Marking plan regressions are a common problem for marketing and technical teams.
Of course, the absence of accurate data makes it difficult to make informed decisions, and this is where it becomes crucial to be able to deal with these regressions quickly, before they impact the reliability of your Data Layer.
In this article, we explore how to manage tagging plan regressions to ensure the quality of your analytical data.
Tagging plan regressions occur when changes in the code or structure of a website affect the tracking and analysis of data, which can lead to the loss of information essential for multi-level decision-making:
Advertising level: to offer more relevant and personalized ads.
Web analysis level: to improve the user experience based on information about user behavior.
SEO level: to know exactly how to optimize web content.
A redesign or update of the tracking platform can lead to the degradation of tracking tags and, consequently, a regression of the tagging plan.
By affecting data collection in analysis tools such as Google Analytics or Hotjar, for example, a tagging plan regression creates a lag in performance reports.
This makes it impossible to make "data-driven" decisions, which is essential for understanding user behavior, which is constantly evolving.
There are several tag management practices that facilitate the identification and effective correction of data layer anomalies before they have a significant impact on performance monitoring:
The tagging plan (also known as the tracking plan) is a strategic document that serves as a guide for the implementation and management of tags on a website.
Its purpose is to identify precisely what information is to be collected, how it is to be collected, where it is to be stored and who is responsible for it.
The main advantages of a marking plan :
Translate business objectives into measurable data: help understand what needs to be measured and why, aligning measurements with business objectives.
Optimize marketing efforts: gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, enabling you to optimize efforts and increase return on investment (ROI).
Technical implementation facilitation: guides analytical architects on where, when and how to implement the code required for data collection.
A well-structured tagging plan facilitates rapid intervention to correct a regression before it has any real impact on the data collected.
Clearly name your tags: this ensures clear understanding and avoids confusion when analyzing data (or lack of data).
Don't try to measure everything: focus on the most relevant data.
Appoint a project manager: this person must have solid technical knowledge and an understanding of marketing issues.
Make the tagging plan accessible to everyone: the tracking plan must be accessible to all relevant members of the organization on Google Sheets, ClickUp, Notion or Excel, guaranteeing consistency and correct pixel implementation.
Applied to a Data Layer, automated tests enable you to regularly check that tracking tags are working correctly on all your site's critical pages.
This real-time monitoring enables you to detect regressions as soon as they occur, and some automated testing tools can alert you to malfunctions or anomalies in the data collected by sending you :
Customized alerts: set up alerts to be notified when a critical beacon stops working or records abnormally low data.
Automated reports: receive regular reports on the status of your marking plan to track progress and identify trends or recurring problems.
Here are a few steps for successfully setting up automated tests to verify your Data Layer :
Define critical tags: by analyzing your tagging plan, identify the tags that are essential for your reporting and analysis (transactions, conversions, or user behavior).
Use an automated testing tool: as mentioned above, automated testing solutions such as Mr Suricate can be used to automatically verify the presence and correct operation of tags.
Plan regular tests: this enables you to detect problems early and correct them before they affect your reports.
To avoid regressions, it is crucial to set up a validation process before going live.
Here are a few best practices to follow:
Modification review: before implementing any modifications to the site, consider the potential impact on the tracking beacons.
Pre-production environment: test modifications in a pre-production environment to ensure that tags continue to function correctly.
Manual verification: in addition to automated tests, manual verification may be necessary to ensure that tags are correctly configured and active on strategic pages.
Managing marking plan regressions cannot be effective without good communication between the technical and marketing teams, as both are affected.
Technical teams are often responsible for site updates, while marketing teams depend on the accuracy of the data collected to optimize campaigns and analyze user behavior.
To facilitate this collaboration :
Reminders and training: train teams on the importance of tracking tags and data collection to avoid common mistakes during updates.
Designated point of contact: designate a point of contact to manage branding plan issues and coordinate efforts across teams (a channel on Slack, for example).
Continuous feedback: encourage continuous feedback to improve tag management processes and respond quickly to regressions.
A proactive approach enables marking plan regressions to be managed efficiently.
In addition to Data Layer testing, the SaaS no-code Mr Suricate solution covers a wide range of automated tests, so you can control your acceptance testing and offer your users the best possible experience.
Take control of your applications and detect bugs in real time on your websites, applications and APIs by reproducing your user journeys at regular intervals.