Hacking Google Analytics
A quick look at how to use Scroll Depth data
This is the first in a series of posts that explain how to extend Google Analytics using two plugins: Scroll Depth and Riveted (disclosure: I made them).
While there’s nothing tricky about installing these plugins, there isn’t a user manual for working with the data they collect. So the point of these posts is simply to shed some light on what to do with the data once you have it.
Both plugins record activity using the Events API. For scroll depth, if we pull up the Behavior > Events > Overview > Scroll Depth > Event Label screen, we’ll see the raw event data, which looks like this:
Scroll Depth records an event when the user scrolls 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the way down the page. It also sends a baseline event, which fires immediately when the page loads. In addition to these percentage events, you can trigger events when particular elements on the page are scrolled into view.
Total Events vs Unique Events
One of the things I’ve received a few questions about is the difference between Total Events and Unique…
