What Is Scroll Depth In Google Analytics 4 And How To Track It

‍The fact that a user visits a page does not mean that it is attractive to them. He could have accessed it by mistake or been immediately disappointed in the content. To understand the materials’ attractiveness, there is a scroll depth indicator. This article will discuss its importance and how to track it.

‍Before talking about the intricacies of tracking this parameter, let’s understand its concept. What is scroll depth? The essence of this metric is easy to guess by its name. It shows the percentage of actions a user has done on your pages. For example, you published an article. Now, you can track whether visitors read it entirely or stop at a certain point.

‍You can track this indicator as a percentage (the most common option) and in pixels. There is no particular difference in this, so we will not analyze the units of measurement in detail. You can also measure the percentage of horizontal scrolling, but this is not a common option since website pages are usually vertically oriented.

‍Regardless of the difference in the indicators listed above, the purpose of this metric is the same: to show what part of the published materials visitors actually see on the page.

‍Now that you understand the essence of this indicator, it is easy to guess its importance. This metric allows you to evaluate the actual effectiveness of your content. In addition, you receive information that will help improve the page’s performance.

‍Suppose you published a long post and expect good results from this page. However, after a while, you find that users quickly leave the page. By analyzing the scroll depth, you can find the place where users stop reading and identify the weak points of this post.

‍You can rewrite or dilute the article with graphic elements to make the material easier to understand. Either way, you’ll know what you need to work with. You will also see how many visitors read the content to the end but do not take the necessary actions. If the percentage of such visitors is high, you may need to work on your CTA blocks.

‍The example above clearly shows that scroll depth cannot be considered separately from other factors. It will vary significantly for different resources. For instance, on a company page with a high CTA block, a low depth will be a great indicator if you do not see low conversions.

‍At the same time, for a blog specializing in long posts, a figure of about 25% is an alarming sign. You urgently need to do something to solve the problem. For such resources, the target is about 75%.

‍We touched on this issue in part by discussing the importance of analyzing scroll depth. However, it is worth delving into this topic. This metric demonstrates one of the most critical components of success: user behavior on your resource. SEO specialists widely believe that Google pays increasing attention to how people behave every year. Thus, this is one of the leading ranking components.

‍The second important property of page scroll is its indirect reflection of other indicators. If users leave the page without reading half the content, then your conversion rate may also be low.

‍However, high performance is not a reason for joy. Readers can scroll to the end of the article to appreciate the remaining length or to see what is discussed next. In this case, the program will display a 100% indicator, but in fact, the user could leave your site in disappointment.

‍As you already understand, this factor can only be analyzed in combination with other indicators. In principle, this rule applies to all SEO areas, so we will not tell you anything new in this matter.

‍Is it possible to measure how far someone scrolls on a page using Google Analytics? Yes! Correct scroll depth Google Analytics settings allow you to get necessary information according to your goals. You have two ways to record page scroll depth:

• Pass other scroll values (10, 25, 50, 75, etc.) to the same scroll event, the name of which is already included in the system but with different event parameters.
• Pass scrolling thresholds (10, 25, 50, 75, etc.) for each event separately. For example, register the scroll_10 event, scroll_25 event, scroll_50 event, etc.

‍Regardless of your choice, the algorithm of actions remains the same, so decide which option suits you best and move on to the next steps.

Step 1. Disabling Enhanced Statistics

‍Automatic event fixation is unnecessary since you will manually set the analysis parameters. Therefore, go to the Administrator — Resource — Data Streams section. Select your web stream. Then click on the gear icon and turn off scroll depth tracking.

Step 2. Activating Variables

‍Go to Google Tag Manager and enable Scrolling type variables.

• Scroll Depth Threshold: returns the scroll threshold value;
• Scroll Depth Units: returns the value in various units of measurement;
• Scroll Direction: returns the scroll direction value (vertical or horizontal);

Step 3. Trigger Setup

‍Now, create a trigger specifying the type. It is best to track vertical scrolling with 25, 50, 75, 90% threshold values. This configuration is the most common among all monitored. 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100% are less common but acceptable. You can change the percentages and use your settings. Save the trigger.

