GoSquared Event Tracking Setup | Blue Frog Docs

GoSquared Event Tracking Setup

Configure event tracking in GoSquared.

Event Tracking Overview

GoSquared event tracking captures custom user actions beyond standard page views. Track button clicks, form submissions, feature usage, conversions, and any business-critical interactions to understand user behavior and measure product engagement.

 

 

Basic Event Tracking

Simple Events

Track events with just a name:

_gs('event', 'Button Clicked');
_gs('event', 'Video Played');
_gs('event', 'Newsletter Signup');

Events with Properties

Add context with event properties:

_gs('event', 'Button Clicked', {
  button_name: 'Sign Up',
  button_location: 'homepage_hero',
  button_color: 'blue'
});

_gs('event', 'Form Submitted', {
  form_name: 'contact',
  form_type: 'lead_generation',
  source: 'homepage',
  fields_completed: 5
});

_gs('event', 'Video Played', {
  video_title: 'Product Demo',
  video_duration: 120,
  video_id: 'vid_123',
  autoplay: false
});

Inline Event Tracking

Attach events directly to HTML elements:

<button onclick="_gs('event', 'CTA Clicked', {location: 'header'})">
  Get Started
</button>

<a href="/pricing" onclick="_gs('event', 'Pricing Page Viewed', {source: 'nav'})">
  Pricing
</a>

 

 

Event Categories

User Engagement Events

Track how users interact with your product:

// Feature usage
_gs('event', 'Feature Used', {
  feature_name: 'advanced_search',
  user_plan: 'pro',
  time_spent_seconds: 45
});

// Content interaction
_gs('event', 'Article Read', {
  article_id: 'art_123',
  article_title: 'Getting Started Guide',
  read_percentage: 85,
  time_on_page: 180
});

// Social sharing
_gs('event', 'Content Shared', {
  platform: 'twitter',
  content_type: 'blog_post',
  content_id: 'post_456'
});

Conversion Events

Track key conversion points:

// Account creation
_gs('event', 'Account Created', {
  signup_method: 'google_oauth',
  referral_source: 'organic',
  plan_selected: 'free'
});

// Trial started
_gs('event', 'Trial Started', {
  trial_duration_days: 14,
  plan: 'professional',
  credit_card_required: false
});

// Subscription
_gs('event', 'Subscription Created', {
  plan_name: 'enterprise',
  billing_cycle: 'annual',
  discount_applied: 'ANNUAL20'
});

E-commerce Events

Track purchase funnel:

// Product viewed
_gs('event', 'Product Viewed', {
  product_id: 'prod_123',
  product_name: 'Wireless Headphones',
  product_category: 'Electronics',
  price: 99.99,
  currency: 'USD'
});

// Add to cart
_gs('event', 'Added to Cart', {
  product_id: 'prod_123',
  quantity: 1,
  price: 99.99,
  cart_total: 149.98
});

// Checkout initiated
_gs('event', 'Checkout Started', {
  cart_value: 149.98,
  item_count: 2,
  coupon_code: 'SAVE10'
});

 

 

Transaction Tracking

Track revenue-generating events with the transaction method:

Basic Transaction

_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'txn_123',
  revenue: 99.99
});

Complete Transaction

_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'order_abc123',
  revenue: 149.99,
  shipping: 9.99,
  tax: 12.00,
  currency: 'USD'
});

Transaction with Properties

_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'order_' + Date.now(),
  revenue: 299.99,
  shipping: 0,
  tax: 24.00,
  currency: 'USD',
  // Additional properties
  payment_method: 'credit_card',
  coupon_used: 'SUMMER25',
  discount_amount: 75.00,
  items_count: 3,
  first_purchase: false
});

Subscription Revenue

// Monthly subscription
_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'sub_' + subscriptionId,
  revenue: 49.99,
  currency: 'USD',
  type: 'subscription',
  plan: 'professional',
  billing_cycle: 'monthly'
});

// Annual subscription
_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'sub_annual_' + subscriptionId,
  revenue: 499.99,
  currency: 'USD',
  type: 'subscription',
  plan: 'professional',
  billing_cycle: 'annual',
  discount: 100.00
});

 

 

Goal Tracking

Goals allow you to measure conversions without code changes.

