Analytics

Analytics Stack Overview

Three analytics products run on all sv-website pages. Each serves a distinct purpose.

When to Use Which

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Added Feb 28, 2026. Provides deeper behavioral analytics beyond what Vercel Web Analytics captures — user flows, engagement time, acquisition channels, and conversion events.

Configuration

Conditional Loading (Production Only)

GA4 only fires on the production domain. Vercel preview deploys, localhost, and any other hostname are excluded. This prevents development and AI agent traffic on non-production URLs from polluting analytics data. Implemented Mar 21, 2026.

<!-- Google Analytics (GA4) — only loads on production domain -->
<script>
  if (location.hostname === 'www.mystoragevalet.com' || location.hostname === 'mystoragevalet.com') {
    var s = document.createElement('script');
    s.async = true;
    s.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-9SBYJ8QEC1';
    document.head.appendChild(s);
    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
    function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
    gtag('js', new Date());
    gtag('config', 'G-9SBYJ8QEC1');
  }
</script>

This snippet appears identically in all 9 HTML files (8 main pages + promo/index.html). The dataLayer.push pattern queues events before gtag.js loads, so dynamic script creation works identically to a static <script async> tag.

Enhanced Measurement (Auto-Tracked)

These events are captured automatically by GA4 with no additional code:

Still To Build Out

• GA4 conversion events: Mark key actions (e.g., signup form submission, Stripe checkout redirect) as conversions in GA4 for funnel tracking
• Google Ads linkage: When Google Ads is set up, link to this GA4 property for ad performance tracking
• Google Business Profile: Not yet created — needed for local search visibility, Google Maps listing, and review collection
• Meta (Facebook) Pixel: Not yet installed — needed if running Facebook/Instagram ads

Internal Traffic Filtering

GA4 filters out traffic from Zach's home network to prevent internal browsing from inflating analytics data. This is a two-part system: a traffic rule that tags matching IPs, and a data filter that excludes tagged events.

Internal Traffic Rule

Data Filter

Coverage

Updating the IP Address

The ISP may rotate the public IP occasionally. If analytics start showing internal traffic again:

1. Check current IPv4 at api.ipify.org
2. Go to GA4 Admin > Data Streams > Storage Valet Website > Configure Tag Settings > Show More > Define Internal Traffic
3. Edit the “1200 Clinton St” rule and update the IPv4 value
4. For IPv6, search “what is my IP” in a browser to see the current IPv6 address and verify it still falls within the /64 subnet

Known Unfiltered Noise Sources

These appear in GA4 data and cannot be practically filtered. Volume is low (~20–30 sessions/week combined).

Automatic Bot Exclusion

GA4 automatically excludes traffic from known bots and spiders using Google's own research and the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) International Spiders and Bots List. This is always on and cannot be disabled or configured. It does not cover AI browsing agents that use real browser instances.

Vercel Web Analytics

Vercel Speed Insights

Tracks Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) from real user sessions. Loaded via <script defer src="/_vercel/insights/script.js"></script> on all pages. Dashboard at Vercel > sv-website > Speed Insights.

Script-Tag API Pattern

// CORRECT — script-tag API
window.va?.('event', { name: 'signup_submit' });
window.va?.('event', { name: 'cta_click', data: { text: 'Get Started', location: 'hero' } });

// WRONG — npm package API (will throw TypeError)
window.va?.track('signup_submit');
window.va?.track('cta_click', { text: 'Get Started' });

Custom Events Reference

All custom events fire through Vercel Web Analytics using the window.va?.('event', ...) pattern. GA4 does not receive these — it relies on Enhanced Measurement for automatic event capture.

Landing Page (index.html)

Partnerships Page (partnerships.html)

Promo Pages (promo/index.html)

The view field distinguishes resident vs pm views. The src field tracks attribution origin (e.g., email, link, direct).

Partnership Campaign Measurement

Storage Valet's growth strategy is partnership-driven: property management companies in Hudson County act as distribution channels to reach residents. Analytics is the system that validates whether this strategy is working.

