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Common Questions About Hardal

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1. What is Hardal?

Hardal is an in-house web page visit tracker that collects and sends visitor data directly to a server-side Google Tag Manager (sGTM) container. It helps monitor website traffic efficiently without relying on third-party tracking services.

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2. How does Hardal track website visits?

Hardal captures visitor interactions on your website, such as page views, and sends this data to your sGTM endpoint. From there, the data can be processed, enriched, and forwarded to various analytics tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other custom endpoints.

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3. Does Hardal store visitor data?

No, Hardal acts as a data forwarding tool rather than a storage solution. It collects and immediately sends visit data to your sGTM setup, which then processes the data as per your configured rules.

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4. How does Hardal improve tracking accuracy?

By using server-side tracking, Hardal helps:

  • Reduce the impact of ad blockers, which often block traditional client-side tracking scripts.
  • Improve data security, as tracking requests are handled on your own infrastructure.
  • Enable custom data enrichment, allowing you to modify and enhance the tracking payload before sending it to third-party services.

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5. What technologies does Hardal use?

Hardal likely operates using:

  • JavaScript (or TypeScript) for client-side tracking.
  • Node.js (or another backend framework) to handle incoming tracking events.
  • Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, or self-hosted servers to run sGTM.

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6. Can Hardal track user behavior beyond page views?

Yes, if configured properly, Hardal can track events like:

  • Button clicks
  • Form submissions
  • Scroll depth
  • Video interactions
  • Custom e-commerce events (e.g., add to cart, purchase)

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7. How is Hardal different from Google Analytics or other trackers?

Unlike Google Analytics, Hardal:

  • Gives you full control over data collection and processing.
  • Reduces dependency on third-party analytics providers.
  • Works better with privacy-focused implementations, since data stays within your controlled environment.

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8. Can Hardal be integrated with external tools?

Yes, since Hardal forwards data to sGTM, it can integrate with tools like:

  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
  • Facebook Pixel (Meta Ads tracking)
  • ClickHouse, BigQuery, or your own data warehouse
  • Any third-party marketing or BI tools via APIs

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9. Is Hardal GDPR-compliant?

Hardal itself does not store data, but compliance depends on how you configure sGTM and your data processing pipeline. If required, you can:

  • Anonymize IP addresses.
  • Collect only necessary data.
  • Provide users with an opt-out mechanism.

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10. Can I modify Hardal for custom tracking needs?

Yes! Since it’s an in-house tool, you can modify it to fit your tracking needs, whether that means adding new event types, integrating with new platforms, or customizing data processing rules.

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How Does Hardal and Analytics Work Together?

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1. General Workflow of Web Analytics

Web analytics works by collecting, processing, and analyzing user interactions on a website. The basic steps are:

  1. Data Collection – A tracker (e.g., Google Analytics, Hardal) captures user activity like page views, clicks, and conversions.
  2. Data Transmission – This data is sent to a server (e.g., Google Analytics server, sGTM, or your own backend).
  3. Data Processing – The server processes, enriches, and structures the raw data.
  4. Data Storage & Reporting – The processed data is stored in a database or analytics tool (e.g., Google Analytics, ClickHouse, BigQuery).
  5. Insights & Action – Marketers, analysts, and developers use this data for decision-making.

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2. How Does Hardal Support Analytics?

Hardal plays a key role in step 1 (data collection) and step 2 (data transmission) by acting as a first-party data pipeline between your website and analytics platforms. Here’s how:

✅ Data Collection & Tracking

  • Hardal collects page views, clicks, and other custom events from the website.
  • Unlike third-party scripts (e.g., Google Analytics client-side tags), Hardal ensures data is captured even when users block trackers.

✅ Data Transmission to sGTM

  • Instead of sending data directly to third-party analytics providers (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, etc.), Hardal forwards it to a server-side Google Tag Manager (sGTM) instance.
  • This allows more control over data, better privacy handling, and reduced reliance on external trackers.

✅ Data Enrichment & Processing

  • Since Hardal sends data to your sGTM, you can filter, transform, or enrich it before forwarding it to analytics platforms.
  • Example: Add user attributes, detect session sources, or anonymize IPs.

✅ Better Data Accuracy

  • Hardal bypasses ad blockers that often block third-party analytics scripts.
  • Ensures more accurate tracking than traditional JavaScript-based tracking methods.

✅ Flexible Data Routing

With sGTM, Hardal enables routing the data to multiple analytics tools like:

  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for standard reporting
  • ClickHouse, BigQuery, or a custom database for deeper analysis
  • Meta Ads (Facebook Pixel) for marketing performance tracking

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3. Example Use Case: Hardal in an E-Commerce Website

Imagine an online store using Hardal. The workflow could be:

  1. A user visits a product page.
    • Hardal tracks the page view event.
    • Sends it to sGTM.
  2. The user adds a product to the cart.
    • Hardal captures the event with product details.
    • This data is enriched in sGTM (e.g., adding session data).
    • The event is sent to Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and a ClickHouse database.
  3. The user completes a purchase.
    • Hardal records the transaction and sends the order data to sGTM.
    • The final data is processed and sent to GA4 for revenue tracking and Facebook Ads for conversion tracking.

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4. Key Benefits of Using Hardal for Analytics

🚀 More Control – Own your tracking setup without relying on third-party scripts. 📊 Better Data Quality – Avoids ad-blocking issues, ensuring more accurate analytics. 🔄 Flexible Integration – Supports multiple analytics platforms via sGTM. 🔐 Privacy Compliance – Allows customization to meet GDPR and other regulations.

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Conclusion: Is Hardal Essential for Analytics?

Yes! Hardal is a crucial first-party tracking layer that enhances accuracy, flexibility, and privacy in your analytics stack. It doesn’t replace tools like Google Analytics but improves the way data is collected and transmitted, making analytics more reliable and customizable.

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