DataSag guides · Updated 27 October 2026

Load analytics without blocking rendering on Jekyll

Use the platform's non-blocking external script mechanism and install the tracker once. Measure the published page before and after the change; script size alone cannot predict the effect on your website. This guide applies to Jekyll.

Start with the Jekyll installation

Find the layout chain used by your Jekyll pages and posts. Add the deferred script once to the shared head template or its include. Keep the existing Liquid content and include structure, build the site and deploy the generated output. A theme-provided layout can require a local override rather than editing a gem.

Front matter selects layouts, and a page can bypass the shared default layout. Check standalone pages, posts and archive templates. Updating a source layout does not update a hosted site until the build and publication step completes.

Use the public project key from the DataSag project you are inspecting. A test on a preview domain does not confirm that the production domain has the same code or settings.

Load analytics without blocking rendering in Jekyll

  1. Place one deferred external script in the shared head include or base layout. Inspect the final layout chain before testing so inherited includes and page-level copies do not add hidden extra execution work.
  2. Build and measure the generated public site under the same network and cache settings. Include a long post with typical media. Development live-reload resources and build latency are not part of the static page visitors receive.
  3. Test an early outbound or signup-intent click after the page opens. If you replace defer with a custom delayed loader, record whether that click is missed. Keep the public-key attribute intact when changing the loading mechanism.

The static production document uses one non-blocking tracker and retains the intended early-action coverage.

Complete the collection checks

  1. Record a baseline of the published page using the same browser, device emulation and network settings you will use for comparison. Include a representative content page, not only the homepage.
  2. Use defer for a normal external HTML script, or the framework-specific loading strategy shown in the installation example. Do not add a parser-blocking synchronous script as a shortcut.
  3. Keep one installation in the shared document or layout. Duplicate execution adds work even if the browser reuses the downloaded file.
  4. Inspect the Network waterfall for tracker.js and /api/track. Compare transfer size, timing and request count on a cold load and a cached load.
  5. Check that measurement still starts at the intended point. Loading only after idle or interaction can omit short visits and early clicks; performance and coverage must be evaluated together.
  6. Repeat the measurements and record variability. Report measured results for your page rather than claiming a universal speed improvement or zero performance cost.
// Browser Console, after loading the published page:
performance.getEntriesByType('resource')
  .filter(entry => entry.name.includes('/tracker.js'))
  .map(entry => ({ url: entry.name, durationMs: entry.duration }));
// Cross-origin transfer details may be unavailable.

What a successful check looks like

The script uses a non-blocking loading mechanism, appears once and records the intended visits. Any performance claim comes from repeatable measurements of the actual site.

Record the public path you tested, the browser state, the approximate time and the observed request. Check one direct page load and one later navigation so the result covers more than the homepage.

Common mistake

A faster lab result does not prove every visitor has a faster experience. Avoid mixing a warm-cache result with a cold-load baseline.

Installation snippet for Jekyll

The shared installation belongs in the head of the shared _layouts/default.html or its head include. Use this as the installation reference while checking the procedure above.

<script defer src="https://www.datasag.com/tracker.js" data-datasag-key="YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"></script>

Related Jekyll guides

Full Jekyll setup guide · Search and AI visibility

References

Official Jekyll documentation covers the integration point. For DataSag data handling, read the privacy policy. Use support if a request fails after these checks.