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Getting Started with Analytics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Developers

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Learn why analytics are essential and how to set them up step-by-step to make data-driven decisions from the beginning.
Getting Started with Analytics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Developers
Published
03.02.2025
|
devtodev

Building an app or game is an exciting process, but success isn’t just about launching—it’s about continuously improving based on data. That’s where analytics comes in. Implementing analytics from day one helps you track user behavior, identify opportunities for growth, and optimize your product efficiently. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through why analytics is essential and how to set it up step by step to ensure you’re making data-driven decisions from the start.

Why Start Analytics Early?

Many developers delay analytics integration, thinking they’ll add it later when they have more users or revenue. However, early analytics can:

  • Improve onboarding – Track where users drop off and optimize their first experience.
  • Identify technical or UX issues – Spot bugs, friction points, and design flaws early.
  • Measure marketing effectiveness – Understand how users find and engage with your app.
  • Lay the foundation for monetization – Analyze monetization from the start to drive effective pricing strategies. 

Read more: How to Analyze First Player Session

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Analytics in Your App

Step 1: Install the Analytics SDK

The first step is integrating an analytics SDK into your app or game. Devtodev provides SDKs for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Unity, Godot, etc.), making setup simple.

How to do it:

  1. Choose the SDK for your platform.
  2. Follow the installation guide in devtodev Docs.
  3. Implement the SDK in your app’s code. 

Once installed, your app will start collecting basic data on user activity.

Step 2: Track Essential Events & Metrics

To get meaningful insights, you need to track the right user actions. Start with basic metrics which are available at devtodev automatically after Basic Events integration:

How to do it:

  1. Use pre-built reports in devtodev to track these automatically.
  2. Set up a retention analysis to monitor user engagement over time.

Read our Free Book: Basic Retention Metrics

Step 3: Optimize Onboarding with Funnels

The onboarding experience is crucial. If users leave too soon, you lose potential long-term customers.

How to analyze onboarding:

  • Create a user journey funnel to see where users drop off or use our report which is available directly after Basic Event integration.
  • Track first-time user actions (e.g., completing a tutorial, signing up).
  • Identify friction points and improve UX flow based on data.
Screenshot from Devtodev demo

Example:

If 70% of users drop off before completing onboarding, check if your tutorial is too long or confusing. On the screenshot below the number of drop-off is 52% which can be considered average.

Screenshot from Devtodev demo

Read more: Main Metrics. Funnel

Step 4: Add Custom Events for Deeper Insights

Beyond basic metrics, you’ll need custom event tracking to analyze specific user behaviors (like button clicks, feature usage and social sharing).

Examples of custom events

  • for games: player started a quest/event - completed it - player opened a store - joined a clan.
  • for e-commerce: checked out the product - product added to the cart - searched for the product - subscribed to a newsletter.
  • for dating apps: like profile - fill out profile - send message.

How to do it:

  1. Define key interactions relevant to your app (PS Feel free to use our Best Practices with the examples of Custom Events - it might be really helpful for your event map).
  2. Use devtodev’s Custom Event tracking to collect and visualize this data.

Evaluate which actions affect income and which actions lead to target results - that's the actions you need to create Custom Events for. 

Read more: How to Set Up Analytics Integration: Event Structure

Step 5: Build Funnels & User Segments

Once your events are set up, you can build funnels leading to key actions and analyze at which steps users have difficulties, for example: 

With devtodev you can analyze any data, create your own metrics, build funnels into key actions, see what actions users take before purchasing or churn. You can also compare metrics between segments and can create segments to suit your needs.

What to analyze:

  • Payment funnels – Track how many users reach checkout but don’t complete the purchase.
  • Churn prediction – Identify users at risk of leaving.
  • High-value users – Find out what top users do differently from the rest.
  • Monetization – Keep an eye on ad revenue, in-app purchases, or subscription performance. To learn more about basic monetization metrics, check out our Free eBook

Next Steps:

  1. Use cohort analysis to compare different user groups.
  2. Create segments to target users with push notifications or marketing campaigns.

Step 6: Monitor & Improve with Dashboards

Now that you have analytics set up, you need a clear way to monitor trends and make decisions.

Use devtodev’s customizable dashboards to:

  • Get an overview of key metrics (DAU, retention, revenue).
  • By comparing app versions, you can ensure that new features or changes have a positive impact on key business metrics.
  • Set up alerts for critical changes (e.g., sudden drop in retention).
Screenshot from Devtodev demo

💡 Pro Tip: With devtodev you can share dashboards for colleagues to quickly discuss and make decisions.

Step 7: Scale Analytics for Growth & Monetization

Once you’re comfortable with analytics, you can expand its use to:

  • A/B Testing – Experiment with different onboarding flows, pricing, or UI elements.
  • Predictive Analytics – Use machine learning to forecast user lifetime value (LTV).

Read more: Benefits of AI in Data Analytics

Why devtodev is the Perfect Partner for Analytics?

With devtodev, you get a comprehensive analytics platform that supports both beginners and advanced teams.

  • Fast SDK integration – Get started in minutes.
  • Pre-built & custom reports – Everything from ready-made metrics to SQL for building custom reports on raw data.
  • Scalability – Track a few key metrics now and expand as your needs grow.
  • Predictive analytics – AI-powered insights to anticipate trends and improve retention.

Final Thoughts: Start Early, Grow Smarter

The sooner you integrate analytics, the more control you have over your product’s growth. By following these steps—installing the SDK, tracking key metrics, analyzing onboarding, and scaling with custom events and funnels—you can make informed, data-driven decisions from day one.

Ready to implement analytics the right way? Try devtodev today and start optimizing your app’s performance with real insights!

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