If you’re NOT on the HyperArts Blog, click here!
In a previous post on the new Google Analytics Social Interactions tracking, I showed how to have social actions (send, share, etc.) tracked in your Google Analytics account (using the NEW version of Analytics and the asynchronous tracking code).
Although on its page about Google Analytics Social Tracking, Google explains how to track clicks on the Facebook Like Button and Send Button, and provides the JavaScript code for social tracking, they don’t include tracking actions on the Facebook Comments Box.
Here’s how to add tracking for the Comments Box…
NOTE: This is for tracking Facebook social actions on EXTERNAL websites and blogs, or on Facebook iFrame tabs.
Tracking the Facebook Comments Social Plugin with Google Analytics
In order to track Facebook Comments on your website, blog or Fan Page iFrame tab, you need to get set up with the new Google Analytics (our tutorial on tracking comments on iFrame tabs has detailed instructions), and then modify the social tracking code so that it also tracks the Comments box.
Modifying the Google Analytics Social Tracking JavaScript to Add Comments Tracking
The JavaScript that enables the Google Analytics social tracking should be in a file named “ga_social_tracking.js” and then called in the <head> ... </head> tags of your Web page:
<!-- Google Analytics Social Button Tracking -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="//[YOUR-DOMAIN]/js/ga_social_tracking.js"></script>
The above URL for the JavaScript .js file is to our server, and you’re free to use this. However, I would recommending your own version to your server and calling that URL.
The code Google provides includes this, at line 51, for tracking Facebook social actions:
FB.Event.subscribe(‘edge.create’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push([trackerName + '_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'like',
targetUrl, opt_pageUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘edge.remove’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push([trackerName + '_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'unlike',
targetUrl, opt_pageUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘message.send’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push([trackerName + '_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'send',
targetUrl, opt_pageUrl]);
});
The above JavaScript tracks Likes, Unlikes and Sends. To track Comments, you need to add:
FB.Event.subscribe(‘comment.create’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'comment', targetUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘comment.remove’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'uncomment', targetUrl]);
});
So that your .js file now looks like this:
FB.Event.subscribe(‘edge.remove’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push([trackerName + '_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'unlike',
targetUrl, opt_pageUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘message.send’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push([trackerName + '_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'send',
targetUrl, opt_pageUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘comment.create’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'comment', targetUrl]);
});
FB.Event.subscribe(‘comment.remove’, function(targetUrl) {
_gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'facebook', 'uncomment', targetUrl]);
});
Add a bit of JavaScript to the Facebook Comments Social Plugin
After you’ve visited Facebook’s Comments Social Plugin page and generated your Comments Box code:
<div id="fb-root"></div><script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:comments href="THE-URL-YOU-SPECIFY" num_posts="2" width="500"></fb:comments>
You need to add this JavaScript, just before the <fb:comments /> tag, to trigger Google Analytics tracking of the Comments:
<script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script>
So your Comments Box code now looks like this:
<div id="fb-root"></div><script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script><fb:comments href="THE-URL-YOU-SPECIFY" num_posts="2" width="500"></fb:comments>
You should now see Google Analytics tracking for your Comments Box social plugin
Assuming you’ve set everything else up correctly using the instructions in this post, this should work for you.
Here’s an example of what it should look like in your Google Analytics:
It usually takes around an hour or two for your test results to show up in Google Analytics. Make sure your are using the NEW Version of Google Analytics AND the “asynchronous” tracking code (the option for this is at the top right of any Analytics page):
Credit and thanks are due to Russ Tucknott’s Blog where he lays out this technique, but implements it somewhat differently. Thanks Ross!
Resources
- Google Analytics Technical Info for Social Tracking
- Google Analytics Blog Post on Social Tracking
- Google Analytics Social Tracking Help Page
- Google’s Asynchronous Usage Tracking Guide
- Google Analytics Help Center
- Google Analytics: How to Add a Web Property
- Facebook Secure Browsing (HTTPS), iFrame Tabs & Mixed Content Warnings
