Analytics & Tracking
Google Analytics, heatmaps, session recording — measuring what works and what doesn't.
Why Analytics Is a Functional Capability
Analytics isn't just reporting. It's a functional requirement that affects business decisions. Without analytics you can't know:
- Which pages drive revenue
- Where visitors abandon the checkout process
- Whether your marketing campaigns work
- Which features customers use vs ignore
- Whether your changes improved or hurt conversion
- Which traffic sources have the highest lifetime value
You're essentially running blind without analytics. Most optimization happens based on data, not gut feel.
The Analytics Stack
Comprehensive analytics involves four layers:
Who visits, where they come from, what device, what browser. Google Analytics, Fathom, Plausible. Free to $100+/month.
What do users do on your site? Click heatmaps, scroll depth, form interactions. Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Fullstory. $20-500/month.
Watch actual user sessions (with privacy safeguards). See where they struggle. Hotjar, Fullstory, LogRocket. $50-500/month.
Which actions lead to revenue? Goal tracking, funnel analysis, attribution. Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude. Free to $5,000+/month.
GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
Google deprecated Universal Analytics in 2023 and now requires GA4. Major changes from UA:
GA4 tracks events, not page views. More flexible. You define what counts as an event (purchase, video play, scroll, form submission).
Tracks individual users across devices and sessions. Better for mobile and app tracking. Privacy-first (relies less on cookies).
Google's AI highlights trends and anomalies. Can predict churn and revenue. Still improving.
GA4 is more complex than Universal Analytics. Requires careful event setup. Takes time to implement properly.
The Post-Cookie World
Third-party cookies (used for cross-site tracking) are being deprecated by browsers. This affects:
- Remarketing (showing ads to past visitors) — still works with first-party data
- Cross-domain attribution — harder without third-party cookies
- Privacy compliance — simpler without cookies
- Analytics accuracy — depends on first-party data
Focus on first-party data: customer data you collect directly (email, CRM, user accounts). This data survives cookie deprecation and is more valuable anyway.
Platform Analytics Integration
| Platform | Native Analytics | GA4 Integration | Custom Events | Export Capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Built-in (limited) | Yes | No | Limited |
| Webflow | Built-in | Yes | Custom JS | Full |
| WordPress | With plugin | Yes | Custom code | Full |
| Shopify | Built-in (good) | Yes | Limited | Shopify API |
| Custom | Build yourself | Implement yourself | Full control | Full control |