What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics, sometimes known as GA, is a free analytics tool that provides you with a thorough analysis of the performance of your website and/or app. It is a popular option for anyone utilising various Google tools because it connects with Google’s marketing and advertising platforms and products (including Google Ads, Search Console, and Data Studio).
How to set up a Google Analytics account
1. Set up a Google Analytics profile.
2. Include the domain name, industry, and URL of the website you wish to track.
3. Enhance your house with a view.
4. Place your tracking code immediately after your site’s head tag.
5. Check the code’s functionality by going to your GA portal.
You must create a Google account before you can use Google Analytics. This implies that you need a password and email address for a Google Account that is active.
You must register for Analytics (which we’ll go through in the following section) before you can access Google Analytics even after you’ve registered a Google account. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that you can only access the service by using a legitimate Google account when you set up GA.
The procedures for using Google Analytics for your website are listed below. (I’m using the website for my class reunion as an example.)
1. Set up a Google Analytics profile.
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2. Include the domain name, industry, and URL of the website you wish to track.
At this stage, you should construct your property, give it a name, and input the website’s URL, along with the sector and reporting time zone. After that, you’ll be able to create and complete this process step.
3. Enhance your house with a view.
Note: GA4 offers “Data Streams” with identical functionality in place of “Views,” which are no longer used. When completing these tasks with Universal Analytics, bear this in mind.
Go to the account and property you want to add a view to, then use the menu to Create a View. Give your view a name, choose the type of view (web or app), and respond to a few other questions. In GA, keep in mind that you can add up to 25 views to a property.
Go to the account and property you want to add a data stream to and choose it from the menu to add a data stream to your GA4 account. Select a stream, add it, and save it.
4. Place your tracking code immediately after your site's head tag.
You can use a special tracking ID and a global site tag when you create a property (code you need to add to each site page you want to measure). This is how you can gather information about your property.
Then, on each site page you want to measure, paste your global site tag immediately after the opening head> tag.
You will be prompted to select your website type (static, dynamic, web hosting, Google Tag Manager) so that the data gathering can be set up correctly.
5. Check the code's functionality by going to your GA portal.
Finally, make sure your code is functional. You can do this by using a different tab or your phone to browse your site while viewing the Real-Time reporting area. The report ought to reflect at least one site visitor, which would be you.
And that’s basically it! You might have the following questions after reading the review:
Does the GA code have to be included to each page of your website?
That is a significant amount of human labour, particularly if your website has more than 50 pages. What happens when you add new pages, too? Do you really need to include the tag each time?
The quick response is “no”
The longer response is that the tag only needs to be included once to each page template. Since every page on your site utilises the same header module, if you simply need to add it to that module, it will automatically be applied to all of your pages.
You would need to paste the code into the two distinct header modules if you had two page kinds. three different page types? three modules for headers.
And this work is made considerably simpler if you utilise a CMS like HubSpot. These tools have a separate box where you can once again paste your tracking code. Users of HubSpot can instal GA by following these straightforward methods.
Additionally, you must comprehend the hierarchy of the tool’s numerous layers in order to effectively set up GA.