The Challenge We Faced
Have you ever had the frustrating experience of checking your analytics dashboard only to find that your numbers seem suspiciously high? That’s exactly what happened to us. Our event tracking numbers were showing double the actual user interactions, and it took us a while to figure out why.
Understanding What Was Going Wrong
Our initial setup used Segment with Google Tag Manager (GTM) configured as a destination. Think of it like having a message that needs to go through two postal services before reaching its final destination. Just as this would increase the chances of delivery issues, our setup was causing problems with our analytics data.
Here’s what was happening behind the scenes:
- A user would click a button on our website
- Segment would try to record this event
- Segment would then try to send this information to GTM
- Sometimes, GTM wouldn’t be ready to receive this information
- This created a timing problem where events would either fail or be sent twice
The Root Cause
The main issue stemmed from what developers call a “race condition.” Imagine two runners starting a race, but one runner (Segment) starts running before the other runner (GTM) is even ready at the starting line. This timing mismatch caused our tracking system to behave unpredictably.
Why Our Original Setup Was Problematic
Think of our original analytics setup like a game of telephone with three players:
- Our website (the source of events)
- Segment (the first messenger)
- Google Tag Manager (the second messenger)
- Final destinations like Google Analytics (the final listener)
This chain of communication created several issues:
- Messages sometimes got lost or duplicated
- It was hard to figure out where things went wrong
- The system was slower than necessary
- Debugging became a complex treasure hunt
The Solution We Found
Instead of using this complex chain of tools, we discovered a simpler approach: using Next.js‘s built-in GTM integration. It’s like removing the middle person from a conversation – suddenly, everything becomes clearer and more direct.
This new approach is like having a direct phone line instead of playing telephone. Our website now talks directly to GTM, which then distributes the information to wherever it needs to go.
Why This New Approach Works Better
- Simplicity
- No more middleman (Segment) between our website and GTM
- Fewer points where things can go wrong
- Clearer path for data flow
- Reliability
- Events are sent once and only once
- No more timing issues
- More predictable behavior
- Performance
- Faster event tracking
- Less processing overhead
- Better user experience
- Easier Maintenance
- Simpler to debug issues
- Clearer understanding of data flow
- Less configuration needed
Best Practices We Learned
- Keep It Simple
- Use the most direct path for your analytics
- Avoid unnecessary tools and intermediaries
- Choose framework-native solutions when available
- Documentation Is Key
- Keep track of what events you’re tracking
- Document why each event is important
- Maintain clear naming conventions
- Monitor and Verify
- Regularly check your analytics data
- Look for anomalies
- Verify that important events are being tracked correctly
Common Questions We Encountered
Q: Does this affect historical data? A: No, historical data remains intact. Only new events are affected by the change.
Q: Is this approach scalable? A: Yes, often more so than complex multi-tool setups, as there are fewer points of failure.
Key Takeaways
- Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution
- Framework-native integrations often outperform third-party solutions
- Fewer moving parts mean fewer potential problems
- Direct integrations can improve reliability and performance
Conclusion
Our journey from a Segment-GTM setup to Next.js’s native GTM integration taught us valuable lessons about simplicity in technical architecture. While tools like Segment serve important purposes, sometimes using them as intermediaries creates more problems than they solve.
The key is to evaluate your actual needs and choose the simplest solution that meets them. In our case, direct GTM integration through Next.js provided everything we needed with none of the complications of our previous setup.
Remember: in analytics, as in many technical solutions, the goal is not just to collect data, but to collect it reliably and efficiently. Sometimes that means taking a step back and simplifying your approach.