How data layers work and what you should know

What is a data layer?

For coders and programmers, this is a term you’ve likely heard in industry circles. So, what does it mean and what role does it play in data tracking and analytics? More importantly, how can data layer integration benefit your website and, therefore, your bottom line?

Data layer: A definition

Website owners have—or should have—some way of tracking analytics and visitor activity. The data layer meaning as it relates to analytics can be described as: A way of coding in JavaScript that produces a uniform way of collecting data.

The data layer records all visitor actions like page views, clicks, scrolls, etc. It also compiles information useful to the webmaster, such as product ID, price, and cart value.

The data layer sits between the experience layer and the application layer.

The experience layer

The experience layer, also known as the presentation layer, is the website that visitors see and interact with. It comprises the text, images, navigation bar, etc.

The application layer

The application layer consists of the tools you connect to your website. This includes features like live chat, widgets, and Google Analytics.

The purpose of data layers

The data layer collects data from the experience layer and transfers the information to each of the tools in the application layer. What this does is ensures that each application layer tool receives the same data.

Not all websites have a data layer. Without it, data goes straight from the experience layer to the application layer. This leads to siloed data as each application layer tool receives different information. The result? Metrics data that’s harder to accurately gauge.

Avoid this altogether with a data layer that acts as a data collection center. This layer is insulated and is not affected by changes in other layers. This keeps the data consistent and prevents discombobulated data streams that arise from alterations to the website layout, design, or tools.

The advantages of a data layer

How does a data layer benefit day-to-day operations? Here are some ways it fosters team cohesion and customer engagement.

Alignment

When you create a data layer, your team has to determine the visitor actions that constitute relevant data. Once you determine important data values, developers define page names for these values.

For an e-commerce site, this may include page names like “ProductID” or “ProductSize.” This ensures uniformity across developers and that teams are working from the same defined value.

Consistent data

A data access layer ensures that data remains consistent throughout. Once data is recorded, it adheres to the naming conventions you came up with. Hence, all application tools will work from the same data set with clearly defined names. If the application tools include Stackify and Cisco, for example, those tools will work off the same data.

Easy modifications

Once the data layer is set up, developers can continue to refine it as they see fit. Since it’s an insulated layer, changes made do not affect the application, presentation, or domain/business layers. The inverse is also true. Changes in these layers do not impact the data layer.

Data layer use cases

Data layers boost your visitor tracking capabilities. Here are some use case examples.

Widget tracking

If you’re using a chat widget, you may want to log user engagement. This may be invisible to the tag management system. The solution? Use a push method to transmit customer engagement data to the data layer. This is an effective way to acquire the relevant data for your customer acquisition campaigns.

Webform tracking

Data layers can collect complex information. For instance, say a visitor is on a car dealership website and inputting information for a car trade-in quote. The numbers and computations are saved to the data layer. You can use this information for effective retargeting and setting up personalized campaigns to send the user further along the sales funnel.

The role of tag management in a data layer

Now that you understand more about the data layer and its meaning, it also helps to know an associated term: tag management.

As the name implies, tag management is a way of managing user-generated tags. Tags are made up of code snippets and are deployed for analysis, reporting, and data tracking.

Use tag management to map incoming data and relay the information to marketing vendors who interpret the data. The vendors, in turn, use the information to provide a better user experience, such as through retargeting or relevant pop-up ads.

When you define your data layer, the tag management function can properly convey the product name to the analytics vendor and other appropriate teams.

Optimize customer feedback with Lytics

Implementing a website data layer is an organized way of collecting analytics and interpreting customer behavior on your website. Another way to achieve this is with the help of Lytics. Our Decision Engine provides actionable customer insight in real time. Get the data you need for customized user engagement that converts. Give our Decision Engine a try today!