How to Add Google Analytics to WordPress?

12 minutes read

To add Google Analytics to WordPress, you can follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Google Analytics website (analytics.google.com) and sign in using your Google account credentials.
  2. Once signed in, click on the "Admin" tab at the bottom left corner of the page.
  3. In the "Property" column, click on the dropdown menu and select the website on which you want to add the tracking code.
  4. Click on the "Tracking Info" option under the "Property" column.
  5. In the dropdown menu, select "Tracking Code." This will display the tracking code snippet that needs to be added to your WordPress website.
  6. Highlight and copy the entire tracking code snippet displayed on the page.
  7. Open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to "Appearance" > "Editor."
  8. In the "Templates" section on the right side of the screen, click on "Theme Header" (header.php) to open the file.
  9. Look for the tag (closing head tag) within the header.php file.
  10. Paste the Google Analytics tracking code snippet you copied just before the tag.
  11. Click the "Update File" button to save the changes.


That's it! You have successfully added Google Analytics to your WordPress website. The tracking code will now start collecting data and providing insights on your website's performance.

Best Google Analytics Books to Read in 2024

1
Learning Google Analytics: Creating Business Impact and Driving Insights

Rating is 5 out of 5

Learning Google Analytics: Creating Business Impact and Driving Insights

2
Google Analytics Demystified (4th Edition)

Rating is 4.9 out of 5

Google Analytics Demystified (4th Edition)

3
Google Analytics: Understanding Visitor Behavior

Rating is 4.8 out of 5

Google Analytics: Understanding Visitor Behavior

4
Google Analytics Uncovered: How to Set Up and Maximize Ecommerce Data in Google Analytics

Rating is 4.7 out of 5

Google Analytics Uncovered: How to Set Up and Maximize Ecommerce Data in Google Analytics

5
Google Analytics Alternatives: A Guide to Navigating the World of Options Beyond Google

Rating is 4.6 out of 5

Google Analytics Alternatives: A Guide to Navigating the World of Options Beyond Google

6
Data Engineering with Google Cloud Platform: A practical guide to operationalizing scalable data analytics systems on GCP

Rating is 4.5 out of 5

Data Engineering with Google Cloud Platform: A practical guide to operationalizing scalable data analytics systems on GCP

7
The Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager Cookbook: A Simple Step by Step Pictorial Guide to Implementing Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for your Websites.

Rating is 4.4 out of 5

The Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager Cookbook: A Simple Step by Step Pictorial Guide to Implementing Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager for your Websites.

8
Google Analytics Breakthrough: From Zero to Business Impact

Rating is 4.3 out of 5

Google Analytics Breakthrough: From Zero to Business Impact


How to exclude internal traffic from being tracked in Google Analytics for WordPress?

To exclude internal traffic from being tracked in Google Analytics for WordPress, you can follow these steps:

  1. Identify your internal IP address: You need to know the IP address of the devices used by you or your team. You can find your IP address by searching "What is my IP address" on Google.
  2. Log into your Google Analytics account: Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
  3. Access your tracking ID: Once logged in, click on the Admin tab at the bottom left corner of the page. In the middle column, called "Property," click on "Tracking Info" > "Tracking Code." Make a note of your tracking ID, usually in the format "UA-XXXXXXXXX-X".
  4. Install a Google Analytics plugin on your WordPress site: There are several plugins available for WordPress that integrate Google Analytics. Choose one that suits your needs and install it on your WordPress site. Popular plugins include MonsterInsights, Analytify, and Google Analytics Dashboard for WP (GADWP).
  5. Configure the plugin settings: Once the plugin is installed, go to its settings page in your WordPress dashboard. Look for the option to exclude tracking for a specific IP address or range.
  6. Exclude the internal IP address: Enter the internal IP address you identified in step 1, and save the changes. This will prevent traffic from being tracked when browsing your website from devices with that IP address.
  7. Verify the exclusion: After saving the changes, visit your website from a device with the excluded IP address and browse around. Use the Real-Time reports in Google Analytics to confirm that your own traffic is no longer being tracked.


Remember to repeat this process for every plugin update or when setting up Google Analytics on a new WordPress site. This will ensure that your site's data remains accurate by excluding internal traffic from being tracked.


What is the audience overview report in Google Analytics for WordPress?

The Audience Overview report in Google Analytics for WordPress provides a high-level view of the website's audience. It includes various metrics and insights about the users visiting the website.


