Google Analytics 4 (GA4) gives powerful insights into your website performance, including tracking form submissions. However, it’s essential to understand that GA4’s automatic form submit tracking does not track AJAX forms by default. This limitation can result in incomplete data analysis. Thankfully, you can overcome this hurdle by configuring GA4 with an AJAX listener in Google Tag Manager (GTM). This article will explore why GA4’s automatic tracking falls short for AJAX forms and how creating a custom GTM tag can help address this issue.
The Limitation of GA4’s Automatic Form Submission Tracking
GA4’s automatic form submit tracking is based on events like button clicks and page loads. This default setup doesn’t account for AJAX forms, which submit without reloading the entire page. Without reloading the page, GA4 may not capture these form submissions, leading to gaps in data and incomplete insights into user behavior.
Solve Using an AJAX Listener in Google Tag Manager
To accurately track AJAX forms in GA4, you can utilize Google Tag Manager to create an AJAX listener using a custom HTML tag.
Creating a custom GTM tag for tracking AJAX forms offers several benefits to businesses:
- Accurate Tracking: Custom GTM tags ensure that all AJAX form submissions are properly tracked in GA4, providing comprehensive data insights.
- Enhanced Analysis: With accurate tracking, businesses gain a deeper understanding of user engagement, conversion rates, and form performance, enabling them to make data-driven decisions.
- Optimization Opportunities: Detailed tracking allows businesses to identify potential bottlenecks or issues in AJAX forms, optimize user experiences, and drive higher conversions.
This article from Analytics Mania goes through the detailed steps to make a custom HTML tag with an AJAX listener to track these form submissions.
In Conclusion
While GA4’s automatic form submit tracking is valuable, it needs to catch up when tracking AJAX forms. However, businesses can overcome this limitation by configuring GA4 with a custom GTM tag. By creating a custom HTML tag within GTM and setting it up to capture AJAX form submissions, businesses ensure accurate data collection and gain valuable insights into user behavior and form performance. This configuration empowers businesses to optimize their websites, improve user experiences, and drive greater success in their online ventures.