How To Set Up Google Analytics - Quick & Easy Step by Step Guide

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Step-by-Step Guide for WordPress & Squarespace Users

Summary: How To Set Up Google Analytics

Create a Google account
Login to Google Analytics
Sign up for Google Analytics service & fill out your business information
Locate your Google Analytics tracking code & paste it into your website

Analytics…

Such an intimidating word, especially for people that aren’t obsessed with numbers & calculations. But, regardless if you love data or not…Google Analytics is one of the main components of any website. It’s one of the most valuable pieces to the puzzle.

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google (Google, ya know, the king of the internet) Anyways, this service tracks and reports website traffic. It provides insights and basic tools for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) & marketing purposes.

Why would you need to know about your website traffic?

If you want to grow your business or blog, which I’m assuming is the case, then you need to have some idea about your website traffic & visitors. Google Analytics lets you measure your traffic, learn from the data, and gives insights into making strategic marketing & business decisions.
Data, data, data.

What kind of “data” are we talking about here?

Well, by implementing Google Analytics onto your website, you can have access to information like this:

How many people have been on your website?
How many of those people are returning visitors & how many are brand new?
What percentage of the user’s are male? Female?
What are your users top interests? Movies? Food & Drink? Entertainment? Social Media?
Where are your users coming from? Google? Facebook? Twitter?
What’s your most popular page? Least popular page?
How long do they stay on those pages?
How long do they stay on your site?
Which page are most of them leaving your site after?
(and literally so much more)

Data like this can not only help with conversations & sales, but it can help you narrow down your target audience & their needs.

Did one blog post or marketing campaign do better than the other?

Are people leaving your website without engaging?

What device are your users using to view your website?

Is your website responsive to that device?

Pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down?

This information can become INSANELY useful.

How to Set Up Google Analytics on Your Website

Regardless if your website is powered by WordPress or SquareSpace, you have to sign up with a Google Account in order to take advantage of Google Analytics. Not necessarily a “@gmail.com” email address, but basically you need to sign up with a Google Account to have any access to Google’s tools.

Step #1: Go to Google Analytics

In the top right-hand corner, click the button “Start for Free”

Step 2: Sign in to your Google Account

If you don’t already have one, you’ll have to create an email address with Google in order to sign up for Google’s free tools (like Google Analytics) — Click the “Create Account” link to create a free account.

Step #3: Sign Up for Google Analytics Service

Click the “Start Measuring” button

You’ll then be taken to a screen to fill out some information.

Account Name — Name this whatever you’d like to call this Google Analytics account. Accounts can have more than 1 property (website/app) so if you’ll be tracking a few, keep it a bit more generic.
You can leave all of the data sharing options checked
Click NEXT
Property Settings — Whatever the name of your website or app is
Reporting time zone
Currency — this is helpful if you’re an e-commerce shop.
Click NEXT
Enter your business details (Industry & business size)
Click NEXT
Choose your business objectives (this will determine the reports that show up in your Google Analytics account)
Click CREATE
After you hit the CREATE button, Google Analytics Terms of Service will pop up. Make sure that your country/region is selected in the top drop-down box & carefully read over the Google Analytics Terms of Service.
You’ll be taken to a “Start Data Collection” section, in which you’ll choose your platform (likely “WEB” unless you have an app)
Input your website URL (make sure you select the right https or http option)
Give this website data stream a name (likely just “Business/Blog Name + Website”)
Click CREATE STREAM

Step 4: Locate the tracking script that needs to be put on your website

After you create your Google Analytics account, you should be redirected to Web Stream Details >> Click “View Tag Instructions“
The Tagging Instructions page is where you can copy your Measurement Id (Looks like “G-XXXXXXX”) or click the Install Manually tab and copy the whole script that already includes your measurement tracking ID
You can also get to your tracking code/script by clicking “ADMIN” in the bottom right-hand corner after logging in
Then choose your property >> click “DATA STREAMS” then click on the Website Data Stream we created
Under the “Google tag” section >> click “VIEW TAG INSTRUCTIONS” and follow the instructions from there

The Next Steps Are Different For WordPress Users & SquareSpace Users.

Follow whichever set of directions pertains to you!

WordPress Users:

How you implement your Google Analytics tracking code into your website will be different depending on your theme.

Every theme should have a spot for you to paste a script into the header. This can usually be found in your theme’s settings or customizer settings.

If you can’t find it, install the Headers Footers Code Manager WordPress plugin and paste it in the header section there.

Squarespace Users:

Log in to your Squarespace Account and go to your main menu. In your main menu, click on “SETTINGS“.
From that menu, click on “DEVELOPER TOOLS” towards the bottom of the menu.
From that menu, click on “EXTERNAL API KEYS” and place your measurement ID in there OR click “CODE INJECTION” and paste your manual code into the HEADER box