How to Set Up Google Analytics in WordPress
Google Analytics for WordPress provides an invaluable way to analyze new and past website data, helping you discover more impactful strategies that help achieve your business goals.
There are two primary ways of adding Analytics to your site: via plugin and manually editing theme files. We advise using a plugin as it is easier and less risky.
Creating a Google Analytics account
Google Analytics is an invaluable tool that can provide valuable insight into your website visitors’ behavior. From which pages they visit and how long they linger on each, to the length of time spent on each one, using this data can provide important insight that will allow you to improve and attract more visitors to your site. It is also a fantastic way of measuring whether your content marketing strategy is successful.
Before using Google Analytics on your WordPress website, the first step should be registering a free account and receiving your unique tracking code to gather visitor data. After creating a Google Analytics account, connect it to your WordPress website either with an appropriate plugin or directly by entering its code manually.
To manually add code, you’ll need to edit your theme files. To do so, login to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor; this will open an internal code editor that contains your theme’s files; find one with a header> tag and paste your Google Analytics code there before saving your changes.
Once your changes are saved, click Save to secure them. It may take several hours before Google Analytics begins collecting data; once this has happened, reports can be accessed through the Insights tab of your WordPress dashboard.
If you prefer not editing your theme, there are other methods available to you to install Google Analytics on your site. One common approach is installing plugins; there are plenty available; just be sure to read reviews before making your selection.
Installing the Google Analytics tracking code
Website analytics is an indispensable asset to any business, no matter the size or type of their site. It gives a powerful picture of who visits, which can inform decisions ranging from advertising strategy to what content should be featured on the homepage. Unfortunately, setting up Google Analytics accounts can be daunting for beginners who may never have encountered code before.
WordPress website owners can make the process even simpler with a plugin designed to simplify Google Analytics setup and tracking. Browse the WordPress plugins page for Google Analytics plugins until you find one you like, then follow its installation instructions to install it on your site. Once it is up and running, link your WordPress website with Google Analytics by setting up a data stream – this will give your unique tracking ID, or measurement ID number, which is unique for every measurement ID number on Google Analytics.
If you prefer working with lighter solutions, Google Tag Manager provides an effective and straightforward means of adding Google Analytics tracking code without needing to edit HTML files directly. In addition to supporting Custom Tracking Code, Advanced Tag Management, Force SSL and many other services from their analytics suite.
If you have some experience working with code, another way of embedding Google Analytics tracking code into an HTML file manually can be achieved by visiting Appearance > Editor in WordPress and browsing through all files to find one containing your head> tag before copying and pasting in the Global Site Tag from earlier. When done click ‘Update file’ to save these changes.
Setting up goals and filters
With Google Analytics goals, you can identify the metrics that matter to your business. For instance, tracking how many people sign up for your email newsletter or purchase something on your website provides insights that can help refine marketing strategy and increase revenue. Analytical data also enables benchmarks for campaigns as well as determine which goals are working most efficiently.
To set goals in Google Analytics, click “Create Stream.” In the new window that opens up, enter the name and select an indicator metric from the drop-down list before creating a trigger that will activate whenever your website reaches this metric. Finally, save and see your real-time reporting of goal progress!
MonsterInsights makes setting goals easier on WordPress by tracking Google Analytics with its best plugin for tracking Google Analytics in WordPress: MonsterInsights is a free plugin designed to track Google Analytics. Once installed, it automatically sets up analytics tracking on your site and shows reports in your dashboard; thus giving you insight into the performance of your website and enabling data-driven decisions about improving it.
MonsterInsights goes beyond standard Google Analytics reports by offering advanced growth tools that can enhance the performance of your site, such as Enhanced Link Attribution which identifies traffic sources for specific links on your website and can even help identify popular pages or content on it.
Filters can help to exclude traffic that doesn’t align with your goals. For instance, post preview pages and wp-admin page views should be blocked to avoid false conversions and ensure only traffic that contributes directly towards reaching your goal is counted.
Using Google Analytics reports to track website pe
Google Analytics gives website owners a powerful picture of who visits their websites, including demographic and location information as well as visitor behavior. Having this knowledge at our disposal allows us to make smarter decisions around everything from marketing strategy and blog post selections on home pages, right down to marketing strategy – truly making this tool invaluable to all website owners!
First step to getting Google Analytics working for your site is registering with them for a free service on their homepage. When done so, a tracking code beginning “UA-” will be issued so as to identify it properly on Google Analytics’ servers. In addition, select an account name, select data sharing settings as desired and click Next before moving forward with registration.
Once you have your tracking code, the next step should be placing it on each page you want to track. Though this can be tedious at times, the insights gained can be priceless: knowing when your visitors are most active enables you to maximize traffic and conversions through optimized posting times and optimize post marketing messages.
Your Google Analytics dashboard also allows you to access more in-depth reports by accessing the “Reports” tab. Here, you can filter by various aspects of your website such as mobile vs desktop views or even report on individual page performance.
If you prefer not to install plugins, adding Google Analytics code directly into your WordPress theme may be the safer way. While this requires knowledge of HTML programming language and knowledge of how updates affect it; just ensure to back up before making any modifications or backups of any kind before proceeding with any modifications or alterations to it.
Troubleshooting common issues during setup
Google Analytics is an invaluable way to track visitor traffic, identify popular blog posts and determine peak times on websites – but its setup process can be daunting for beginners. Here are a few tips to help make setup simpler:
First and foremost, it’s essential to recognize that all plugins aren’t created equal. Some require you to manually enter your tracking code while others use an automated method – for instance some include a special snippet of code which goes in your head> section while others require you to add this yourself via a text editor. Before continuing with any plugin installation process, always ensure you back up your website first before continuing – also consider installing security plugins like Wordfence or iThemes Security to protect against hackers and other forms of mischief-making!
Before connecting your WordPress site to Google Analytics, it’s necessary to first establish an account. When done, click “Set up Google Analytics” and follow the onscreen instructions. When complete, a tracking ID and Global Site Tag will be generated; these codes can be found within your Admin panel under Data Streams for the appropriate property.
After setting up your Google Analytics account, you can begin using its data to enhance your website. While it may take up to 24 hours for data to start coming through, once it does you will have access to an abundance of visitor data that will allow you to make informed decisions regarding marketing and content strategies.
