I'm looking for a way to implement server-side event tracking and link it somehow with GTM. Need to say I don't have a lot of experience with both and all my experience is from developer-side.
When I worked with Google Analytics only to do server-side events tracking, I simply used Measurement Protocol they have.
But now it seems like just pushing events to GA is not enough to make GTM have any idea about this events. Or, at least, to have proper idea about the event.
But now the question is:
How should I notify GTM about events which is server-sided by nature in the right way? Is it possible it all?
As far as I understand, one can "push" data to "data layer" as they call it, but once again, this push can be done from client-side only. And I need to make it server-side.
GTM is a client-side javascript injector. It does not have a server-side component (you could download the generated Javascript file and host in on your own server, and it would still work).
Since GTM is not a tracking tool there is usually not need to run it on the server side (if you want to send data to an external tool from your server it is usually easier to cut out the middle man).
So the only way to push serverside events to GTM would be to run a client on the server, e.g. a headless browser like phantomjs. That could load a page with the GTM code and you could automate it to execute javascript functions based on input from your server side application. While technically feasible this sounds like a horrible PITA.
Update: Google has announced a closed beta for server-side tracking, where you run a container in a cloud environment that then distributes the requests. Simo Ahava has a little info in his twitter feed: https://twitter.com/SimoAhava/status/1222459714614841346. This is not yet a production feature.
Related
I have a website hosted in AWS with a NodeJS backend.
I have Google Ads conversion events being sent from the frontend using gtag.js, but I noticed missing events and a lot of duplication (even if I use transaction IDs with my events)
I has similar issues with Facebook Pixel and was able to resolve the problem by sending simple vanilla http calls from the backend.
Is it possible to do the same with Google Ads? I have not been able to find any documentation for server side APIs for Javascript.
This documentation here seems promising, but no Javascript SDK exists. That's is why I would like to know what vanilla http calls to make.
I have seen documentation about GTM server side, but it seems I need to host a GTM container (server?) which I would prefer not to have to. Unless I misunderstood what hosting a GTM container means in the context of a AWS cloud solution.
In addition to the native, gRPC-based Ads API there's also a REST alternative which can be used if there's no native client library, such as for NodeJS.
The endpoint relevant for your use case is customers.uploadClickConversions, which allows you to register a conversion given a specific click ID.
Keep in mind that you'll need to apply for API access in order to be able to use the Ads API (aside from accessing test accounts).
I want use Google Assistant from my phone to send HTTP POST command to my server. I have a simple webnms app running over it, this server support REST API and now I want to use Google Assistant to shoot GET or POST command to that server and return my output.
Is it something possible? I am not full time developer.
Yes, as #Prisoner says it is possible. It is not what you asked - but have you seen these ways that Google provides to get skills published without requiring a lot of developer savvy?
https://developers.google.com/actions/content-actions/
https://developers.google.com/actions/templates/first-app
I don't speak for them, but IMO Google's target audience for Action building apart from the above is those who have at least some familiarity with the JavaScript language and its "run-time" Node.
There is also this - which I haven't tried by the way.
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/digital-home/easy-actions-google-assistant-3665372/
In case it is not obvious, Google Actions are essentially websites that interact with Google's assistant running on a Home device or a smart phone, say. Think of the Assistant as a browser initiating requests and your Action as serving them. If you can (build and?) deploy a server that handles POSTS over HTTPS on a publicly addressable URL, and if you can understand the JSON payload that the Assistant sends and respond with appropriate JSON to carry out you application then you are good to go.
Where you don't have a public IP address - e.g. in testing - you can use a tool like ngrok ( https://ngrok.com/ ) to reverse proxy requests emanating from the Assistant to your server.
I have slides for a presentation I did targeting fledgling developers who had never built an Action here
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lGxmoMDZLFSievf5phoQVmlp85ofWZ2LDjNnH6wx7UY/edit?usp=sharing
and the code that goes with it here
https://github.com/unclewill/parrot
On the upside the code is about as simple as it gets. On the downside it does almost nothing. In particular, it doesn't try to understand language. As #Prisoner says you'll likely need a tool like Dialog Flow for that.
Yes, it is possible.
