What Events to Track

A complete guide to deciding which user actions to track — including a starter event list, naming conventions, and what to avoid.

Start simple, expand later

When you first set up Analytiq, don’t try to track everything at once. Start with 5-7 core events that directly answer your most important questions, then expand gradually.

The 5 events every app needs:

Event	When to fire
page_view	Every page load / route change
signup_completed	New user registers successfully
login	User logs into existing account
purchase	Payment confirmed
logout	User signs out

Once these 5 are in place and sending data, you’ll have the foundation to understand your app’s core funnel.

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How to decide what to track

Ask yourself: “What decision would I make if I knew this number?”

Examples:

• “If I knew which CTA button converts better, I’d run a proper A/B test” - track both buttons separately
• “If I knew what % of signups upgrade within 7 days, I’d know if onboarding works” - track signup_completed and upgrade_clicked with timestamps
• “If I knew which feature is most used, I’d focus work there” - track feature interactions

If you can’t think of a decision you’d make with the data - don’t track it. Clutter makes dashboards harder to use.

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Full starter event list by category

Authentication

track('signup_completed', { method: 'email' })       // user finishes signup
track('signup_failed', { reason: error.message })    // signup fails
track('login', { method: 'email' })                  // successful login
track('login_failed', { reason: 'invalid_credentials' })
track('logout')
track('password_reset_requested')
track('password_reset_completed')

Navigation

track('page_view', { page: 'Home', path: '/' })
track('page_view', { page: 'Dashboard', path: '/dashboard' })
track('page_view', { page: 'Pricing', path: '/pricing' })
track('page_view', { page: 'Settings', path: '/settings' })

Revenue

track('upgrade_clicked', { plan: 'pro', source: 'settings' })
track('checkout_started', { plan: 'pro', amount: 49 })
track('purchase', { plan: 'pro', amount: 49, currency: 'USD' })
track('payment_failed', { reason: 'card_declined', amount: 49 })
track('subscription_cancelled', { plan: 'pro', reason: 'too_expensive' })

Feature usage

track('feature_used', { feature: 'export_csv' })
track('feature_used', { feature: 'dark_mode' })
track('search_performed', { query_length: searchQuery.length })
track('filter_applied', { filter: 'by_date' })
track('file_uploaded', { type: 'image', size_kb: fileSize })

Key actions

track('cta_clicked', { button: 'Start Free Trial', location: 'hero' })
track('share_clicked', { platform: 'twitter' })
track('copy_clicked', { content: 'api_key' })
track('download_clicked', { file: 'report.pdf' })
track('invite_sent', { method: 'email' })

E-commerce (if applicable)

track('add_to_cart', { product: 'Pro Plan', price: 49 })
track('cart_viewed', { items: 3, total: 147 })
track('remove_from_cart', { product: 'Basic Plan' })
track('cart_abandoned', { items: 2, total: 98 })

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Naming conventions

Consistent naming makes your dashboard readable. Use this pattern everywhere:

[noun]_[past_tense_verb]

Good	Bad
signup_completed	signup
page_viewed	PageView
button_clicked	click
purchase_completed	payment_success
feature_used	used feature
plan_upgraded	upgrade

Rules:

• All lowercase
• Use underscores (_), not spaces or hyphens
• Verb at the end in past tense: _clicked, _viewed, _completed, _started, _failed
• Be specific: signup_completed is better than signup

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Properties — what to include

Add properties to give context to each event. Properties let you filter and compare on the dashboard.

// Bare minimum — just the event
track('page_view')

// Good — page name helps you see which pages are most visited
track('page_view', { page: 'Dashboard' })

// Better — more context for filtering
track('purchase', {
  plan: 'pro',
  amount: 49,
  currency: 'USD',
  billing: 'monthly'
})

Property value types allowed:

Type	Example
string	'pro', 'email', '/dashboard'
number	49, 3, 1024
boolean	true, false
null	null (for “not set”)

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What NOT to track

Don’t track	Why
Passwords, credit card numbers	Security risk — never in event properties
Full email addresses	Privacy concerns, GDPR
Personally identifiable info (name, address, phone)	Use identify(user) instead
Every single keypress	Too much noise, meaningless data
Mouse movements	Zero business value
Events with identical properties every time	Adds noise, not signal

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How many events is too many?

There’s no hard limit, but as a rule of thumb:

• 5-10 events - clean, focused, easy to read
• 10-25 events - good coverage of your app
• 25-50 events - advanced tracking, useful for large apps
• 50+ events - only if each event has a clear business purpose

If you find yourself adding events just “in case they’re useful someday” — stop. Track what you’ll actually look at.

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Sample event plan for a SaaS app

Stage	Events
Awareness	landing_page_viewed, pricing_page_viewed
Acquisition	signup_started, signup_completed, google_oauth_clicked
Activation	first_project_created, first_event_tracked, dashboard_viewed
Retention	login, feature_used, report_generated
Revenue	upgrade_clicked, checkout_started, purchase
Referral	invite_sent, share_clicked
Churn risk	subscription_cancelled, downgrade_requested

This gives you full visibility into the user lifecycle — from first visit to paying customer.