Setting Up Goals

  1. Navigate to Settings → Goals in GoSquared dashboard
  2. Click "Create Goal"
  3. Define goal conditions:
    • Event-based: Triggered when specific event fires
    • Page-based: Triggered when specific page visited
    • Property-based: Triggered when user property matches condition

Goal Configuration Examples

Email Signup Goal:

  • Type: Event
  • Event name: "Newsletter Signup"
  • Value: Count as conversion

Purchase Goal:

  • Type: Event
  • Event name: "Purchase Completed"
  • Value: Track revenue from transaction

Onboarding Goal:

  • Type: Property
  • Property: onboarding_completed
  • Condition: equals true

Tracking Goal Completions

Goals are tracked automatically when conditions are met:

// This triggers "Newsletter Signup" goal
_gs('event', 'Newsletter Signup', {
  list: 'product_updates',
  source: 'blog'
});

// This triggers "Purchase Completed" goal
_gs('transaction', {
  id: 'order_123',
  revenue: 99.99
});

// This triggers "Onboarding Completed" goal
_gs('properties', {
  onboarding_completed: true
});

 

 

Event Naming Conventions

Follow consistent naming for better analytics:

// Use Title Case for event names
_gs('event', 'Button Clicked');  // Good
_gs('event', 'button_clicked');  // Avoid

// Be specific but concise
_gs('event', 'Checkout Completed');  // Good
_gs('event', 'User Completed The Checkout Process');  // Too verbose

// Use consistent verb tense (past tense)
_gs('event', 'Video Played');  // Good
_gs('event', 'Play Video');  // Avoid

// Group related events with prefixes
_gs('event', 'Form Submitted');
_gs('event', 'Form Abandoned');
_gs('event', 'Form Field Error');

Property Naming

_gs('event', 'Product Purchased', {
  // Use snake_case for properties
  product_id: 'prod_123',
  product_name: 'Premium Plan',
  purchase_amount: 99.99,

  // Include context
  payment_method: 'stripe',
  first_purchase: true,

  // Add timestamps when relevant
  cart_created_at: '2024-03-15T10:00:00Z'
});

 

 

Advanced Event Tracking

Conditional Event Tracking

function trackPurchase(order) {
  _gs('transaction', {
    id: order.id,
    revenue: order.total
  });

  // Track high-value purchases differently
  if (order.total > 500) {
    _gs('event', 'High Value Purchase', {
      order_value: order.total,
      customer_tier: 'vip'
    });
  }
}

Time-Based Events

let startTime = Date.now();

document.getElementById('tutorial').addEventListener('complete', function() {
  let duration = (Date.now() - startTime) / 1000;

  _gs('event', 'Tutorial Completed', {
    duration_seconds: duration,
    steps_completed: 5
  });
});

Error Tracking

window.addEventListener('error', function(e) {
  _gs('event', 'JavaScript Error', {
    error_message: e.message,
    error_file: e.filename,
    error_line: e.lineno,
    page_url: window.location.href
  });
});

 

 

Common Use Cases

Track Download

document.querySelectorAll('a[download]').forEach(link => {
  link.addEventListener('click', function() {
    _gs('event', 'File Downloaded', {
      file_name: this.getAttribute('download'),
      file_type: this.href.split('.').pop(),
      download_source: window.location.pathname
    });
  });
});

document.querySelectorAll('a[href^="http"]').forEach(link => {
  if (!link.href.includes(window.location.hostname)) {
    link.addEventListener('click', function() {
      _gs('event', 'Outbound Link Clicked', {
        destination_url: this.href,
        link_text: this.textContent,
        page_location: window.location.pathname
      });
    });
  }
});

Track Scroll Depth

let milestones = [25, 50, 75, 100];
let tracked = new Set();

window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {
  let scrollPercent = (window.scrollY / (document.body.scrollHeight - window.innerHeight)) * 100;

  milestones.forEach(milestone => {
    if (scrollPercent >= milestone && !tracked.has(milestone)) {
      _gs('event', 'Page Scroll Depth', {
        depth_percentage: milestone,
        page_url: window.location.pathname
      });
      tracked.add(milestone);
    }
  });
});

 

 

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Solution
Events not appearing Incorrect syntax Check console for errors
Event names inconsistent Typos in event names Use constants for event names
Too many events Over-tracking Focus on business-critical events
Missing event properties Properties not included Always add relevant context
Transaction not tracking revenue Missing id or revenue Include required fields

 

 

Best Practices

  1. Consistent Naming: Use a defined naming convention across all events
  2. Include Context: Add properties that provide meaningful context
  3. Avoid Over-Tracking: Track events that matter for business decisions
  4. Test Events: Verify events appear in dashboard before deploying
  5. Document Events: Maintain an event taxonomy document
  6. Use Transactions: Always use transaction for revenue events
  7. Set Up Goals: Configure goals for key conversion points
  8. Monitor Volume: Keep event volume manageable for analysis
  9. Version Properties: Include version numbers when tracking app events
  10. Privacy Compliance: Don't include PII in event properties
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