Is it possible to track hash links like pages with google analytics?
JavascriptJqueryGoogle AnalyticsJavascript Problem Overview
Is it possible to track hash links like pages with google analytics?
For example, I want index.php/#1, index.php/#2, and index.php/#3 to all show up as individual page hits with individual time spent on page.
If there is no simple way of doing this, how can I add a track event to an onclick event with jquery? Can I still receive accurate time on "page" information this way?
Javascript Solutions
Solution 1 - Javascript
Generically, your code could look like this
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview',location.pathname + location.search + location.hash]);
You could either bind that code to every time you have a hash change within your application, or you could use a generic hashchange plugin, that uses the HTML5 onhashchange, and some backwards compatible hacks for older browsers, and bind this code to that event, so that it fires every time your hash changes.
Using that plugin, your code could look like:
$(window).hashchange( function(){
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview',location.pathname + location.search + location.hash]);
})
UPDATE 2014:
This is how you'd do this in the new Universal Analytics:
ga('set', 'page', location.pathname + location.search + location.hash);
ga('send', 'pageview');
Note from Google Analytics documentation:
> While technically the send
command for pageview hits accepts an optional page
field as the third parameter, passing the page
field that way is not recommended when measuring single page applications.
This is how you'd do it if you're using Google Analytics within Google Tag Manager:
- Go to your macros
- Updated the URL Macro to "Fragment"
Solution 2 - Javascript
Looks like this might be useful too: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/single-page-applications
Very helpful with clear 'What to do' and 'What not to do'
Solution 3 - Javascript
Google Analytics allows you to track custom events, for example AJAX page loads.
(The usual caveats apply when doing this - hopefully there are non-javascript ways to access the same data :)
Solution 4 - Javascript
Good question. To track the hash link, you must track an event or a pageview, for every link to this hash. For the pageView, a sample code is below
onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackPageview','/page/hashLink1']);"
Note: This method create a virtual page view that is summing up to the count of the pages of your site. If your site is a big html files with anchors (maybe there is a slider to this page), this method gives you an estimated of the interaction of the user with your "content"
Solution 5 - Javascript
For new universal tracking this doesn't work anymore. You will have to go to https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/events and update to something like
ga('send', 'event', 'category', 'action', {'page': '/my-new-page'});