How to integrate Smartlook with Google Analytics for enhanced B2B tracking

If you want to actually understand how your B2B users behave—not just see vanity metrics—combining Smartlook and Google Analytics can take you a long way. This guide is for teams who are tired of half-baked “insights” and want to see what’s really happening on their site, from session recordings to conversion funnels, all tied back to real business outcomes.

Here’s how to connect the dots between Smartlook and Google Analytics, what you’ll actually get out of it, and a few pitfalls to skip.

Why Combine Smartlook with Google Analytics?

Let’s get honest: Google Analytics gives you the “what”—pageviews, bounce rates, source/medium breakdowns. But if you’re in B2B, you want to know why users behave a certain way. That’s where Smartlook steps in, showing you actual user sessions: recordings, heatmaps, and events.

When you tie these tools together, you can:

  • Watch real user sessions for specific segments, like “users from LinkedIn ad campaigns who bailed at checkout.”
  • Back up numbers with context—see not just how many dropped off, but what frustrated them.
  • Get a more “real” sense of user journeys across your B2B funnel.

But let’s not overhype it: this combo won’t magically solve your analytics woes. You still need clean tagging, thoughtful events, and, yes, some manual work. But it makes digging into issues a whole lot easier.

Step 1: Set Up Smartlook and Google Analytics (If You Haven’t Already)

You can’t integrate what you don’t have. Make sure both platforms are live on your site.

For Smartlook

  • Signup is straightforward. Install their tracking code on all pages—ideally through your tag manager or directly in your site’s <head>.
  • Test your install by recording a session (open your site in incognito, click around, and check if it appears in Smartlook).

For Google Analytics

  • For most B2B teams, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the default now.
  • Again, install via your tag manager or directly in your site’s code.
  • Make sure you’re tracking events that matter to your business (not just generic pageviews).

Pro tip: If you’re using a tag manager (like GTM), keep all your tracking scripts in there. It makes debugging and updates easier down the road.

Step 2: Decide What You Actually Want to Track

Before you start connecting tools, get clear on your goals. Otherwise, you’ll drown in data with no idea what to do next.

For B2B, focus on events like:

  • Demo requests
  • Contact form submissions
  • Product sign-ups or trial starts
  • Pricing page visits
  • Key feature usage (whatever “activation” means for you)

Write these down. If you’re not sure, ask your sales or customer success folks what actions actually matter.

Step 3: Set Up Event Tracking in Both Tools

You want both Smartlook and Google Analytics to “see” the same events, so you can cross-reference.

In Google Analytics

  • Set up custom events for your key actions, either in code or (ideally) via Google Tag Manager.
  • For GA4, you’ll probably create events like demo_request_submitted, contact_form_sent, etc.
  • Use clear, consistent naming. Don’t get too clever—future you will thank you.

In Smartlook

  • Smartlook lets you track custom events in a similar way.

  • Use their JavaScript API to push events, e.g.: js smartlook('track', 'demo_request_submitted');

  • Make sure the event names match what you’re using in GA4. This makes life easier when comparing data.

What to ignore? Don’t bother tracking every tiny click or scroll. It’ll just clutter your dashboards and make real insights harder to spot.

Step 4: Pass Google Analytics Data Into Smartlook (And Vice Versa)

Here’s where the integration magic happens. The goal: make it easy to jump from a Google Analytics event or user segment straight to the actual Smartlook session recordings.

Option 1: Pass GA User IDs or Client IDs into Smartlook

If you’re using GA’s user ID (recommended for logged-in users), you can pass that identifier into Smartlook. This way, you can match up sessions between the two tools.

How:

  • When you identify a user in Google Analytics (e.g., after login), also call Smartlook’s identify API: js smartlook('identify', userId, { email: userEmail });

  • Store the same user ID in both platforms. Now, when you see a user in GA, you can look them up in Smartlook and watch their session.

Caveats:
- Don’t pass personally identifiable info unless you’ve checked compliance (GDPR, etc.). - If you’re only using GA Client IDs, you can pass that too, but matching gets murkier.

Option 2: Send Smartlook Session URLs Into Google Analytics Events

This is the most direct way to tie the two tools together: when a key event happens, push the Smartlook session link into that event in Google Analytics.

How:

  1. Use Smartlook’s API to grab the current session URL when an event fires.

  2. Pass that URL as a parameter in your GA event. js smartlook('getSessionUrl', function(sessionUrl) { gtag('event', 'demo_request_submitted', { 'smartlook_session_url': sessionUrl }); });

  3. Now, when you’re in GA looking at event logs, you’ll see a direct link to watch the actual user session in Smartlook.

Heads-up:
- This works best when you have dev resources. If you’re no-code, you’ll need to ask your tech team for help. - Don’t go wild sending session URLs for every event—stick to your “critical” B2B actions.

Step 5: Build Segments That Actually Matter

Now that your events and session links are in place, it’s time to make them useful.

In Google Analytics:

  • Build segments like “Users who visited pricing but didn’t request a demo” or “Users from LinkedIn campaigns.”
  • For each segment, pull the relevant events—look for the smartlook_session_url field to dig into the sessions behind the numbers.

In Smartlook:

  • Use filters to watch sessions tied to your key business events.
  • Filter by user properties (if you’re passing them), traffic source, or event name.

Why bother?
Generic metrics don’t help you fix broken flows. Watching real users from your “high-value” segments lets you see what’s actually tripping them up.

Step 6: Validate Your Integration (Don’t Skip This)

It’s tempting to move on, but check your work:

  • Trigger a test event (like submitting a demo request).
  • Make sure it shows up in both Google Analytics and Smartlook, with matching identifiers or session URLs.
  • Try clicking through from GA to Smartlook. If you get lost, fix your event naming or session URL capture.

Common gotchas:
- Ad blockers can block one or both tools. Don’t freak out if you’re missing a few sessions. - If data isn’t matching up, check your event naming and IDs.

What to Expect (And What Not To)

What works: - You’ll move faster when diagnosing funnel drop-offs (“Why do 40% of our users give up on the sign-up form?”). - You can finally back up “hunches” with real session replays. - Sales and product teams can see the same data, making it easier to agree on what’s broken.

What doesn’t: - This won’t magically fix your analytics setup. Bad event tracking in GA or Smartlook is still bad, just in stereo. - Volume tracking (like “how many users did X?”) is still better in GA. Smartlook is for depth, not breadth. - B2B data is often sparse. Don’t expect “big data” magic—expect actionable, qualitative insight.

What to ignore: - Don’t get sucked into the weeds with every click or scroll event. Focus on the signals, not the noise. - Avoid overengineering. If you’re spending hours mapping every single field, you’re missing the point.

Pro Tips

  • Map your funnel first. Know what matters before tracking everything under the sun.
  • Document your event names and integrations. You’ll forget what you did six months from now.
  • Train your team. If the only person who can use these tools is your analytics lead, you’re wasting your investment.
  • Review privacy and consent. Especially for B2B, make sure you’re not recording sensitive data without disclosure.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

Don’t get paralyzed by complexity. Get your core events flowing between Smartlook and Google Analytics, check that you can jump from number to session replay, and start watching how real users behave. You’ll find more by actually looking at a few sessions than by endlessly tuning your dashboards.

Tweak as you go. If something isn’t useful, cut it. If you spot a new insight, update your tracking. The goal isn’t a perfect analytics setup—it’s getting real answers, faster.