Analytics tracking code is an essential part of understanding how your website is performing. However, there are limitations to what can be collected by default tracking code. Here are some things that cannot be collected by the default analytics tracking code:
- User behavior before page load
The default tracking code starts collecting data once a page has loaded. However, user behavior before the page load, such as clicking on a link or pressing the back button, cannot be tracked. This can affect the accuracy of metrics like bounce rate and time on page.
- Scroll depth
By default, analytics tracking code cannot track how far a user has scrolled down a page. This can be an important metric for understanding how engaged users are with your content.
- User demographics
While the default tracking code can collect data on user location and language, it cannot collect data on other demographics like age, gender, or income. This information is valuable for understanding your audience and tailoring your content to their interests.
- Ad-blocking
Users who have ad-blockers installed will not be tracked by default analytics tracking code. This can skew your data, as ad-blocker users tend to be more tech-savvy and have different browsing habits than non-ad-blocker users.
- Cross-domain tracking
If your website has multiple domains, the default tracking code cannot track user behavior across domains. This can make it difficult to understand how users are interacting with your entire online presence.
- Form abandonment
The default tracking code can track when a form is submitted, but it cannot track when a user starts filling out a form and then abandons it. This information can be valuable for understanding where users are dropping off in the conversion funnel.
- In-page interactions
By default, analytics tracking code can only track clicks on links that take users to a new page. It cannot track in-page interactions like clicks on buttons, tabs, or accordions. This can make it difficult to understand how users are interacting with specific elements of your website.
- Phone calls
If your website has a phone number listed, the default tracking code cannot track when users call that number. This information can be valuable for understanding how your website is driving phone calls and which marketing channels are most effective.
- E-commerce data
While the default tracking code can track basic e-commerce metrics like revenue and conversion rate, it cannot track more detailed e-commerce data like product SKU or order ID. This can make it difficult to understand which products are driving the most revenue and which marketing channels are most effective for promoting those products.
- Custom events
Finally, the default tracking code cannot track custom events that are specific to your website. For example, if you have a custom video player or a custom form, you will need to set up custom tracking code to track user interactions with those elements.
In conclusion, the default analytics tracking code has limitations that can affect the accuracy of your data. To get a more complete picture of how your website is performing, it is important to set up custom tracking code and use additional tools like heat maps and user recordings. By understanding the limitations of default tracking code, you can make more informed decisions about how to optimize your website for better performance.
