Marketing Analytics
GA4 Setup
Event Taxonomy
Design events in a consistent object_action pattern:
page_view, session_start, first_visit
form_submit, form_start, form_error
button_click, link_click, cta_click
signup_start, signup_complete
purchase_start, purchase_complete
feature_use, feature_activate
content_view, content_scroll, content_share
Key Events (Conversions)
Mark as conversions in GA4:
signup_complete— new account creationpurchase_complete— transactiondemo_request— high-intent leadtrial_start— trial activationcontact_submit— contact form
Enhanced Measurement
Enable in GA4 settings: page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, file downloads, video engagement.
Custom Dimensions
user_type: free, trial, paid, churnedtraffic_source_detail: granular source trackingcontent_category: blog, docs, landing, productexperiment_variant: A/B test tracking
Full setup guide: references/ga4-setup.md
UTM Strategy
Convention
utm_source = platform (google, facebook, linkedin, newsletter)
utm_medium = channel type (cpc, social, email, referral)
utm_campaign = campaign name (spring-sale-2026, product-launch)
utm_content = creative variant (hero-image-a, cta-blue)
utm_term = keyword (only for paid search)
Rules
- All lowercase, hyphens not underscores
- Consistent naming across team (document in shared sheet)
- Never use UTMs on internal links (breaks session attribution)
- Tag every external link: ads, emails, social posts, partner links
Full conventions: references/utm-conventions.md
Attribution Models
| Model | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Last Click | 100% credit to last touchpoint | Bottom-funnel optimization |
| First Click | 100% credit to first touchpoint | Understanding acquisition |
| Linear | Equal credit to all touchpoints | Balanced view |
| Time Decay | More credit to recent touchpoints | Long sales cycles |
| Position-Based | 40% first, 40% last, 20% middle | Most balanced default |
| Data-Driven | ML-based, GA4 default | 1000+ conversions/month |
Recommendation: Use data-driven if you have the volume. Otherwise, position-based is the best default.
Details: references/attribution-models.md
KPI Dashboard
Acquisition
- Sessions by source/medium
- New vs returning users
- Cost per acquisition (CPA) by channel
- Landing page conversion rates
Engagement
- Pages per session
- Average engagement time
- Bounce rate by page
- Scroll depth (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
Conversion
- Conversion rate by funnel step
- Drop-off between steps
- Revenue by attribution model
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
Retention
- Cohort retention curves
- Monthly active users (MAU)
- Churn rate by cohort
- Customer lifetime value (CLV)
References
- references/ga4-setup.md — Complete GA4 implementation guide
- references/utm-conventions.md — UTM naming standards and examples
- references/attribution-models.md — Deep dive on each model with examples