Andrea Čechová, who handles web analytics at Proof & Reason, picked out the most interesting tools from this year's MeasureCamp 2016 and is testing them in practice.
Google Tag Manager at your service
Google Tag Manager is a tracking code management system that most analysts are familiar with. It makes their work easier by placing just one code on the website and allowing all others to be managed through a web interface. This means analysts don't need a developer to add new codes to the site.
A tool for generating tracking codes in Google Tag Manager was presented by Marek Lecián and Jakub Kříž. It allows generating codes for events, product pages, or thank-you pages, and you can set up custom dimensions, metrics, content groupings, or Enhanced E-commerce values.
But how do you use GTM efficiently and avoid the tedious process of setting up the same codes over and over? Vašek Jelen and Martin Neuschl presented three templates they use for different types of projects. These allow them to use tags, triggers, and variables that repeat across projects. You can download and try templates for microsites, larger websites, and e-commerce sites.
Test your analytics solutions carefully
An important reminder was the fact that many tools used in analytics don't work without errors. These include, for example, Tag Assistant, which lets you verify whether you've correctly implemented tags in GTM, Analytics, or AdWords. To display data layer content in GTM and other tools, you can use the Dataslayer extension, which appears in Chrome as a developer tools panel. These tools are easy to work with, but they don't always work without errors — you need to approach them with caution.
Among extensions that are reliable, for example, is WASP.inspector, which intercepts HTTP communications.
If you want to dive deeper into web analytics, don't miss the next MeasureCamp. Upcoming conferences will take place in Cardiff and London.
Article by: Andrea Čechová