# Tracking

Category: [Analytics & Measurement](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/analytics-measurement/) › [Tracking & consent](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/analytics-measurement/tracking-consent/) · Also known as: website tracking, web tracking, user tracking

In SEO and web analytics, **tracking** means recording what visitors do on a website, usually by code that runs in the browser and sends data to an analytics service. This entry covers website tracking. Parcel tracking, rank tracking and similar uses of the word are separate topics.

## How does website tracking work?

A tracking script, often loaded through a tag manager, sends an event to a service each time something defined happens, such as a page view, a click or a purchase. Google Analytics 4, for example, measures events through gtag.js and recommends deploying it with Google Tag Manager. The service combines events into sessions and users, and reports can then show traffic, audience and behavior.

Other setups send events from the server instead of the browser. Cookies or similar identifiers are often used to recognize returning visitors.

## What is tracked?

- Page views and sessions
- Clicks on buttons, links and forms
- Conversions such as orders or signups
- The source of a visit, with the help of UTM parameters on campaign links

Contentsquare groups tools into traffic analytics, behavior tracking such as heatmaps and recordings, and performance monitoring of business metrics.

## Example

```html
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
```

This snippet loads Google's tag library for a GA4 property. Which events it sends depends on the configuration.

## Legal basics

In Germany, § 25 TDDDG covers consent for storing information on a user's device and for reading information already stored there. Its exceptions cover transmission of messages over public networks and cases where access is strictly necessary for a service the user explicitly requested. Article 6 GDPR lists the legal bases for processing personal data.

This is not legal advice.

## FAQ

**Which laws cover website tracking?**
In Germany, § 25 TDDDG covers access to the user's device. The GDPR covers the processing of personal data.

## Related terms

- [UTM parameters](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/utm-parameters/index.md)
- [Rank tracking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/rank-tracking/index.md)
- [AI visibility tracking](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/ai-visibility-tracking/index.md)
- [Google Analytics 4 (GA4)](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/google-analytics-4/index.md)
- [Consent Mode](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/consent-mode/index.md)

## Sources

- [Google Analytics for websites – Google for Developers](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/web)
- [§ 25 TDDDG – Gesetze im Internet](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ttdsg/__25.html)
- [Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Article 6 – EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng)
- [12 Best Website Tracking Tools – Contentsquare (secondary)](https://contentsquare.com/guides/website-tracking/tools/)

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Last updated: October 7, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/tracking/