How to Set Up WordPress Form Tracking in Google Analytics

6 hours ago, WordPress Tutorials, 5 Views
How to Set up WordPress from tracking in Google Analytics

How to Set Up WordPress Form Tracking in Google Analytics

Introduction

Tracking form submissions on your WordPress website is crucial for understanding user behavior, measuring marketing campaign effectiveness, and optimizing your website for conversions. Google Analytics provides powerful tools to track form interactions, allowing you to gain valuable insights into how users are engaging with your forms. This article will guide you through the process of setting up WordPress form tracking in Google Analytics using various methods.

Understanding the Importance of Form Tracking

Before diving into the technical details, let’s understand why tracking form submissions is so important:

  • Conversion Rate Optimization: Tracking form submissions allows you to calculate conversion rates, identifying areas where users are dropping off and optimizing your forms for better performance.
  • Lead Generation Measurement: If your forms are primarily used for lead generation, tracking submissions helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and determine which channels are driving the most leads.
  • User Behavior Analysis: Analyzing form submission data can provide insights into user behavior, such as the types of information users are willing to provide, the time it takes them to complete a form, and any challenges they might be encountering.
  • Improved User Experience: By identifying friction points in your forms, you can improve the user experience, making it easier for users to complete the forms and submit their information.

Methods for Tracking WordPress Forms in Google Analytics

There are several methods you can use to track WordPress forms in Google Analytics, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some popular options:

  • Using Google Tag Manager (GTM): GTM is a powerful tag management system that allows you to easily deploy and manage tracking codes on your website without directly editing your website’s code. This is generally the recommended approach for more advanced tracking setups.
  • Using a WordPress Plugin: Many WordPress plugins are specifically designed for form tracking and integrate seamlessly with Google Analytics. These plugins often provide a user-friendly interface for setting up tracking without requiring any coding knowledge.
  • Manually Adding Tracking Code: For simple forms, you can manually add tracking code to your website’s code. This method requires some technical knowledge and is not recommended for complex tracking setups.

Tracking Forms with Google Tag Manager

Setting up Google Tag Manager

First, you’ll need a Google Tag Manager account. If you don’t have one, create one at tagmanager.google.com. Once you have an account, you’ll receive a container code. You’ll need to add this code to your WordPress website. The best practice is to add it to both the <head> and <body> sections. Many WordPress themes have options for adding custom code to these sections. Alternatively, you can use a plugin like “Insert Headers and Footers” to easily add the code.

Creating a Form Submit Trigger

In Google Tag Manager, you’ll need to create a trigger that fires when a form is submitted. Here’s how:

  1. Navigate to the “Triggers” section in your GTM container.
  2. Click “New” to create a new trigger.
  3. Choose “Form Submission” as the trigger type.
  4. Configure the trigger to fire on “All Forms” or specify conditions for specific forms. For example, you can trigger only on forms with a specific ID or class. Select “Some Forms” and then specify conditions based on form ID, form class, or other attributes.
  5. Enable “Check Validation” if you want to track only successful submissions.
  6. Give your trigger a descriptive name (e.g., “Form Submission Trigger”).
  7. Save the trigger.

Creating a Google Analytics Event Tag

Now that you have a trigger, you need to create a Google Analytics event tag that fires when the trigger is activated. Here’s how:

  1. Navigate to the “Tags” section in your GTM container.
  2. Click “New” to create a new tag.
  3. Choose “Google Analytics: Universal Analytics” as the tag type.
  4. Set the “Track Type” to “Event.”
  5. Configure the event category, action, and label. For example:
    • Category: “Form Submissions”
    • Action: “Submit”
    • Label: You can use a variable to dynamically capture the form ID or page URL. For example, you can use the built-in `{{Page URL}}` variable to track the page where the form was submitted. You can also create a new variable to capture form IDs if available.
  6. Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID in the “Google Analytics Settings” field. If you’ve already configured your GA settings in GTM, you can select your existing settings variable.
  7. Under the “Triggering” section, select the “Form Submission Trigger” you created earlier.
  8. Give your tag a descriptive name (e.g., “GA – Form Submission Event”).
  9. Save the tag.

Testing and Publishing Your Configuration

Before publishing your configuration, it’s important to test it to ensure that the events are being tracked correctly. Use the “Preview” mode in Google Tag Manager to test your configuration. Submit a form on your website and check the Google Analytics Real-Time reports to see if the event is being tracked. Once you’re satisfied that everything is working correctly, publish your GTM container.

Tracking Forms with a WordPress Plugin

Choosing a Form Tracking Plugin

Several WordPress plugins can help you track form submissions in Google Analytics. Some popular options include:

  • MonsterInsights: A comprehensive Google Analytics plugin that offers easy form tracking.
  • WPForms: A popular form builder plugin that integrates directly with Google Analytics.
  • Contact Form 7: A widely used free form plugin that can be integrated with Google Analytics using plugins or custom code.

Choose a plugin that suits your needs and integrates well with your existing forms.

Configuring the Plugin for Form Tracking

The configuration process will vary depending on the plugin you choose. However, most plugins will require you to:

  1. Install and activate the plugin.
  2. Connect the plugin to your Google Analytics account.
  3. Enable form tracking in the plugin settings.
  4. Specify which forms you want to track.

Refer to the plugin’s documentation for detailed instructions on how to configure form tracking.

Verifying Form Tracking in Google Analytics

After configuring the plugin, submit a form on your website and check the Google Analytics Real-Time reports to ensure that the form submissions are being tracked. Look for events with the appropriate category, action, and label.

Manually Adding Tracking Code

This method is suitable for simple forms and requires some coding knowledge. Here’s the general process:

Identifying the Form Submission Event

You’ll need to identify the JavaScript event that is triggered when the form is submitted. This is typically the `submit` event.

Adding the Google Analytics Tracking Code

Add the following code to your website’s code, within the <script></script> tags, to track the form submission:


document.getElementById("your-form-id").addEventListener("submit", function(event) {
  gtag('event', 'submit', {
    'event_category': 'Form Submissions',
    'event_label': 'Your Form Name'
  });
});

Replace `”your-form-id”` with the actual ID of your form and `”Your Form Name”` with a descriptive name for your form. Ensure you have already integrated the Google Analytics gtag.js snippet to your page.

Verifying the Tracking Code

Submit the form and check the Google Analytics Real-Time reports to ensure that the event is being tracked.

Advanced Form Tracking Techniques

Beyond basic form submission tracking, you can implement more advanced techniques to gain deeper insights into user behavior:

  • Tracking Abandoned Forms: Track how far users get in a form before abandoning it. This can help you identify friction points and optimize your forms for better completion rates.
  • Tracking Specific Form Fields: Track the values of specific form fields to understand the types of information users are providing. Be mindful of privacy regulations when tracking sensitive information.
  • Using Custom Dimensions: Use custom dimensions to track additional information about form submissions, such as the user’s device type, location, or membership level.

Conclusion

Tracking WordPress form submissions in Google Analytics is essential for understanding user behavior, measuring marketing effectiveness, and optimizing your website for conversions. By using Google Tag Manager, a WordPress plugin, or manually adding tracking code, you can gain valuable insights into how users are engaging with your forms and make data-driven decisions to improve your website’s performance. Remember to always test your tracking setup and be mindful of privacy regulations when collecting user data.

Related Topics by Tag
, , , , , ,

..