on which page was clicked, I can detect behavior patterns: If all buttons except one are clicked regularly, I should critically examine the UX in that section.
Event Tracking 3 – Mailto clicks
What I track: Buttons aren’t the only way to contact me on the site. I’ve intentionally placed links with my email address in several spots. When these links are clicked, I track that along with the page path.
Why I track it: Not everyone likes clicking buttons. In Switzerland, at least 10–20% of users prefer email links. The same insights apply here as with button clicks. I can also compare the metrics between buttons and mailto clicks. If 100% of users — either on a subpage or on the entire site — avoid the button and click the link instead, I should seriously reconsider my button design and placement.
Event Tracking 4 – Right-click on images
What I track: You can’t really track who downloads an image. But with an event listener, it’s possible to detect who uses right-click — the first step for “right-click → save as”. I also track the page path.
Why I track it: Don’t worry, it’s not about copyright. Quite the opposite — I’m happy when the images I created for my website are useful to others. Also because it's a great opportunity for backlinks. If I notice that an image was downloaded ~200 times, I’d run a reverse image search to see where it’s being used. And then? I’d contact those site owners to politely ask if they could link to my site as the image source. Because that genuinely helps the search engine optimization of both our sites :-)
Is that everything?
When it comes to tracking — yes. But in most cases, the data can reveal interesting insights that you otherwise wouldn’t notice. Do 75% of users who come from social media click one of the contact options? Then I should probably boost my LinkedIn marketing. Or do mobile users bounce from error pages much more often than desktop users? Then I probably need to optimize my error pages for mobile so returning to the correct page is easier.
Often you only realize how valuable analytics data is once you start collecting and evaluating it. And that’s exactly where I can help. If you’re curious now, just write me and we’ll review together how tracking and analysis can improve your web presence. I’m looking forward to your message.
PS: As soon as you run Google Ads, tracking becomes essential to measure conversions and your campaign’s success.