The report includes the following information:

  1. Sessions: It shows the total number of sessions (visits) on the website during a specific time period.
  2. Users: It represents the number of unique users who have visited the website during a specific time period.
  3. Pageviews: It indicates the total number of pages viewed by users during their visits.
  4. Pages/Session: It gives an average of the number of pages viewed per session.
  5. Average Session Duration: It provides the average time spent by users on the website.
  6. Bounce Rate: It shows the percentage of single-page sessions where users left the website without any interaction.
  7. % of New Sessions: It represents the percentage of new visitors to the website.


The Audience Overview report helps webmasters and marketers understand the overall behavior and engagement of the website's audience. It can be used to gain insights into user demographics, interests, location, and device categories. This information helps in optimizing the website's content, user experience, and marketing strategies to better cater to the target audience.


What does the average session duration mean in Google Analytics for WordPress?

In Google Analytics for WordPress, the average session duration refers to the average amount of time that visitors spend on your website per session. This metric is calculated by dividing the total duration of all sessions by the total number of sessions.


It provides insights into visitor engagement and can help you understand if your website content is capturing and retaining user attention. Higher average session durations generally indicate that users are spending more time exploring your website, while lower durations may indicate a lack of engagement or potential issues that might be driving users away quickly.


How to set up goals in Google Analytics for WordPress?

Setting up goals in Google Analytics for WordPress involves the following steps:

  1. Sign in to your Google Analytics account and navigate to the Admin tab.
  2. In the View column, click on Goals.
  3. Click on the "+ New Goal" button to create a new goal.
  4. Select a template that best fits your goal or choose the "Custom" option for more flexibility. Click on the "Continue" button.
  5. Give your goal a name, such as "Contact Form Submissions" or "Newsletter Sign-ups."
  6. Choose the goal type. Some common types include Destination (e.g., reaching a specific page), Duration (e.g., spending a minimum time on a page), Pages/Screens per session (e.g., viewing a minimum number of pages in a session), and Event (e.g., clicking on a specific button or link).
  7. Depending on the goal type you selected, configure the details. For example, if you chose "Destination," enter the URL of the page that represents the completion of the goal.
  8. Set the value of the goal if applicable. This value represents the monetary worth of achieving the goal.
  9. Enable the Funnel option if you want to track a series of steps leading up to the goal.
  10. Save the goal configuration.
  11. To track the goals on your WordPress website, you can use a plugin like MonsterInsights or manually add the Google Analytics tracking code to your theme's header.php file.
  12. Once the tracking is set up, you can monitor your goals by going to the "Reporting" tab in Google Analytics. Under the "Conversions" section, you will find the goal data and related metrics.


Remember to review and refine your goals regularly to ensure they align with your business objectives and provide meaningful insights into your website performance.


How to set up custom dimensions and metrics in Google Analytics for WordPress?

To set up custom dimensions and metrics in Google Analytics for WordPress, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Install and activate the Google Analytics for WordPress plugin on your WordPress site. You can find this plugin in the official WordPress plugin repository.
  2. After activation, go to the Settings section of the plugin. You can find this under the 'Analytics' tab in your WordPress dashboard.
  3. In the General settings, enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID. This can be found in your Google Analytics account under the Admin > Property > Tracking Info > Tracking Code.
  4. Scroll down to the Custom Dimensions/Metrics section. Here, you can define the custom dimensions and metrics you want to set up.
  5. Enter the name and scope for each custom dimension or metric. The name should be descriptive and easy to understand. The scope determines the level at which your dimension/metric is applied, such as hit-level, session-level, or user-level. Choose the most appropriate scope based on your requirements.
  6. To send data to these custom dimensions/metrics, you need to modify your Google Analytics tracking code. Scroll down to the Code Settings section in the plugin settings and enable the custom dimensions/metrics you want to use.
  7. Save the changes and update your Google Analytics tracking code. You can do this by clicking on the 'Update Google Analytics Settings' button in the plugin settings.
  8. Finally, wait for some time and check your Google Analytics reports to ensure that the custom dimensions and metrics are being tracked properly. You can find these under the 'Customization' section in Google Analytics.


Note: Custom dimensions are used to track additional information about your users or interactions on your website, while custom metrics allow you to track additional numerical data. Make sure to plan and define your custom dimensions/metrics carefully based on your specific tracking needs.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pocket

Related Posts:

To add Google Analytics to your Next.js app, you can follow these steps:Sign up for a Google Analytics account: Go to the Google Analytics website (www.google.com/analytics) and sign up using your Google account. Create a new property for your Next.js app. Obt...
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that allows you to track and measure the performance of your Facebook Ads campaigns. By integrating Google Analytics with your Facebook Ads account, you can get valuable insights into the behavior of your audience and make d...
To add Google Analytics code to an email, you will need to follow a few steps:Access your Google Analytics account and go to the Admin section.In the Admin section, click on the Property drop-down menu and select the appropriate property for which you want to ...