Tracking gets more and more complicated – and unfortunately less and less accurate in the last couple of years. Arise of ad blockers, privacy updates by Apple and authorities, GDPR, and many other reasons that we can count.
I have prepared this post to help Shopify merchants with the most up-to-date information and best practices on Shopify Analytics in 2022.
Before we start the details, I assure you that you’re in safe hands. I have played a role in over 300 data analytics setups for Shopify merchants because I am a co-creator of Analyzify – a globally trusted Analytics partner for Shopify merchants with more than 600 clients. I have seen too many cases and I am ready to share what I have learned.
I broke the article down into topics. I strongly recommend reading it all as you will find important action points almost in every section. A quick breakdown of what we will be covering:
- Toolset: Which tools/apps you should be using
- Facebook Pixel & CAPI Best Practice for 2022
- Google Analytics (Both UA & GA4) Setup & Hacks
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Shopify Data Analytics Toolset
There are countless tools in the market but I am always a big fan of prioritizing native integrations. Our experience in 600+ stores has proved to me that Shopify’s native integrations are still the best solution for most of the merchants.
Merchants keep complaining about the errors or inaccuracy – but it is either caused by wrong implementation and settings – or it is natural to have that amount of inaccuracy. I will guide you more on this article about these toolsets and best practices.
Google App – for Product Feed & Remarketing Setup
It is the best solution for remarketing events and product feed for Google Ads. I will soon write another article to fix the errors that you see on Google Ads. Oftentimes, it is not caused by this app.
Facebook App – for Facebook Pixel & Conversion API & Product Feed
I wouldn’t use any other for FB Pixel and Conversion API. I should admit it wasn’t working properly a few months ago but it got better and better. And now it is by far the best option for Facebook Pixel, CAPI, and product feed. Make sure to check out the section below for the best possible setup & best practices.
Google Analytics – both Universal Analytics (UA) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
If you are not happy with your Google Analytics setup, you can surely make it better.
You need both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 (the new version) for the best results. You will find the setup and validation guide below together with some important hacks. (Learn more on Shopify – Google Analytics)
Visitor Screen Recording Tools – such as Hotjar or Clarity
You will never know how users interact with your website if you don’t watch their recordings. Hotjar or Clarity will record your visitors’ screens and you will understand much more about your website and probably find a lot of potential improvements. Hotjar is a paid option but Clarity by Microsoft is free.
Analyzify – for Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, Google Ads Conversions, and more
I can’t be modest here. We have created an amazing app for Shopify merchants. It adds data layers into your store and provides you with a neat data analytics setup using Google Tag Manager. Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads Conversion tracking works like a charm after the setup. Our support team will also be happy to help you with your setup and validation. Analyzify will also give you a complete GTM container that the FB Pixel, Bing, Snapchat, Pinterest, G Ads, and many other tags are ready to use.
Other native apps:
You should use the official apps from Pinterest, Tiktok, and Snapchat if you are running their ads.
Shopify – Facebook Pixel & Conversion API Best Practices
You shouldn’t be using any other solution for FB Pixel and Conversion API rather than the native integration. Just make sure the following settings & suggestions are applied.
- Facebook app is installed, the pixel is connected and Data Sharing settings are set to maximum >
In this way, all the customer data will be shared with Facebook for advanced event matching. As the next step, double check if your pixel is connected just like it is shown below:
- Go to your Facebook Pixel Settings, find “Automatic advanced matching” and set everything to ON under “Show customer information parameters” >
After this setting, Facebook will be able to use all the data that’s coming in for the event matching. - Make sure to apply the correct UTM parameters to your Ads. You can find a detailed guide on this tweet chain. This will enable the perfection of your Google Analytics traffic sources reports. All the campaign data will flow correctly.
In this way, all the customer data will be shared with Facebook for advanced event matching. As the next step, double check if your pixel is connected just like it is shown below:
After this setting, Facebook will be able to use all the data that’s coming in for the event matching.Google Analytics (Both UA & GA4) Setup & Hacks
Google launched the new version of Analytics last year. Universal Analytics is the old one that we are all used to. And the GA4 is the new one. Google recommends parallel tracking so do I. You need to be using both versions for the best results.
For Universal Analytics setup, you can keep your native connection, existing setup. Just make sure not to have any extra codes in the following section as it breaks the tracking.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is not natively connected to Shopify yet. Analyzify (Shopify Analytics App) is a great solution in the market to have full eCommerce tracking. If you want to set it up yourself you can follow our free Youtube video series.
You should also follow the bits of advice & double-check below to have the most possible accurate setup:
- Double-check your Traffic Sources report. If you are seeing payment providers or heavy social media traffic as referrals; you are doing something wrong.
Make sure you have set referral exclusions on both GA4 & UA. You can follow this tutorial as guidance.
- If you are running social media ads and not seeing the campaign/ad group names on your Google Analytics reports it means you don’t have the correct UTM setup. Social media referrals are often a sign of an incomplete UTM setup. You can follow this twit-chain as guidance.
- On GA4, Allow Google Signals for better reporting. Just hit Admin > Data Settings > Enable Google Signals.
- Connect your both (UA – GA4) Analytics properties to Google Ads and Search Console. Data sharing between these platforms are powerful and beneficial.
I will be writing more posts on Ecommercefastlane.com on the Shopify Data Analytics topic.
What would you like to learn more? Do you have any questions? What challenges are you having with your data analytics setup? I love hearing from Shopify merchants and solving their problems. I will make sure to check the comments on this post quite often.
Leave your questions/comments below.
