How does tab browsing tracking work?

When users browse the web, they often open multiple pages in separate tabs. For example, on a news website, a user might open several articles in new tabs but continue reading the homepage before switching to them. Mapp Intelligence offers two ways to determine when a page should be counted as viewed.

Option 1: Track when a tab is viewed (Recommended)

With this option, a page is only tracked when the user actively switches to the tab. If a user opens a page but does not view it immediately, it is not counted until they actually switch to it.

Example: 

1. A user visits the homepage of a news website.

2. They open three articles in new tabs but stay on the homepage.

3. Later, they switch to one of the articles.

Tracking result: Only the homepage is counted at first. The articles are counted when the user switches to them.

Why choose this option?

• It better reflects real user behavior.

• It ensures that only actually viewed pages are counted.

• It maintains accurate navigation paths.

Option 2: Track when a tab is opened

With this option, a page is counted as soon as it is opened in a new tab, even if the user never switches to it. If they later return to the tab, it does not trigger another count.

Example: 

1. A user visits a homepage and opens three articles in new tabs but does not switch to them.

2. The tracking system immediately counts all four pages (the homepage and the three articles), even if the user never reads the articles.

Why choose this option?

• It aligns with some analytics tools that count all opened pages.

How does tab browsing affect event tracking?

Events are always assigned to the last viewed page. Therefore, Option 1 is required to ensure that events are correctly assigned to the corresponding page.

If a page is only counted as viewed upon switching to the tab (Option 1), any events triggered on that page (e.g., link clicks, video plays, form submissions) are accurately tracked and attributed to the correct page. This prevents interactions from being mistakenly assigned to a tab that was opened but never actually viewed.

How can I enable or modify tab browsing tracking?

Tab browsing tracking is configured during the technical integration, depending on how Mapp Intelligence is implemented. For more details, refer to the Tracking Integration section, where you can find all technical documentation and further instructions on how to implement these settings.