Doofinder can be integrated with Google Analytics 4, allowing you to track and measure your users' traffic and Doofinder usage on your website, enabling you to make more informed decisions and improve your business.
How to configure GA4
Under Store Settings you'll find two fields:
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Google Analytics Account / Measurement ID: This is the Measurement ID of the GA account. The code format is "G-XXX," unlike the Universal Google Analytics format "UA-XXXX-Y" as indicated in the helper.
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Measurement Protocol API secret: This key can be obtained from the Data Streams section of Google Analytics Settings.
We recommend creating a specific "Measurement protocol API key" for Doofinder.
Universal Google Analytics will become obsolete as of July 31, 2023. Previously, only 1 field was required to be completed. However, since Universal Google Analytics is still working, the field "Google Analytics account ID / measurement" is equivalent to the previously available field, so Universal GA will continue to work until the deadline of July 31, 2023.
Doofinder Events
Doofinder sends three custom events to GA4:
- doofinder_search: When performing a search on the website using Doofinder.
- doofinder_view_item: When a user visits a product on the website.
- doofinder_checkout: When a user proceeds to the checkout page after buying a product (without specifying the item).
Data => hash-id (Search Engine) and query term.
Data => hash-id and product page url.
Data => hash-id and url of the checkout page (configured in the Conversion Rate).
The rest of the events, like click or page_view, belong to GA. You can have a look at GA events in this link.
How and where to view the collected data will depend on the configuration of your GA dashboard, dimensions, reports, etc.
How does Doofinder send Search Events to Google Analytics?
The Live Layer triggers a "doofinder_search" event to Google Analytics for every query, as long as there's no subsequent query within a one-second debounce period. For clarity, suppose we search for "shoes"; if we type "shoe" and wait a second before adding "s," two "doofinder_search" events will be dispatched to GA4 with the value 'shoe' and another with 'shoes.'
Why the differences between Doofinder Statistics and doofinder_search Events?
There's a difference in how searches are counted between GA4 and the admin stats. This difference stems from variations in how searches are recorded in Doofinder due to data processing before storage. For a query to qualify as a search, it must meet specific conditions, primarily:
- Time lapse between queries
- Similarity between queries
Just to clarify, if we search for "shoes," but type "shoe" and wait a second before adding "s," only one search will be saved in Doofinder stats due to the similarity between the two queries, "shoe" and "shoes." However, if there's a significant delay between the two queries, two searches would be saved in Doofinder Stats. For instance, searching "shoe," waiting 10 seconds, and then typing "s" would result in recording two searches: "shoe" and "shoes."