User Tracking

  • alexandrahoon

    (@alexandrahoon)


    6 years ago

    Hi! I would like to know how to track users who filled out a form on my page (with their name, email) to the source they came from (organic, clicking on an ad, social media).

    I have Google Analytics and Google Adwords, but they only provide statistical data.

    Essentially, I would like to know out of 20 users who came from Facebook (for example), 5 filled out forms.

    Thank you in advance,
    Alexandra

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Howdy_McGee

    (@howdy_mcgee)

    The easiest, least intrusive solution would be to just ask the user where they came from:

    > How did you hear about us?

    If you’re specifically sharing a link to Facebook you could append a string to the URL:

    https://example.com/myform/?referrer=facebook

    Have you form look for that $_GET value.

    Thread Starter alexandrahoon

    (@alexandrahoon)

    Thanks Howdy!

    Appending a string to the URL sounds like a good idea, but my technical know-how is blah. Do you know where I can refer to step-by-step instructions?

    Thank you!!

    Howdy_McGee

    (@howdy_mcgee)

    Unfortunately it would require some development to process that URL parameter and pass it into the form. Maybe you can contact whatever plugin you’re using to create the form, they may have a good solution.

    Google Analytics may also be able to pick up on the URL parameter and you may be able to filter on it with the Google Analytics reporting tools.

    Dion

    (@diondesigns)

    If you can’t provide custom referral URLs, checking $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'] is probably the best way to do what you want. Just keep in mind that spambots, hackers, etc will spoof or not send a referer header. (Those who value privacy will also not send a referer header, but such people will likely never visit your contact form page.)

    If you are using hosting that includes cPanel, you could enable one of its stats applications (AWstats, Webalizer, etc) and check the reports. While the results would not be specific to your contact form page, they will provide a lot of useful information about those who are accessing your site. (Better in many cases than Google Analytics, which can be disabled by ad blockers.)

    Thread Starter alexandrahoon

    (@alexandrahoon)

    Thanks Dion! how do I get started with checking $_SERVER like you said? I’m sorry but I’m really new to this. Any step-by-step guide would so much appreciated

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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