Step 4. Creating a Tag

‍Create a tag like Google Analytics: GA4 Event as a final step. Its setup will depend on which of the options described above you choose for yourself:

• pass scroll values (10, 25, 50, 75, etc.) to the scroll event, but with different event parameters;
• pass scroll values (10, 25, 50, 75, etc.) for each event separately.

‍Once the setup is complete, go to the site and experiment with scrolling the pages to ensure the display is correct.

‍If you have tracked this indicator and are convinced that the problem exists, it’s time to take action. Here are some directions that you can explore to increase reader interest.

Great Start

‍While the concept of putting your most important content on the front page has largely fallen into disuse, you only get one chance to impress visitors at first sight. When users land on your site, they decide in a split second whether they should stick around. Therefore, a strong introduction is needed to hook them. Place your most attractive content at the top of the page and give visitors a good reason to continue reading.

Create Engaging Content

‍Luckily, a site with a long scroll bar is the perfect space for storytelling. When creating content, think about the beginning, middle, and end of your story, whether it’s a sales page, a product detail page, or a product/service page.

‍Add tables, videos, and infographics and include engaging text. Use action verbs to capture the readers’ imagination and keep them moving towards the end of the page. Think about how writers use chapters to guide people through their stories. Use the same techniques at the end of each block of content.

Know Your Goals

‍A site with a long scroll bar should not feel like an endless and cluttered page. Before thinking about the design, you should decide on the primary goal. Every piece of content you include must be aimed at moving users toward the primary goal of your site.

‍This means you should place call-to-action buttons in multiple places on the page. Remember that not everyone will scroll down.

Avoid False Bottoms

‍False bottom is a phenomenon that occurs when people think there is nothing else on a page and stop scrolling. It’s important that your main content at the top hooks them. But you should include a visual cue that lets users know that they’ll see more information if they keep scrolling.

‍Several options make it easy to create. For example, you could place an arrow or a simple text instruction to “scroll down.” If you want to get creative with this, you can choose a tooltip, such as a line, to guide site visitors down the page as they scroll. This will get their attention. Or position your content so that scrolling becomes a natural addition.

Provide the User with a Clear Journey Map

‍Navigation is one of the most important elements of a website, especially on sites with long scrolling where the user can get lost. Visitors need to know exactly where they are and clearly understand where they want to go next.

‍Sticky navigation is an excellent option because it shows the user’s current location on the site and is always visible to them. However, navigation can take center stage on mobile screens. You can hide the navigation bar when not in use to avoid this.

‍If your page is very long, you may want to enable a jump option or consider a different URL for different page parts. Whatever you do, make sure the back button works properly. If people click on a link, it’s vital that they can return to the same part of the page they left.

Delight People with Creative Interactions

‍Long scrolling allows you to immerse the reader in the story. Using creative scroll effects, such as parallax or scroll animation, is a great way to grab users’ attention and encourage them to explore your site further.

‍Parallax scrolling creates an immersive interaction experience. A sense of depth is created because the background moves slower than the foreground. On the other hand, scrolling animations are great for breaking up your content into chunks. At the same time, it grabs people’s attention as it guides them through the content.

Don’t Hijack Users’ Scrolling

‍Avoid scroll hijacking. Users must always maintain complete control of their navigation through the site. When scrolling is captured, the page is set to move at a certain speed, regardless of the reader’s actions. Most often, this is done to make people view content more slowly. This interferes with their experience and may eventually cause them to leave the site. Let users determine the speed at which they want to view your content. It’s more important to focus on creating exciting content to entice them to read it thoroughly.

‍Now you understand how vital scroll depth is. Currently, there are different methods for tracking this metric. One of the most effective is Google Analytics scroll depth tracking. This article looked at a basic configuration algorithm to help you set the desired values and receive only relevant data. Check your analytics regularly to see how successful your site is. If you notice problems, take the necessary measures immediately.