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Install and configure Vercel Web Analytics#2
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vercel/install-and-configure-vercel-w-e5ka40

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Vercel Web Analytics Implementation Report

Summary

Successfully installed and configured Vercel Web Analytics for the KeplerLab vanilla HTML/JavaScript project.

Changes Made

1. Created Package Management Structure

Files Created:

  • web/package.json - Added npm package configuration for the web directory
  • web/package-lock.json - Lock file for dependency management

Package Installed:

  • @vercel/analytics@^2.0.1 - Official Vercel Web Analytics package

2. Configured Web Analytics in HTML

File Modified:

  • web/index.html - Added Vercel Web Analytics initialization scripts

Changes:

  • Added initialization script that creates the window.va function for queueing analytics events
  • Added deferred script tag for /_vercel/insights/script.js which will be served by Vercel when deployed
  • Added clarifying comments to distinguish between Speed Insights (already present) and Web Analytics (newly added)

Implementation Details

Approach Taken

Since this is a vanilla HTML/JavaScript project without a build system or framework, I followed the official Vercel documentation for vanilla HTML implementations:

  1. Fetched Latest Documentation: Retrieved the current installation guide from https://vercel.com/docs/analytics/quickstart to ensure up-to-date implementation
  2. Identified Project Type: Confirmed this is a vanilla HTML project (no React, Next.js, Vue, etc.)
  3. Selected Appropriate Method: Used the script tag approach recommended for vanilla HTML projects
  4. Installed Package: Added @vercel/analytics package for documentation and potential future programmatic usage

Script Tag Implementation

The implementation uses two script tags in the HTML <head>:

<!-- Vercel Web Analytics -->
<script>
    window.va = window.va || function () { (window.vaq = window.vaq || []).push(arguments); };
</script>
<script defer src="/_vercel/insights/script.js"></script>

How It Works:

  1. The first inline script creates a queue function (window.va) that stores analytics calls until the main script loads
  2. The deferred script tag loads the actual analytics script from /_vercel/insights/script.js
  3. Vercel automatically serves this script when the site is deployed and Web Analytics is enabled in the dashboard

Existing Speed Insights Preserved

The project already had Vercel Speed Insights installed via:

<script defer src="https://cdn.vercel-insights.com/v1/script.js"></script>

This was preserved and labeled with a comment. Speed Insights (performance metrics) and Web Analytics (visitor tracking) are complementary products that work together.

Next Steps for Deployment

When deployed to Vercel, Web Analytics will automatically work if:

  1. Web Analytics is enabled in the Vercel project dashboard
  2. The site receives visitor traffic

The analytics data will appear in the Vercel dashboard under the Analytics section.

Testing

  • ✅ Verified HTML structure is valid
  • ✅ Tested local server still works correctly with updated HTML
  • ✅ Confirmed no build errors
  • ✅ Package installation completed successfully
  • ✅ Lock file generated for consistent dependency resolution

Notes

  • No build step is required for this vanilla HTML project
  • The @vercel/analytics package is installed but not directly imported in the code (vanilla HTML uses script tags instead)
  • The package provides documentation and can be used for future enhancements if a build system is added
  • Web Analytics uses a different endpoint (/_vercel/insights/script.js) than Speed Insights
  • Both analytics products can coexist and provide different insights (Speed Insights = performance, Web Analytics = visitor tracking)

View Project · Web Analytics

Created by dlowzzxx with Vercel Agent

# Vercel Web Analytics Implementation Report

## Summary
Successfully installed and configured Vercel Web Analytics for the KeplerLab vanilla HTML/JavaScript project.

## Changes Made

### 1. Created Package Management Structure
**Files Created:**
- `web/package.json` - Added npm package configuration for the web directory
- `web/package-lock.json` - Lock file for dependency management

**Package Installed:**
- `@vercel/analytics@^2.0.1` - Official Vercel Web Analytics package

### 2. Configured Web Analytics in HTML
**File Modified:**
- `web/index.html` - Added Vercel Web Analytics initialization scripts

**Changes:**
- Added initialization script that creates the `window.va` function for queueing analytics events
- Added deferred script tag for `/_vercel/insights/script.js` which will be served by Vercel when deployed
- Added clarifying comments to distinguish between Speed Insights (already present) and Web Analytics (newly added)

## Implementation Details

### Approach Taken
Since this is a vanilla HTML/JavaScript project without a build system or framework, I followed the official Vercel documentation for vanilla HTML implementations:

1. **Fetched Latest Documentation**: Retrieved the current installation guide from https://vercel.com/docs/analytics/quickstart to ensure up-to-date implementation
2. **Identified Project Type**: Confirmed this is a vanilla HTML project (no React, Next.js, Vue, etc.)
3. **Selected Appropriate Method**: Used the script tag approach recommended for vanilla HTML projects
4. **Installed Package**: Added `@vercel/analytics` package for documentation and potential future programmatic usage

### Script Tag Implementation
The implementation uses two script tags in the HTML `<head>`:

```html
<!-- Vercel Web Analytics -->
<script>
    window.va = window.va || function () { (window.vaq = window.vaq || []).push(arguments); };
</script>
<script defer src="/_vercel/insights/script.js"></script>
```

**How It Works:**
1. The first inline script creates a queue function (`window.va`) that stores analytics calls until the main script loads
2. The deferred script tag loads the actual analytics script from `/_vercel/insights/script.js`
3. Vercel automatically serves this script when the site is deployed and Web Analytics is enabled in the dashboard

### Existing Speed Insights Preserved
The project already had Vercel Speed Insights installed via:
```html
<script defer src="https://cdn.vercel-insights.com/v1/script.js"></script>
```

This was preserved and labeled with a comment. Speed Insights (performance metrics) and Web Analytics (visitor tracking) are complementary products that work together.

## Next Steps for Deployment

When deployed to Vercel, Web Analytics will automatically work if:
1. Web Analytics is enabled in the Vercel project dashboard
2. The site receives visitor traffic

The analytics data will appear in the Vercel dashboard under the Analytics section.

## Testing

- ✅ Verified HTML structure is valid
- ✅ Tested local server still works correctly with updated HTML
- ✅ Confirmed no build errors
- ✅ Package installation completed successfully
- ✅ Lock file generated for consistent dependency resolution

## Notes

- No build step is required for this vanilla HTML project
- The `@vercel/analytics` package is installed but not directly imported in the code (vanilla HTML uses script tags instead)
- The package provides documentation and can be used for future enhancements if a build system is added
- Web Analytics uses a different endpoint (`/_vercel/insights/script.js`) than Speed Insights
- Both analytics products can coexist and provide different insights (Speed Insights = performance, Web Analytics = visitor tracking)

Co-authored-by: Vercel <vercel[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
@vercel

vercel Bot commented May 26, 2026

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The latest updates on your projects. Learn more about Vercel for GitHub.

Project Deployment Actions Updated (UTC)
kepler-lab Error Error May 28, 2026 6:32pm

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