Difference between event tracking and page view tracking

[kcaballero]

Hello,

I want to know what the difference is (and perhaps best practices when it comes to usage) between tracking visitors to a web page. There are two ways I have learned will track this and can be used in a workflow: using an event and using page view criteria.

I can set up an event to track when ever someone visits a specific url and when a contact visits that page, they will have completed that event. I can also simply specify the url with a page view filter. Is the only difference is that events provide better reporting afterwards?

[Phil_Vallender · Accepted solution]

Hi @kcaballero

Events are really intended to track important user behaviours that don't already result in a trackable data-point, like a page view. So, I wouldn't recommend using them to track page views. 

Events are better suited to tracking clicks on links to assets that can't host the HubSpot tracking code, such as PDF files, or for monitoring really important page elements like video play buttons etc. 

Hope this helps.