Track custom user actions (Goals)
DataFast allows you to track specific user actions beyond pageviews, known as Goal (signup, newsletter subscribe, checkout initiated, etc.).
- This helps you understand what visitors do
- Unlock the Journey feature
- Improve the revenue predictions and conversion funnels
You can track goals using three methods:
Method #1: Client-side tracking with JavaScript
Just call the
datafast() function and pass the name of your goal goal_name.Add the JavaScript snippet where the conversion occurs (e.g., on a "thank you" page after signup, when a user clicks a button, etc.).
window?.datafast("signup");
Rules for goal_name:
- Use lowercase letters.
- Numbers, underscores (_), hyphens (-), and colons (:) are allowed.
- Maximum 64 characters.
Advanced usage with custom parameters
Add an object with custom parameters to your goals for richer analytics in Journey:
window?.datafast("initiate_checkout", {
name: "Elon Musk",
email: "elon@x.com",
product_id: "prod_123",
});
Rules for custom parameters:
- Property names: lowercase letters, numbers, underscores (_), and hyphens (-) only. Max 64 characters.
- Property values: any string, max 255 characters.
- Limits: maximum 10 custom parameters per event.
Ensure reliable tracking (recommended)
Add this script to your HTML
<head> to guarantee events are captured even when triggered before the main script loads:<script id="datafast-queue">
window.datafast = window.datafast || function() {
window.datafast.q = window.datafast.q || [];
window.datafast.q.push(arguments);
};
</script>
Method #2: Client-side tracking with HTML data attributes
Track goals automatically when users click on any element with the
data-fast-goal attribute. This is the simplest way to track button clicks.<button data-fast-goal="initiate_checkout">Buy Now</button>
In this example DataFast will send a goal with the name
initiate_checkout.Advanced usage with custom parameters
Add additional
data-fast-goal-* attributes to include custom parameters:<button
data-fast-goal="initiate_checkout"
data-fast-goal-price="49"
data-fast-goal-currency="USD"
data-fast-goal-plan-type="pro">
Subscribe to Pro Plan
</button>
In this example DataFast will send a goal with the name
initiate_checkout and { price: '49', currency: 'USD' plan_type: 'pro' } custom parameters.Rules for data attribute values:
- Goal names: same as JavaScript method (lowercase letters, numbers, underscores (_), hyphens (-), and colons (:) only, max 64 characters)
- Parameter names: extracted from attribute name and converted from kebab-case to snake_case (e.g.,
data-fast-goal-product-id→product_id) - Parameter values: any string, max 255 characters (automatically sanitized)
- Maximum 10 custom parameters per event (same as JavaScript method)
See the script configuration reference for complete details on all data attributes.
Ensure reliable tracking (recommended)
Add this script to your HTML
<head> to guarantee events are captured even when triggered before the main script loads:<script id="datafast-queue">
window.datafast = window.datafast || function() {
window.datafast.q = window.datafast.q || [];
window.datafast.q.push(arguments);
};
</script>
While easy to implement, client-side tracking might be less accurate due to ad blockers or network issues. For better reliability, use server-side tracking.
Method #3: Server-side tracking (most accurate)
Track goals by sending data directly from your server using the DataFast API. This is the recommended method for accuracy.
- Get an API Key: Go to your Website Settings > API tab and create an API key to authenticate your requests.
- Send Goal data: Use the Goal API endpoint to send goal information from your backend whenever a user completes the desired action.
See the API documentation for creating goals for detailed implementation examples.
To track revenue specifically (e.g., completed purchases), use the dedicated revenue attribution setup instead of custom goals for payments. This provides more detailed financial analytics thanks to Stripe, LemonSqueezy, or Polar integration.
Viewing custom parameters in your dashboard
When you pass custom parameters to a goal (using any of the methods above), you can see them directly in your dashboard.
- Go to your analytics dashboard
- Hover on any goal in the Goals card
- Click the parameters icon to expand the breakdown
You'll see a breakdown of each parameter value and how many visitors matched it. For example, if you track an
initiate_checkout goal with a plan parameter, you'll see how many visitors checked out on each plan (starter, pro, premium, etc.).This works with any custom parameter you pass — user emails, product names, plan types, currencies, or anything else you track.
Billing
Custom goals count towards your DataFast monthly usage. Make sure to track only what you need. You can view your usage in your DataFast billing.
Automatic payment-provider goals
When you connect a payment provider, DataFast automatically tracks reserved goals for revenue and subscription lifecycle events. These goals appear in the dashboard and can be used in filters, funnels, and the CLI visitor search.
These names are reserved. Do not send custom goals with the same names, or your custom events may be confused with payment-provider events.
Automatically tracked goal names
Generic payment events:
| Goal name | Meaning |
|---|---|
payment | A payment was completed. |
free_trial | A free trial was started or detected. |
Subscription lifecycle events:
| Goal name | Meaning |
|---|---|
trial_started | A subscription trial started. |
trial_converted | A trial converted to a paid subscription. |
subscription_started | A paid subscription started. |
subscription_upgraded | Subscription MRR increased. |
subscription_downgraded | Subscription MRR decreased. |
subscription_renewed | A subscription renewed. |
subscription_cancel_scheduled | A cancellation was scheduled for the end of the billing period. |
subscription_reactivated | A subscription was reactivated. |
subscription_ended | A subscription ended. This is the goal to use for churned customers. |
For example, to find visitors who churned today with the CLI:
datafast visitors list --completed-goal subscription_ended --period today datafast visitors get <datafast_visitor_id>
See Revenue attribution and Connect payment providers for more context.