Google Analytics Tracking Enhancement

A key benefit to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the ability to track specific events, such as individual Public Dashboard page views. The previous tracking using Universal Analytics (UA) only provided data that the Public Dashboard was being viewed, where the more detailed tracking included in GA4 allows the tracking of which page specifically is being viewed. This helps easily identify what items your community is interested in. We have made updates to our Public Dashboard to take advantage of this functionality.

To set this tracking up we will need to set up custom event tracking in GA4 for each Public Dashboard that will be published.

Note: Custom event tracking can take up to 24-48 hours to appear in reports

 

Event Setup

In the bottom left of Google Analytics, select the ‘Admin’ button 

In the Admin panel, select ‘Custom definitions’ from the Data Display section. If more than one Public Dashboard has been added to GA4, ensure the correct Account and Property have been selected before setting up the custom definitions 

Two Custom Dimensions will need to be defined to capture what pages are being viewed on the Public Dashboard, event_category and event_label.

To create a new Custom Dimension select ‘Create custom dimensions’ and provide:

• Dimension name: descriptive name to help you identify what event is being captured
• Scope: ‘Event’ 
• Description: Optional to provide a description, if many custom dimensions are defined it may be helpful to provide a description
• Event parameter: 
  • event_category: captures that the site has been visited
  • event_label: captures what specific pages have been visited on the site

Reporting

The reports area can be used to view the results of the events just created. Navigate to Reports > Engagement > Events and navigate to the Event Name: Impression

By setting up the Custom Dimensions we can now see how often the site is being visited through the ‘Event Category’ and which pages are being viewed on the site through the ‘Event Label’. This level of visibility could not be captured previously and can help your organization identify what initiatives are the most important to your community.