How to Set Up Google Analytics on Your WordPress Website: A comprehensive guide

Apr 26, 2023 | Website Development

| 3 minute read
google analytics on wordpress sample image

Google Analytics is an essential tool for any website owner, providing valuable insights into your site’s performance, visitor demographics, and user behavior. For WordPress users, integrating Google Analytics is a straightforward process that can be achieved in just a few simple steps. In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process of setting up Google Analytics on your WordPress website, so you can start making data-driven decisions to improve your online presence.

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account

Before you can integrate Google Analytics with your WordPress site, you’ll need to create a Google Analytics account if you haven’t already. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the Google Analytics website (https://analytics.google.com) and sign in with your Google account.
  2. Click on “Start Measuring.”
  3. Enter your account name, which can be your business or personal name, then click “Next.”
  4. Choose “Web” as the platform you want to measure and click “Next.”
  5. Provide your website name, URL, industry category, and time zone, then click “Create.”
  6. Read and accept the terms of service to complete the account creation process.

Step 2: Get Your Tracking Code

After creating your Google Analytics account, you’ll need to obtain your tracking code. This unique code allows Google Analytics to collect data from your WordPress site. Follow these steps to retrieve your tracking code:

  1. In your Google Analytics account, click on “Admin” in the lower-left corner.
  2. In the middle column, under “Property,” click on “Data Streams.”
  3. Click on your website’s data stream.
  4. Find the “Global Site Tag (gtag.js)” section, where you’ll see a code snippet. Copy this code, as you’ll need to add it to your WordPress site.

Step 3: Add the Tracking Code to Your WordPress Site

There are several methods to add the Google Analytics tracking code to your WordPress site, but we’ll focus on two popular options: using a plugin or editing your theme’s header.php file.

Option 1: Using a Plugin

There are numerous plugins available for integrating Google Analytics with WordPress. Some popular choices include MonsterInsights, Analytify, and ExactMetrics. To install a plugin, follow these general steps:

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New.”
  2. Search for the desired Google Analytics plugin and click “Install Now.”
  3. Activate the plugin and follow its specific instructions for adding the tracking code to your site.

Option 2: Editing the header.php File

If you prefer not to use a plugin, you can manually add the tracking code to your theme’s header.php file:

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Appearance” > “Theme Editor.”
  2. Locate the header.php file in the “Theme Files” section on the right side of the page.
  3. Find the “<head>” section in the header.php file, and paste the tracking code immediately before the “</head>” tag.
  4. Click “Update File” to save your changes.

Note: Be cautious when editing your theme files, as making mistakes can break your site. It’s a good idea to create a backup before making any changes.

Step 4: Verify Your Google Analytics Setup

To ensure your Google Analytics integration is working correctly, follow these steps:

  1. Open your WordPress website in a new browser window or tab.
  2. In your Google Analytics account, go to “Realtime” in the left-hand menu.
  3. Check if there’s at least one active user on your site, which should be you.

If you see an active user, congratulations! You have successfully installed Google Analytics on your wordpress website.

To know more about WordPress websites don’t miss our detailed articles on “Managed WordPress hosting” “WordPress.com vs WordPress.org” WordPress error establishing a database connection”.