GOV.UK GA4 tracking change process
The GOV.UK GA4 data and GOV.UK GA4 implementation are owned and maintained by the GOV.UK Analytics team.
Over time, the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracking in place on www.gov.uk will need to be changed or updated.
Tracking change process
Changes to the GA4 data collection will follow this process:
- Tracking changes requested
- Need for and value of requested changes evaluated by the Analytics team
- Schema for proposed changes drawn up by the Analytics team and those requesting the changes
- Changes implemented and tested by developers
- Changes tested by analysts
- Changes deployed by Analytics team
- Implementation record updated by Analytics team
Changes that require updates to the Google Tag Manager container will follow the GTM change process.
Reasons for tracking changes
The Analytics team will evaluate the need for and value of any requested changes to ensure GA4 data collection is of a high quality and value for money.
The team will ensure there is an adequate need for any changes, such as:
- there is a data user need for data on a GOV.UK component or feature that is currently not being tracked
- a component or feature has changed and the pre-existing GA4 tracking has broken or is no longer fit for purpose
The Analytics team will also ensure GA4 tracking is efficient and value-for-money, considering factors such as:
- the number of hits that would be sent by any proposed tracking
- whether specific tracking is needed on a given feature, or if the same information can be learned from other, pre-existing tracking
- how many people are likely to use this data
Scroll tracking changes
Scroll tracking data reveals the approximate page depth users scroll down to. This tracking necessarily fires a large number of hits, and so is only used on a limited number of pages and for a short duration to reduce data collection and storage costs.
When requesting scroll tracking changes, the data user should detail:
- what pages they would like scroll tracking on
- what type of scroll tracking would suit their needs
- how long the scroll tracking should be live (what length of time would provide sufficient data)
A page can only have one type of scroll tracking applied at any one time.
Scroll tracking cannot be applied retrospectively. Two full working weeks is the default length of time for an item of scroll tracking to be live. Users should get in touch a few weeks in advance if they require scroll tracking to be live for a specific period.
The Analytics team will evaluate scroll tracking requests to ensure they are appropriate and cost-effective.
Design of GA4 tracking
New GA4 tracking will be designed to ensure consistency with existing GOV.UK GA4 events.
Testing of GA4 tracking
New GA4 tracking will be tested to ensure the values returned match the proposed schema drawn up by the Analytics team, and that (as far as can be ascertained) the tracking will function as expected and return quality data across GOV.UK.
Tracking monitoring
The Analyics team monitors and maintains the GOV.UK GA4 data. Tracking may be removed if it is believed to be of low utility, high cost, or if the quality of the data generated is poor.
PII
If Personally Identifable Information (PII) is discovered in the GOV.UK GA4 data, the Analytics team will deal with the assessment and removal of this data using the GA PII process. In some cases, tracking may have to be removed or edited to limit the possibility of PII being collected.