Next.js Vercel Analytics Setup: Complete Tracking Guide 2025
Setting up comprehensive analytics for your Next.js application deployed on Vercel requires more than just dropping in a Google Analytics script. Modern web applications need detailed performance monitoring, custom event tracking, and conversion analysis to understand user behavior and optimize for business outcomes.
This guide walks through implementing Vercel Analytics, Web Analytics, and custom tracking solutions that provide actionable insights for your Next.js application. You'll learn how to track user interactions, monitor performance metrics, and set up conversion funnels that help validate your product decisions.
Whether you're building an MVP or scaling an existing application, proper analytics setup from day one saves countless hours of guesswork later. The tracking patterns covered here work across different Next.js deployment scenarios and scale from hundreds to millions of page views.
Prerequisites
Before starting this setup, ensure you have:
- Next.js 13+ application with App Router
- Vercel account with a deployed project
- Access to your Vercel project dashboard
- Basic understanding of React components and Next.js routing
Step 1: Enable Vercel Analytics
Vercel Analytics provides real-time performance insights and user behavior data without requiring external tracking scripts. Navigate to your project dashboard on Vercel and click the Analytics tab. Enable both Analytics and Web Analytics from the settings panel.
The Analytics feature tracks Core Web Vitals, page load times, and geographic user distribution automatically. Web Analytics adds detailed page view tracking, referrer information, and user session data. Both services are privacy-focused and don't require cookie consent banners in most jurisdictions.
Install the analytics package in your Next.js project:
npm install @vercel/analytics
Add the Analytics component to your root layout file:
// app/layout.js
import { Analytics } from '@vercel/analytics/react';
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body>
{children}
<Analytics />
</body>
</html>
);
}
Step 2: Configure Web Analytics Tracking
Web Analytics provides more granular tracking than the standard Analytics package. Install the web analytics package and configure it for detailed page tracking:
npm install @vercel/web-analytics
Add Web Analytics to your layout alongside the standard analytics:
// app/layout.js
import { Analytics } from '@vercel/analytics/react';
import { SpeedInsights } from '@vercel/speed-insights/next';
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body>
{children}
<Analytics />
<SpeedInsights />
</body>
</html>
);
}
The SpeedInsights component automatically tracks Core Web Vitals and provides detailed performance metrics in your Vercel dashboard. This data helps identify performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities across different pages and user segments.
Step 3: Implement Custom Event Tracking
Custom events track specific user actions that matter for your business goals. Common events include button clicks, form submissions, feature usage, and conversion actions. Create a custom hook for consistent event tracking across your application:
// hooks/useAnalytics.js
import { track } from '@vercel/analytics';
export function useAnalytics() {
const trackEvent = (eventName, properties = {}) => {
track(eventName, properties);
};
const trackConversion = (conversionType, value = null) => {
track('conversion', {
type: conversionType,
value: value,
timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
});
};
const trackFeatureUsage = (featureName, context = {}) => {
track('feature_used', {
feature: featureName,
...context
});
};
return { trackEvent, trackConversion, trackFeatureUsage };
}
Use this hook in your components to track meaningful user interactions:
// components/SignupForm.js
import { useAnalytics } from '../hooks/useAnalytics';
export default function SignupForm() {
const { trackConversion, trackEvent } = useAnalytics();
const handleSubmit = async (formData) => {
trackEvent('signup_attempted', {
source: 'landing_page'
});
try {
await submitSignup(formData);
trackConversion('signup_completed');
} catch (error) {
trackEvent('signup_failed', {
error: error.message
});
}
};
return (
// Form JSX here
);
}
Step 4: Set Up Conversion Tracking
Conversion tracking measures how effectively your application drives desired user actions. Define conversion events that align with your business objectives and track them consistently across user journeys.
