What is Google Analytics and Why is it so Important?
What is Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool which lets you measure your website performance, user activity and valuable insights. Once you have the Google Analytics code installed on your site, you could unlock the capabilities like audience demographics, goal tracking, and event analysis. Some of the main advantages are:
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Understanding visitor behavior: See who enters your site, what they are doing and how long they stay.
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Traffic sources tracking: Get to know that where visitors are coming from, e.g., search engines, direct links, social media etc..
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Optimize conversions: Learn which pages convert leads faster and which pages need to work better to streamline your sales funnel.
Visualize Google Analytics as a Fitbit for your website, able to monitor your every move, explaining what that activity means, and helping you make informed decisions for your business.
How to Download Google Analytics Code – Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Sign Up for a Google Analytics Account
If you don’t already have a Google Analytics account, you’ll need to follow these steps:
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Visit Google Analytics.
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Sign in with your Google account login, or create a Google account if you need to.
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Click on “Start Measuring” to establish your Google Analytics account.
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Your Account Name (i.e. your company or website name).
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Set up sharing settings for your account.
Step 2. Set Up a Property
After creating your account:
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Now you may click the next button to start setup property.
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Enter your site name (ex. My Website Analytics).
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Choose your time zone and currency.
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Click “Next” and input your business information such as industry and company size.
Step 3. Access Your Tracking Code
Once your property is created, you will have the Google Analytics tracking code:
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Access your Admin Panel by clicking the gear icon in the bottom left corner of the analytics dashboard.
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Double click on “Data Streams” under Property.
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Select the platform you`d like to use (e.g., Web for website tracking).
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Press your site’s name in the data stream.
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Copy the Tracking ID/Code that appears under the Global Site Tag (gtag.js) section.
You’re all set to start using your Google Analytics tracking code!
How to Add Google Analytics Code to Your Website
Now that you have the Google Analytics code, you will need to install it on your website. There are slightly different ways to do this depending on the platform, so here’s how to get started on the most popular ones.
For WordPress Websites
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Login to your WordPress admin dashboard.
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Add and activate a plugin such as MonsterInsights or Insert Headers and Footers.
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Insert the Google Analytics code into the injected area in the plugin settings.
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Or if you’re code-savvy, you can copy the tracking code and paste it directly into your themes header file’s tag.
For Shopify Stores
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Sign in to your Shopify admin.
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Online Store > Preferences.
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Scroll down to the Google Analytics option and enter your tracking code on the text box.
For Custom HTML Websites
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Open your site’s HTML documents in a text editor or web host program.
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Insert the tracking code below into your section of all of the pages on the site you wish to track it.
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Save and upload new files to your server.
Using Google Tag Manager
If you are using Google Tag Manager:
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Sign in to your Tag Manager account.
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Click Add a new tag and select Google Analytics GA4 Configuration Tag.
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Add your tracking ID to the tag configuration.
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Publish your tag to complete the installation.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with an easy-to-use guide, some folks may stumble when trying to paste that Google Analytics code in. Here are a couple of troubleshooting suggestions for common problems.
Problem 1. Not Showing in Google Analytics – 10 Common Reasons For Troubleshooting Data in GA
Solution: Confirm you’ve all installed the code correctly with tools like Google’s Tag Assistant. And keep in mind, it can take up to 24 hours for your analytics to begin coming through.
Problem 2. Incorrect Placement of Code
Solution: Make sure to put your script inside the head tag instead of any other place, It doesn’t work when in wrong location!
Problem 3. Duplicate Tags
Solution: Ensure that you are not running more than one version of the tracking code on a single page, since it would mess up the statistics.
Discover the Power of Google Analytics
Now that you have Google Analytics running on your site, you’ll be ready to get some data about who is using your site otherwise not that useful data in most cases unless you actually analyze it. This is not to mention the huge impact this data has on things like knowing your audience and tactics for marketing.
Then, step two: make a practice of regularly looking at your analytics data for actionable findings. No idea how to make the most of that? Visit Google Analytics Academy for training and tips to help you use Analytics with confidence.
By installing Google Analytics on your website, you’re one of millions of website owners who are able to make smarter, data-informed decisions every day.Once you have the Google Analytics code, you might want to add it to platforms like a Canva website with ease.
