Understanding different tracking types is the secret to analysing performance, optimising campaigns, and providing personalised experiences.

1. Event-Based Tracking

What it is:

Tracks user actions/interactions, every click, swipe, login, purchase, etc.

Examples:

• Button clicked (event: CTA_Clicked)
• Product added to cart
• Workout started
• Email opened

Used in:

CleverTap, Mixpanel, Amplitude, GA4 (events), Segment

Best for understanding behaviour inside your product or app.

2. Profile/User Property Tracking (Attribute-Based Tracking)

What it is:

Stores user details and traits (demographics, preferences, behaviours over time)

Examples:

• Name, email, age, gender
• Subscription status: Free vs Premium
• Total Workouts Logged = 15
• Is WhatsApp enabled = True

Used in:

CleverTap (User Profiles), Mixpanel (User Properties), HubSpot CRM

Best for segmentation, personalisation, and conditional messaging.

3. Pageview Tracking

What it is:

Tracks the pages a user visits and their navigation.

Examples:

• Visited /pricing
• Viewed /blog/email-marketing
• Spent 2:45 mins on homepage

Used in:

Google Analytics, Hotjar, Plausible, Matomo, Mixpanel (via page events)

Best for web-based funnels, SEO tracking, and content analytics.

4. UTM/Source Tracking

What it is:

Tracks where traffic is coming from (campaigns, ads, emails).

Examples:

• utm_source=instagram
• utm_campaign=summer_launch

Used in:

GA4, CleverTap, Mixpanel, HubSpot, custom tracking tools

Best for understanding marketing campaign performance.

5. Funnel Tracking

What it is:

Tracks progression through key steps, usually tied to goals or conversions.

Examples:

• Funnel: App Installed → Account Created → Subscription Purchased
• Funnel: Blog Visit → Download eBook → Trial Signup

Used in:

Mixpanel Funnels, GA4 Conversions, CleverTap Journeys

Best for identifying drop-offs and improving onboarding/conversion flows.

6. Cohort Tracking

What it is:

Group users by shared behaviour or time to see trends over time.

Examples:

• Users who signed up last week and logged in 3+ times
• Premium users who churned within 30 days

Used in:

Mixpanel Cohorts, CleverTap Segments, Amplitude

Best for retention and lifecycle analysis.

7. A/B Testing Tracking

What it is:

Tracks performance across different variations of a feature or message.

Examples:

• Email Subject A vs Subject B
• Button colour test
• Onboarding flow v1 vs v2

Used in:

Google Optimise (sunset), VWO, Optimizely, Mixpanel Experiments

Best for experiments and optimisation.

8. Custom Tracking (via APIs/Webhooks)

What it is:

Triggered manually using backend/frontend events or tools like Zapier, Segment, etc.

Examples:

• Send event to Google Analytics via Measurement Protocol
• Trigger a webhook to Slack when a user completes onboarding

Best for integrations, custom workflows, and internal dashboards.

9. Pixel Tracking

Track page views and conversions using a tracking pixel (1×1 image).

• Tools: Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag

Best for Retargeting, conversion tracking

Summary

Tracking Type	What It Tracks	Ideal Use Case
Event-Based Tracking	Specific user actions (e.g., button clicks, purchases, logins)	Measuring feature usage, triggering automations, conversion goals
Profile/User Property Tracking	Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and affiliate conversions	Personalization, audience segmentation, lifecycle targeting
Pageviews Tracking	Page/screen visits with timestamp and device info	Website engagement tracking, heatmap analysis
UTM/Source Tracking	Campaign source, medium, term, content, and campaign via UTM parameters	Attribution, multi-channel performance monitoring
Funnel Tracking	Campaign source, medium, term, content, and campaign via UTM parameters	Measuring feature usage, triggering automations, and conversion goals
Cohort Tracking	Behaviour grouped by join date, first purchase, or shared action	Retention tracking, reactivation campaigns
A/B Testing Tracking	Comparative tracking between two or more variants	Experimentation to improve performance (email subjects, landing pages)
Custom Tracking	Defined uniquely by business needs, flexible logic	High-intent user actions, brand-specific KPIs
Pixel Tracking	Ad views, website visits, and conversions via tiny script or pixel image	Facebook Ads, Google Ads, affiliate conversions