Create a conversion tracking system that captures the complete user funnel:
// utils/conversions.js
import { track } from '@vercel/analytics';
const CONVERSION_EVENTS = {
SIGNUP_STARTED: 'signup_started',
SIGNUP_COMPLETED: 'signup_completed',
TRIAL_STARTED: 'trial_started',
SUBSCRIPTION_CREATED: 'subscription_created',
FEATURE_ADOPTED: 'feature_adopted'
};
export function trackConversionFunnel(step, metadata = {}) {
const conversionData = {
step,
timestamp: Date.now(),
url: window.location.pathname,
referrer: document.referrer,
...metadata
};
track('conversion_funnel', conversionData);
// Store funnel data in sessionStorage for complete journey tracking
const existingFunnel = JSON.parse(
sessionStorage.getItem('conversion_funnel') || '[]'
);
existingFunnel.push(conversionData);
sessionStorage.setItem('conversion_funnel', JSON.stringify(existingFunnel));
}
export { CONVERSION_EVENTS };
Implement funnel tracking in key user flow components:
// pages/pricing.js
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { trackConversionFunnel, CONVERSION_EVENTS } from '../utils/conversions';
export default function PricingPage() {
useEffect(() => {
trackConversionFunnel('pricing_viewed');
}, []);
const handlePlanSelection = (planType) => {
trackConversionFunnel(CONVERSION_EVENTS.TRIAL_STARTED, {
plan: planType
});
};
return (
// Pricing page JSX
);
}
Step 5: Monitor Performance Metrics
Performance monitoring helps identify pages and features that need optimization. Vercel Analytics automatically tracks Core Web Vitals, but you can enhance this with custom performance tracking for specific user interactions.
Create performance monitoring utilities that track custom metrics:
// utils/performance.js
import { track } from '@vercel/analytics';
export function trackPagePerformance(pageName) {
// Track Time to First Byte
const navigationEntry = performance.getEntriesByType('navigation')[0];
if (navigationEntry) {
track('page_performance', {
page: pageName,
ttfb: navigationEntry.responseStart - navigationEntry.requestStart,
loadTime: navigationEntry.loadEventEnd - navigationEntry.loadEventStart,
domContentLoaded: navigationEntry.domContentLoadedEventEnd - navigationEntry.domContentLoadedEventStart
});
}
}
export function trackFeaturePerformance(featureName, startTime) {
const endTime = performance.now();
const duration = endTime - startTime;
track('feature_performance', {
feature: featureName,
duration: Math.round(duration),
timestamp: Date.now()
});
}
Use these utilities to monitor critical user interactions:
// components/SearchResults.js
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { trackFeaturePerformance } from '../utils/performance';
export default function SearchResults({ query }) {
const [results, setResults] = useState([]);
useEffect(() => {
const searchStart = performance.now();
async function performSearch() {
const searchResults = await searchAPI(query);
setResults(searchResults);
trackFeaturePerformance('search_execution', searchStart);
}
performSearch();
}, [query]);
return (
// Search results JSX
);
}
Step 6: Create Analytics Dashboard Views
Vercel's analytics dashboard provides comprehensive insights, but organizing views for different stakeholders improves decision-making. Set up custom dashboard segments that focus on specific metrics relevant to your team's needs.
Access your analytics through the Vercel dashboard's Analytics tab. The Overview section shows traffic patterns, top pages, and geographic distribution. The Web Vitals section displays Core Web Vitals scores and performance trends over time.
For custom events, navigate to the Events section where you can filter and analyze the tracking data you've implemented. Create saved views for different analysis needs like conversion funnel performance, feature adoption rates, and user engagement patterns.
Document your analytics setup for team members who need access to specific metrics. Include event naming conventions, conversion definitions, and dashboard interpretation guidelines to ensure consistent data analysis across your organization.
Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting
Analytics not appearing in dashboard: Verify that your application is deployed to Vercel and receiving traffic. Analytics data can take up to 24 hours to appear for new projects. Check that the Analytics component is properly imported and included in your layout file.
Custom events not tracking: Ensure you're calling the track function after user interactions, not during server-side rendering. Custom events only work in client-side code. Verify that the @vercel/analytics package is installed and imported correctly.
Performance metrics showing inconsistent data: Core Web Vitals can vary significantly based on user device and network conditions. Focus on trends over time rather than individual measurements. Consider implementing Next.js image optimization to improve performance metrics across your application.
Double-check your conversion tracking logic to ensure events fire at the correct moments in your user flows. Test conversion tracking in development mode using browser developer tools to verify events are being sent properly.
Next Steps
After implementing basic analytics tracking, consider enhancing your setup with A/B testing capabilities using Vercel's Edge Config or third-party solutions. Monitor your analytics data for at least two weeks to establish baseline metrics before making optimization decisions.
Integrate your analytics insights into your MVP development process to validate feature decisions with real user behavior data. Set up automated reports or alerts for critical conversion events to stay informed about your application's performance.
Consider implementing user session recording tools alongside Vercel Analytics for deeper insights into user behavior patterns. This combination provides both quantitative metrics and qualitative understanding of how users interact with your application.