Are you looking for a better way to track events in Google Analytics? Do you want to know what buttons your visitors click or videos they watch?
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool by Google that helps you manage and add different website tags without editing code. You can use the tool to set up event tracking and see how people interact with your site.
While Google Tag Manager removes the need to hire a developer, it can be tricky and time-consuming to use the tool. But what if there’s an easier way?
In this article, we’ll show you how to set up Google Tag Manager for event tracking and also walk you through a simple alternative.
How to Set Up Event Tracking in Google Analytics
Events are actions that people perform on your website like downloading a file, submitting a form, clicking the play button for a video, or simply clicking a link.
But when it comes to setting up event tracking in Google Analytics, you have 2 methods. You can skip ahead to any method you’re interested in.
The first method is by using Google Tag Manager. The free tool lets you add event tags on your website, so you can record every interaction in Google Analytics. But that’s easier said than done.
The issue with using Google Tag Manager is that it can be overwhelming for beginners. It takes time to get used to its interface and correctly setting up tags. Not to mention, it’s time-consuming as you’ll have to manually set up individual tags for each event you want to track.
A much simpler method for tracking events is through MonsterInsights. It’s the best Google Analytics WordPress plugin that automatically adds tracks different events on your site. There’s no need to touch a single line of code or perform additional steps while using the plugin.
Now, let’ look at both the methods for adding event tracking.
Track Events Using Google Tag Manager
To start, you need to make sure that you’ve added Google Tag Manager to your website. If not, then follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to install Google Tag Manager in WordPress.
Next, log in to your Google Tag Manager account and click on the Add a new tag button.
Now give a title to your tag and click on Tag Configuration.
In the next step, a window will slide in from the right. Select the Google Analytics property in which you want to see event tracking data.
After that, click on the dropdown menu for Track Type and select Event. Once you’ve done that, the next thing to do is enter the event category, action, label, and value.
Depending on the type of event you want to track, these settings will change. For instance, if you’re looking to track outbound links, use the following settings:
- Category – Outbound Links (or any name you want to give to your even)
- Action – {{Click URL}} (to add this action, click on the block icon and then go to Built-ins » Click URL)
- Label – {{Page Path}} (click the block icon and select Page Path)
- Value – You can assign a monetary value to your event if you want or leave the field blank
- Non–Interaction Hit – True
- Google Analytics Settings – Select your Google Analytics variable
Click Save when you’ve entered these details.
Now the next step is to set up a trigger. Click on the Triggering to start.
Click the + icon at the top right corner to create a new trigger.
After that, give a name to your trigger and click on Trigger Configuration.
Select Just Links from the menu the slides in from the right.
On the next screen, you’ll have to enter the settings for your trigger.
Since we want to track outbound link clicks, here are the settings you should enter:
- Enable the Check Validation option
- For Enable this trigger when all of these conditions are true, select Page URL » matches RegEx » .*
- Select the Some Link Clicks option
- For Fire this trigger when an Event occurs and all of these conditions are true, select Click URL » does not contain » your domain URL
Click Save when you’re done.
You’ve now successfully created a tag to track outbound link clicks in Google Tag Manager.
The last step is to Preview and Submit the tag on your website. To make sure that the tag is working properly, go to Google Analytics and navigate to Realtime » Events and look for your tag.
Now repeat these steps for other types of events you want to track using Google Tag Manager. Do note that the settings will change depending on what you want to track.
Automatically Track Events Using MonsterInsights
An easier way of setting up event tracking is through MonsterInsights.
Using the WordPress plugin, you don’t have to go through all these steps in Google Tag Manager. And it also removes any chances of error that might occur when manually setting up tags.
The best part about MonsterInsights is that it adds events right out of the box. All you have to do is install the plugin on your site, connect it with Google Analytics, and view the reports insides your WordPress admin area.
So, what type of events can you track with MonsterInsights? Let’s look at them in detail.
File Downloads
If you offer different content that visitors can download, such as spreadsheets, PDF files, eBooks, videos, audio files, or images, then MonsterInsights will automatically track file downloads in Google Analytics.
You can then find out which file is popular and gets the most downloads. This way, you can create similar content to boost engagement, grow your email list, and repurpose your existing content.
The plugin even allows you to add different file extensions to track in Google Analytics. It will track certain extensions by default like ppt, xls, and pdf. But you can add more to the existing list.
Outbound Links
The next type of event you can automatically track is outbound links. MonsterInsights will track external links on your site and show a report inside the WordPress dashboard.
Using the report, you can see which links people click and exit your site. This data is helpful in coming up with new topics for your blog and keeping visitors on your site.
Affiliate Links
MonsterInsights helps set up affiliate link tracking without the need to edit code. If you’re using ThirstyAffiliates on your site, it will automatically detect affiliate links.
You can then view the report to identify your top affiliate links. This way, you can focus on growing your business and increasing revenue from affiliates, instead of manually tracking each link.
Telephone and Email Link Clicks
Now, if there’s a phone number or an email link that people can click and instantly contact you, it’s important to see how many clicks these links get. MonsterInsights will track telephone number clicks and mailto clicks for you – no additional set up needed.
It helps you better understand your audience, find out where they’re from, which device they’re using, and provide personalized solutions to different groups of visitors.
Not only that but if the links are getting a lot of clicks but you aren’t receiving any calls or emails, then it helps to resolve any technical issues.
Form Submissions
MonsterInsights will also set up event tracking for all types of WordPress forms. Be it a contact form, newsletter signup form, user registration form, or a survey, you can track form submission in Google Analytics.
All you have to do is use the MonsterInsights Forms addon and the plugin takes care of the rest. It even shows a detailed report in your WordPress admin area. Find out which form is getting the most impressions and conversions.
eCommerce Event Tracking
Besides that, you can also set up event tracking for your eCommerce store through MonsterInsights.
All you need is to use its eCommerce addon and set up enhanced eCommerce, and the plugin will automatically detect your WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads store.
Some of the events include the number of products people view, add to cart, remove from cart, and click. Aside from that, MonsterInsights also tracks refunds, checkout page impressions, and completed checkout.
Scroll Tracking
Ever wonder how far your visitors scroll a webpage? MonsterInsights helps to set up scroll tracking events in Google Analytics. It triggers these events as users scroll 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% down a page.
Using this information, you can find out the average scroll depth of your website. It helps in placing the call to action (CTA) buttons at the right place and boosts clicks.
And there you have it!
As you can see, MonsterInsights is the best way to track events in Google Analytics. It automates a lot of processes and helps save time in setting up events.
You don’t have to worry about going through so many steps in Google Tag Manager and making sure the settings for each event are set up correctly.
Give MonsterInsights a try today!
We hope you liked our article on how to set up Google Tag Manager event tracking. You can also check out our post on how to track link clicks in WordPress step by step.
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