Your server will need to implement the Actions on Google API. This is a REST API which will accept JSON containing what the user is intending to do and specific information about what they have said. Your server will need to send back JSON indicating the reply, along with additional information about how to continue the conversation.
You will likely also want to use a tool such as Dialogflow to handle building the conversational script and converting a user's phrases into something that makes sense to you. You'll also need to use the Actions on Google console to manage your Action and provide additional details about how users contact your Action. All of this is explained in the Actions on Google documentation.
Simple Actions are fairly easy to develop, and can certainly be done by a developer as a hobby. Good Actions, however, take a lot more thought and planning. Google offers you to the tools - it is up to you to best take advantage of them.
I've found the solution.
In the "Action" console https://console.actions.google.com/project/sandbox-csuite/scenes/Start
Go to menu "Webhook", click "Change fulfillment method", and then select "HTTPS endpoint"
I'm trying to develop a chrome extension which will capture http packets, their source and destination URLS, the packet size.
Basically I want to know how much time the user spends on a particular site for the duration the browser is active.
I used JNetPcap and successfully have written a java code for the same but i cant find a way to implement the browser close event in Java.
Also chrome extensions need to be in javascript.
Can anyone suggest a way to go about this?
Your initial approach is flawed to begin with. What do you mean by "time spent on a site"? The page loads, packets cease to flow, yet the user is still reading the page. Just network analysis is hardly a good metric.
And what about external resources? Do your users "spend time" on Google Analytics website when trackers make their requests?
If you are dead-set on network capture, chrome.webRequest or chrome.webNavigation APIs should let you tap into requests made by the client.
As for implementing this properly as a Chrome extension, it should be trivial. You can use chrome.tabs API to keep track of open/active tabs.
Declare "tabs" permission to get access to URL data
On initialization, query current tabs (or just the active tab)
Listen to onCreated for new tabs, or better yet for onActivated for change of visible tab (possibly do so with windows too, there's a separate API for that)
Within the active tab, track URL changes with onUpdated
If you're new to extension development, start with the Overview. Good read, and a good hub to other documentation.
As for recommending JavaScript resources, I'll pass; too many of them.
I have a client side Javascript solution that is to access a shared Google Calendar via a Service Account.
I have created the Calendar, Service Acct and shared the Calendar with the Service Acct.
I do NOT want the user to have to enter any usernames/passwords in the process.
I want to query the Calendar for events, display the available/unavailable times to the user, allow the user to pick an available time and then programmatically create an event starting at the selected time.
I've seen server side solutions written in Java or PHP but would prefer to have all this done in client side Javascript. I think, but am not totally sure, the client side restriction removes the possibility of using Node.js as it is, I think, a kind of server side Javascript - but I don't know for certain.
Is a completely client side, Javascript solution THAT DOES NOT require entering a username/password even possible? I see hints that it may be, but I cannot see exactly how to construct it.
Please help...
It might (just) be possible, but since it involves the client holding the OAuth credentials, it's a really bad idea.
You've said "THAT DOES NOT require entering a username/password". How will you be authenticating the user?
Say, I'm developing a Windows (if OS is important) application that will be available to download for free and I would like then to collect some usage statistics. In the easiest case - count of application launches. It looks superfluous to maintain a server (e.g. VDS) just for this.
I've been thinking to use Google Analytics for this (manually send requests to GA server). This will probably work, but it is not GA designed for - the idea looks like a hack.
What are the options here?
I don't think this is a hack. It's all just data about user interaction. There is little logical difference between opening a desktop app and clicking a button vs opening a web page and following a link. Both are measurable user actions you can track, aggregate and put on graphs.
In fact, Google provides a lower level HTTP based "Measurement Protocol" that is intended for exactly that.
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/v1/
From the overview:
The Google Analytics Measurement Protocol allows developers to make
HTTP requests to send raw user interaction data directly to Google
Analytics servers. This allows developers to measure how users
interact with their business from almost any environment
Just put an HTTP request with the correct parameters in your application launch or button click code and it will collect the data. Any data you want to collect.
In other answers to this question there are suggestions like making web services or storing the data locally but why reinvent the wheel? Google Analytics already provides the collecting and reporting tools and it seems like a good solution.