Analytics
Analytics Setup for Startups: What to Track From Day One
Setting up analytics correctly from the start prevents months of missing data. Here is the minimum setup every startup needs — and the specific events that matter most for early growth decisions.
Many founders install Google Analytics and consider analytics "done." Then six months later they realize they have no data on which acquisition source drives retained users, no conversion funnel visibility, and no way to evaluate whether their latest change improved anything. The setup takes 2 hours; the cost of not setting it up correctly is months of missing insight.
The minimum analytics stack
- Google Analytics 4 or Plausible: Page views, sessions, acquisition source. GA4 is free; Plausible is privacy-respecting and simpler.
- PostHog or Mixpanel (free tier): Product analytics — event tracking, funnels, user retention. Essential for understanding what users do inside your product, not just on your marketing site.
- Google Search Console: Organic search performance, keyword clicks, and indexation issues. Free and essential if SEO is part of your strategy.
Critical events to track from day one
- Signup (with acquisition source).
- Activation event (the action that correlates with retention in your product).
- First key action completed (first invoice sent, first project created, first report generated).
- Upgrade or first payment.
- Churn or cancellation (with cancellation reason if collected).
UTM parameters for acquisition tracking
Every link in your directory submissions, email campaigns, and social posts should have UTM parameters. Without them, all that traffic appears as "direct" in your analytics and you cannot evaluate which platforms are driving the most valuable users. See the UTM parameters guide for implementation details.
Track where your directory traffic converts
UpStart submissions drive traffic from multiple platforms. Proper analytics with UTM parameters tells you which platforms convert best so you can double down on what works.