To set up Google Analytics on a new site or to add it to new pages can be quite tricky if you are not sure how. Within this blog, we will go through a step-by-step guide on how to set up Google Analytics on your site; this will then allow you to run analytical and statistical reports to analyse the key performance indicators that were set within your Digital Marketing Strategy.
Set up Google Analytics account
Firstly, you must visit the home page of the Google Analytics site. If you already have an existing login, then you do not need to create a new one. Once logged in, Google will present a screen to begin setting up your new Analytics account.
Here you will have a note that there are three steps to follow to progress with the full analytical reporting software.
1) Sign up for Google Analytics
2) Add Tracking Code
3) Learn about your audience
When setting up your account, the account name should be the brand name of the business that you are working with; this is because there are multiple properties for various websites that are part of your brand, which can be included within this section.
While signing up for a new account, you will be asked a series of questions, including what is the URL of the specific site that you are looking to add the analytics package to. As a note here, ensure to add the correct URL with either the HTTP:// or HTTPS:// before the www. This is done by selecting the drop-down for the security matter on the left-hand side.
You can use the industry Category drop-down to specify if your site is within a certain niche. This will allow you in the future to have benchmarking reports against other sites within the same industry as yourself.
Finally, here, we need to note the correct time zone at the bottom of the sign-up process. This is critical moving forward as you need to be able to analyse and optimise through time data.
Adding a Tracking Code
Once the account has been set up, you will then need to add you’re tracking code to the website itself. You will find the code by searching the ‘Admin Function’, which is at the bottom of the left side of your screen. Then, within the new screen, you will see the second column named ‘Property’, and then within this column, a drop-down menu named ‘Tracking Info.’ If you drop this menu down to see the full volume of options that can be made, you should then make the selection of ‘Tracking Code’ to view the below page image.
If you have some decent development skills and can access the website’s source code, then you can add the code under the snippet ‘Website Tracking’ before the closing tag in your site template.
Once the tracking code has been put in the correct places within your site, you will want to ensure that everything is tested to ensure that Google Analytics is working correctly, has been correctly installed and is recording the traffic that is flowing through your site.
To be able to check this, you will need to visit your website on a different browser and sit on the home page for a couple of minutes. Check back into the Google Analytics platform (while still on the site) and visit the Real Time section. If the setup was a success and the code was implemented correctly, you will see yourself within the Right Now section.
If all seems to be set up and correct, then you can start driving traffic to the website and recording the success or failure of this. I would, though, learn how to set up all of the business goals within the platform. This will enable you to view it in much more detail.
By default, the analytical platform will only track how many people are visiting your site, how long they are there and what they are doing. Though Google does not know what your business goals are, so these need to be set up separately.
If you need any help to set up Google Analytics for your website get in contact with HC Media Group. We can help you not only set up Google Analytics but also help to set business goals.
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