iblai-marketing-analytics-tracking

/iblai-marketing-analytics-tracking

Set up analytics tracking that drives marketing and product decisions. Skip vanity events; track what changes how the team operates.

Step 0: Context Check

Read .agents/product-marketing-context.md (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md on older setups) first. Only ask for what isn't there.

Before implementing, pin down:

1. Business context — which decisions does this data drive? What counts as a conversion?
2. Current state — what tracking already exists? Which tools?
3. Technical context — stack, privacy and compliance requirements.

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Core Principles

1. Track for decisions, not data. Every event informs an action. Quality beats quantity.
2. Start with questions. What do you need to know? What will you do with the answer? Work backward to the events.
3. Name things consistently. Set conventions before implementing. Document everything.
4. Maintain data quality. Validate, monitor, clean. Clean data beats more data.

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Tracking Plan Framework

Structure

Event Name | Category | Properties | Trigger | Notes
---------- | -------- | ---------- | ------- | -----

Event Types

Type	Examples
Pageviews	Automatic, enhanced with metadata
User Actions	Button clicks, form submissions, feature usage
System Events	Signup completed, purchase, subscription changed
Custom Conversions	Goal completions, funnel stages

Comprehensive event lists: references/event-library.md.

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Event Naming Conventions

Format: Object-Action

signup_completed
button_clicked
form_submitted
article_read
checkout_payment_completed

Rules

• Lowercase with underscores
• Be specific: cta_hero_clicked, not button_clicked
• Push context into properties, not the event name
• No spaces, no special characters
• Document every decision

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Essential Events

Marketing Site

Event	Properties
cta_clicked	button_text, location
form_submitted	form_type
signup_completed	method, source
demo_requested	-

Product/App

Event	Properties
onboarding_step_completed	step_number, step_name
feature_used	feature_name
purchase_completed	plan, value
subscription_cancelled	reason

Full library by business type: references/event-library.md.

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Event Properties

Standard Properties

Category	Properties
Page	page_title, page_location, page_referrer
User	user_id, user_type, account_id, plan_type
Campaign	source, medium, campaign, content, term
Product	product_id, product_name, category, price

Rules

• Consistent property names everywhere
• Include relevant context
• Don't duplicate automatic properties
• No PII in properties

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GA4 Implementation

Quick Setup

1. Create GA4 property and data stream
2. Install gtag.js or GTM
3. Enable enhanced measurement
4. Configure custom events
5. Mark conversions in Admin

Custom Event Example

gtag('event', 'signup_completed', {
  'method': 'email',
  'plan': 'free'
});

Detailed setup: references/ga4-implementation.md.

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Google Tag Manager

Container Structure

Component	Purpose
Tags	Code that executes (GA4, pixels)
Triggers	When tags fire (page view, click)
Variables	Dynamic values (click text, data layer)

Data Layer Pattern

dataLayer.push({
  'event': 'form_submitted',
  'form_name': 'contact',
  'form_location': 'footer'
});

Detailed setup: references/gtm-implementation.md.

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UTM Parameters

Standard Set

Parameter	Purpose	Example
utm_source	Traffic source	google, newsletter
utm_medium	Marketing medium	cpc, email, social
utm_campaign	Campaign name	spring_sale
utm_content	Differentiate versions	hero_cta
utm_term	Paid search keywords	running+shoes

Conventions

• Lowercase everything
• Underscores or hyphens — pick one
• Specific but concise (blog_footer_cta, not cta1)
• Document UTMs in a single spreadsheet

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Debugging and Validation

Testing Tools

Tool	Use For
GA4 DebugView	Real-time event monitoring
GTM Preview Mode	Test triggers before publishing
Browser Extensions	Tag Assistant, dataLayer Inspector

Validation Checklist

• Events fire on the correct triggers
• Property values populate correctly
• No duplicate events
• Works cross-browser and on mobile
• Conversions recorded correctly
• No PII leaking

Common Issues

Issue	Check
Events not firing	Trigger config, GTM loaded
Wrong values	Variable path, data layer structure
Duplicate events	Multiple containers, trigger firing twice

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Privacy and Compliance

Rules

• Cookie consent required in EU/UK/CA
• No PII in analytics properties
• Configure data-retention windows
• Support user deletion

Implementation

• Consent mode (wait for consent)
• IP anonymization
• Collect only what you need
• Wire to a consent management platform

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Output Format

Tracking Plan Document

# [Site/Product] Tracking Plan

## Overview
- Tools: GA4, GTM
- Last updated: [Date]

## Events

| Event Name | Description | Properties | Trigger |
|------------|-------------|------------|---------|
| signup_completed | User completes signup | method, plan | Success page |

## Custom Dimensions

| Name | Scope | Parameter |
|------|-------|-----------|
| user_type | User | user_type |

## Conversions

| Conversion | Event | Counting |
|------------|-------|----------|
| Signup | signup_completed | Once per session |

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Task-Specific Questions

1. What tools are you using (GA4, Mixpanel, etc.)?
2. What key actions do you want to track?
3. What decisions will this data inform?
4. Who implements — dev team or marketing?
5. Are there privacy/consent requirements?
6. What's already tracked?

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Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key analytics tools:

Tool	Best For	MCP	Guide
GA4	Web analytics, Google ecosystem	✓	ga4.md
Mixpanel	Product analytics, event tracking	-	mixpanel.md
Amplitude	Product analytics, cohort analysis	-	amplitude.md
PostHog	Open-source analytics, session replay	-	posthog.md
Segment	Customer data platform, routing	-	segment.md

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Related Skills

• iblai-marketing-ab-test-setup: For experiment tracking
• iblai-marketing-seo-audit: For organic traffic analysis
• iblai-marketing-page-cro: For conversion optimization (uses this data)
• iblai-marketing-revops: For pipeline metrics, CRM tracking, and revenue attribution