WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that launched in 2001. Since then, the platform has grown immensely to be one of the most popular website hosting services and WordPress currently powers nearly 40% of websites. As many brands run their website and blog through WordPress, setting up Google Analytics in WordPress is crucial to understanding your site’s traffic.
Google Analytics is a simple tool that helps brands track everything that is happening on their website. By running Google Analytics, you can definitively report how your website is performing and make adjustments to bring in more users.
What Does Google Analytics Show?
Google Analytics tracks important information about your website’s users to help you better engage with them. Reports from Google Analytics show:
- How many people are visiting your website.
- How visitors are finding your website (redirect through social media, direct search, etc.).
- How much time they are spending on your site and different pages.
- Your site’s most visited pages.
To get started with tracking and understanding your website traffic, first you need to set up a Google Analytics account. It’s easy and free to use!
Simply go to Google Analytics, click “Set up for Free,” and enter your information.
Once entered, scroll down and click “Next”.
Because you want to set up Google Analytics in WordPress, install it on your website by clicking “Web”.
Scroll down and click “Next.” Enter your website name and URL you want to track, as pictured below.
Then, click “Create.” You have successfully created your Google Analytics account!
How to Set Up Google Analytics in WordPress
After creating your Google Analytics account, you want to connect this account with your WordPress account. Google Analytics is a simple, well-coded, and powerful plugin. To install it, go to Dashboard → Plugins → Add New.
Type “GA google analytics” in the plugins search box. The plugin should be at the top of the list, at the top left, pictured below.
Install this plugin and then click “Activate.”
Next, visit the “Plugin Settings” Panel on the left hand side of your WordPress dashboard. Enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID (which was given to you after you set up your Google Analytics account).
Universal analytics is a default standard for collecting and organizing user data to more accurately measure user behavior. Global site tag helps track conversions across multiple events and limits managing multiple tags for multiple products. Legacy is a library for measuring how users interact with your site. It is recommended you use a newer tracking version with a new Google Analytics account.
Finally, configure any other plugin settings as needed.
When you are done, save changes. Within 24 to 48 hours, you can log in to your Google Analytics account to view your traffic.
For any additional questions about your Google Analytics account, WordPress features, or e-commerce website in general, NetElixir’s tech support team is here to help!
