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IdoBooking
Integration of IdoBooking with Google Analytics 4
At the beginning of July 2023, Google will deactivate Universal Analytics and replace it with a new version of its data collection system - Google Analytics 4. In order to continue to collect information about traffic, users and transactions on your website, you will need to plug the new tool into your booking engine. We have prepared an integration so that you can easily embed the new tracking code into your website and booking engine.
Why should you implement Google Analytics 4?
Nowadays, properly analysing how a website is used is one of the most important points for the development of any business - including that related to the sale of accommodation. The well-known Google Analytics Universal is slowly becoming a thing of the past. It was developed at a time when website structures were not so complex and online purchases were mainly made from a computer.
Due to the popularisation of smartphones, the current devices used by the user on the way to conversion differ strongly. The inability to effectively combine user activity data across devices was one of the biggest shortcomings of the analytics service to date. Google Analytics 4 is set to be the cure for analytics to date.'''
Differences between Google Analytics Universal and Google Analytics 4
In the previous service, data was primarily collected on the basis of page views and sessions. By session, we mean the various activities recorded by a specific user at a given time. These ended after 30 minutes of inactivity or after midnight. When an internet user cleared his or her cookies or re-entered the site from another campaign, after the first session had expired, he or she was treated by the tool as a new user. This logic meant that some of the reports generated were highly distorted.
Google Analytics 4 instead of sessions, it focuses its attention on events - i.e. users and their behaviour. This change gives the possibility to analyse in depth the movements of a specific person on the website and thus correctly reconstruct the purchase path on the website.
Addition of GA4 tracking code in the IdoBooking panel
Due to the fact that until Google Analytics Universal expires, it can run simultaneously with Google Analytics 4, we have introduced the possibility of entering the tracking code in three configurations from the IdoBooking panel:
- Google Analytics Universal only,
- Google Analytics Universal and Google Analytics 4 at the same time,
- Google Analytics 4 only.
The insertion of the tracking code is necessary both for those using our website template and those using only Booking Engine, hosted on their own website. In the latter case, adding the code in the IdoBooking panel is necessary, in order to track the bookings made.
Callable events
In line with Google's recommendations, we have introduced the following traceable events in GA4. The table shows the split between those for the website and the booking engine.
| User triggered event | Booking Engine | Website | |
| Display of items | Clicking on the "details" link | Clicking on "details" | |
| Display of list of items/offers | Selecting dates in the appointment planner | Filtering of rooms and dates | |
| Display of promotions | Clicking on "show offers" in the promotions section | ||
| Selecting an item in the list | Clicking "show offers" in the list in the "offer selection" step | Clicking "book now" on the room list | |
| Selection of promotions | Selection of the promotion by clicking "go on" | Clicking "book now" on the list of promotions | |
| Add to basket | Click "select" in the rooms section | ||
| Display of basket contents | Clicking "selected" in the rooms section | ||
| Removing items from the basket | Click "delete" in the rooms section | ||
| Start of the payment process | Clicking "place order" | ||
| Card data transfer | Clicking on "select payment" | ||
| Finalising the purchase | Payment of the reservation |
In the coming weeks, we will also add support for view_item, view_item_list, select_item and select_promotion events on the website. Until then, it will be possible to collect basic information about default events such as page view and scroll - https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9234069?hl=en.
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