The Measurement Chain

Each outreach wave generates measurable signals across the stack:

1. Outreach email sent (HubSpot) — open/click tracked by HubSpot Sales extension
2. PM clicks partnership link — UTM params (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign) captured by GA4 on partnerships page
3. PM submits partnership form — partnership_form_submit event fires in Vercel Analytics; UTM params flow to HubSpot deal via Resend webhook
4. PM views promo page — promo_page_view with view: pm fires; PM shares link with residents
5. Resident visits promo page — promo_page_view with view: resident and src attribution fires
6. Resident clicks CTA — promo_cta_click fires, then promo_context_landing on the landing page
7. Resident signs up — signup_submit and signup_checkout events fire

Key Questions Analytics Can Answer

Current State (Mar 2026)

Wave 1A outreach was sent Mar 17, 2026 to 15 properties. Wave 1B was sent Mar 21, 2026 to 12 properties (7 in Batch 1, 5 in Batch 2). Wave 2 test send Mar 22, 2026 to 2 properties (CMPND, The Alexander). Total Automation Engine outreach: 29 properties contacted. The analytics infrastructure documented on this page is what enables performance review — GA4 UTM data shows whether outreach emails drove partnerships page visits, and Vercel custom events show whether those visits converted to form submissions and downstream resident signups.

UTM Campaign Attribution

GA4 automatically captures UTM parameters from URLs and surfaces them in Acquisition reports. No additional code is needed — GA4's Enhanced Measurement handles this natively.

UTM Parameters

Partnership Form UTM Capture

The partnerships page (partnerships.html) auto-captures UTM parameters from the URL and submits them alongside the partnership inquiry form. This enables CRM attribution — when a property manager clicks a link in an outreach email, the UTM params flow through to HubSpot.

// Hidden form fields populated from URL params
form.querySelector('[name="utm_source"]').value = getParam('utm_source');
form.querySelector('[name="utm_medium"]').value = getParam('utm_medium');
form.querySelector('[name="utm_campaign"]').value = getParam('utm_campaign');

Promo Page Source Attribution

Promo pages use a ?src=pm parameter to distinguish PM-originated share links from resident links. When a property manager shares a promo page, the ?pm=true toggle activates the PM view, and share links include ?src=pm for attribution. The ?pm=true parameter is stripped from the URL bar via history.replaceState so the clean URL can be shared.

GA4 MCP Tools

The GA4 Analytics MCP (mcp__analytics-mcp__*) provides read-only access to GA4 reports and property metadata from Claude Code sessions.

Infrastructure

Re-authenticating

If the ADC token expires (the MCP returns a 503 “Reauthentication is needed” error), re-run:

CLOUDSDK_PYTHON=/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.13 gcloud auth application-default login \
  --scopes=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/analytics.readonly,https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-platform \
  --client-id-file=/Users/zacharybrown/.config/gcloud/ga4-oauth-client.json

Use the full path for --client-id-file (not ~). A browser window will open for Google OAuth.

Appendix: Industry Benchmarks

Reference benchmarks for B2B cold email outreach to property management companies, compiled from industry reports (Instantly, Belkins, HubSpot, Martal Group, 2025–2026 data). SV's outreach is tighter-ICP than typical B2B cold email (local, hyper-relevant), so performance should skew toward the higher end of these ranges once follow-up sequences are in place.

Email-Level Metrics

Funnel-Level Metrics (Per Wave)

When to Stop or Pivot

• Open rate below 25% across 2+ waves — deliverability or subject line problem
• Reply rate is 0% after 30+ sends with follow-ups — wrong ICP or value prop miss
• Zero PM share events after 3+ waves — PMs are not distributing to residents
• Bounce rate exceeds 10% — list quality problem, verify emails before sending

Need 50–100+ sends across 2–3 waves to establish SV's own baseline. 27 sends across Wave 1A + 1B is approaching but not yet sufficient for statistical significance.