- Don’t you know what Google Analytics is?
- Haven’t you installed it on your website?
- Have downloaded it but never look at your data.
While it may be difficult to believe, some websites do not use Google Analytics to track their traffic.
In this article, Book Writing Agency will look at Google Analytics from the standpoint of a complete novice. Why do you need it, how do you get it, how do you use it, and how do you work around common issues?
There are many other questions that Google Analytics can answer, but these are the ones that most website owners care about. So let’s dive into how to install Google Analytics on your website now.
1. Set up your Account and Property:
You’ll need a Google Analytics account first. If you have a main Google account that you use for other Google services such as:
- Gmail.
- The Google Drive.
- A Google Calendar.
- & Google+
- YouTube.
You should use that account to set up Google Analytics. Or, you’ll have to make a new one.
Google Analytics allows you to organize your account using hierarchies. Under one Google account, you can have up to 100 Google Analytics accounts. A single Google Analytics account can track up to 50 different website properties. A single website property can have up to 25 views.
There is no right or wrong way to set up your Google Analytics account. As the reason is, it all depends on how you want to organize your websites. Of course, you can always change the names of your accounts or properties later. But, it’s essential to note that you can’t move a website from one Google Analytics account to another. You’d have to create a new property under the new account and lose the historical data from the old one.
2. Install Your Tracking Code
When you’re done, click the Get Tracking ID button to get your tracking ID. Next, you will be presented with a popup containing the Google Analytics terms and conditions, which you must accept. After that, you’ll receive your Google Analytics code.
This must be installed on all your website’s pages. The installation process will be different depending on the type of website you have. For example, I use the Genesis Framework to build a WordPress website on my domain. This framework has a section where I can add scripts to the header and footer of my website.
If you have a WordPress site on your domain, you can use the Google Analytics by Yoast plugin to install your code. Regardless of the theme or framework, you’re using.
If your site is made up of HTML files, you’ll need to place the tracking code before the tag on each page. This can be done using a text editor program. Then an FTP program to upload the file to your web host (such as FileZilla).
If you have a Shopify e-commerce store, go to your Online Store settings. And then paste your tracking code in the appropriate location.
If you have a Tumblr blog, go to your blog’s settings. Next, click on the Edit Theme button in the top right corner, and then enter the Google Analytics ID.
As you can see, Google Analytics installation differs depending on the platform, theme, and plugins you use. But, by doing a web search for your platform + how to install Google Analytics, you should be able to find simple instructions for installing Google Analytics on any website.
Set up Goals
You’ll want to configure a small (but very useful) setting in your websites. Google Analytic profile after you’ve installed your tracking code on your website. This is where you’ll set your objectives. You can identify it by:
- Go to the Admin tab at the top of your Google Analytic account and select Goals from the View column.
When something significant happens on your website, Google Analytic will be notified via goals. If you have a website that generates leads via a contact form, for example:
- You’ll want to find a thank you page for visitors to visit after submitting their contact information.
Or, if you have a product-selling website, you’ll want to find (or create) a final thank you. Or a confirmation page for visitors to visit after they’ve completed a buy.
That URL will most likely resemble this:
- http://123business.com/thank-you.
- http://123business.com/thank-you.
- http://123business.com/thank-you.html.
You will click the New Goal button in Google Analytic then:
- You’ll click the Next Step button after selecting Custom (unless one of the other options is more appropriate for your website).
- You’ll give your goal a memorable name, choose Destination, and then press the Next Step button.
- Change the drop-down to “Begins with” and enter the URL of your thank you or confirmation page after the.com of your website in the Destination field.
- To complete the setup, toggle the value and enter a specific dollar value for that conversion (if applicable) before clicking Create Goal.
You can repeat these steps if you have other similar goals/conversions you’d like to track on your website. On your website, you can set up to 20 goals. Make certain that the ones you create are critical to your company’s success. Example of business goals are:
- Lead form submissions.
- Email list signups.
- Buy completions.
Of course, your objectives will differ depending on the nature of your website and its purpose.
This is the most basic type of conversion tracking in Google Analytic. To learn more about setting up goal tracking, consult the Google Analytic support documentation.
3. Set up Website Search
Site Search is another quick-to-install feature that will provide you with useful data in the future. This applies to any website with a search box, such as the one at the top of the Moz Blog.
- To begin, search your website. Keep the tab open after that. You’ll need the URL in a moment.
- Return to your Google Analytic Admin menu and select View Settings from the View column.
- Toggle Site Settings to On by scrolling down until you see it.
- Return to your URL to see the results of your search. Click Save after entering the query parameter (usually s or q). The query parameter on Moz, for example, is q.
- This enables Google Analytic to track any searches performed on your website. As allowing you to learn more about what your visitors are looking for on specific pages.
4. Add more Accounts and Properties:
If you want to create a new Google Analytic account:
- Go to your Admin menu.
- Click the drop-down under the Account column.
- Then click the Create New Account link.
You should wait about 24 hours for Google Analytics to start collecting data. After you’ve:
- Installed it on your website(s).
- Set up your goals.
- Set up site search(es).
After that, you’ll be able to begin viewing your data.
5. View Google Analytics data
You can start learning about your website traffic once you have Google Analytics data. You’ll be taken to your Audience Overview report every time you log into Google Analytics.
If you have more than one site, you will be directed to a list of websites from which to choose and then to the Audience Overview report for that website.
This is the first of over 50 Google Analytics reports available to you. You can also get to these reports by going to the Reporting tab at the top of the page.
