Google Analytics: Complete guide for beginners

Google Analytics helps you to get the most important information on your website visitors: sources, demographics, and more. Used correctly, Google Analytics can help you increase conversion rates and grow your business!

This article will show you how to install Google Analytics properly on your website, and also touch upon the different options for setting up goals. We'll take a look at what reports are available in Analytics, and how you can use them to improve the performance of your website. And finally, we'll present some top tips on getting the best possible data out of Google Analytics. Let's get started!

# Step 1: Get yourself an account with Google Analytics

To get started with Google Analytics, head over to www.google.com/analytics, click "create account", fill out your name, company name (if applicable), business address (not your billing address!), primary domain name (e.g., mydomainname-example.com), and the time zone you're located in. That's all there is to it; you've now set up your Google Analytics account!

# Step 2: Add your tracking code to your website

To get accurate traffic data from Google Analytics, you need to add some code (called a "tracker") to each of the pages on your website. First, go to www.google.com/analytics, click "Admin", and then select the property (website address) for which you want to set up Google Analytics, and click "Tracking Info" under Property Type.

Select a template by clicking on Standard or Custom, read each template carefully before selecting one - if you don't know what something means, it as is (though you should read the help documentation if available), and click "Next Step"

Select the website you want to track with Google Analytics, select your time zone, and copy the code.

Paste that into every page on your website which is accessible without login (e.g., http://mywebsite-example.com/aboutus), then check how many pages it now says you're tracking under "Websites". If it's more than one, paste this code into each of those pages as well (go to "Website Settings", then make sure all websites are selected). With this method, you'll only ever have one tracker online at any given moment - having more than one can cause traffic discrepancies in your reports! Now, go back to "Tracking Code" in the property settings, and click "Next Step".

#Step 3: View your data

Once you've set up Google Analytics, it'll start to collect traffic data from the moment you add the tracker code to your website. But until you view that information, nothing will be saved (so there's no need to panic if you don't see anything after a few minutes)! There are two ways of viewing your Google Analytics reports: via www.google.com/analytics and one of Google's mobile apps (for iOS and Android). The website version is highly recommended, but for those using other devices, the apps can also come in handy! To access them:

Via browser: Visit www.google.com/analytics, select your property (website address), then click on "Analytics".

Via the app: Search for "Analytics" in Google Play on your Android device or the App Store on your iOS device. If you have multiple properties, you'll need to choose one from here as well! You can also find some third-party analytics apps for free via the respective app stores.

#Step 4: Set up goals & e-commerce tracking

With Google Analytics, you can track different types of events (click "Conversions", then click "Goals"). There are lots of goal options available - we've set up two here: a page view and an event (click "View Settings", then "+New Goal"). For this particular website, we want people to be able to contact us using our contact form, so we'll track when someone submits the form (enter in your e-mail address, website URL, and any other information you wish to capture). Once you've completed setting up the goal, it should be ready to use immediately - test out by filling out the contact form! To track conversions that involve money (e.g., purchases on an online store), go to "Ecommerce Settings" under Property Settings, then click "+New Order". This will enable Google Analytics to automatically track each order, and report revenue data.

#Step 5: Set up alerts (optional)

Google Analytics has a variety of reports available with regards to traffic activity - but sometimes they may not contain what you're looking for. Alerts can help in this case! They're great for tracking the "hottest" keywords or phrases that users are searching for, as well as any sudden changes in website traffic. Alerts allow you to receive a notification via e-mail if a certain threshold is reached (e.g., a significant drop). To set up an alert:

Select your account from the property overview Click "Custom Alerts" on the left side Under "New Alert", enter in your desired settings Click "Create Alert" and confirm by clicking "Yes, I'm sure!"

#Step 6: Social media integration

The final step is not required, but it's highly advised! You can connect Google Analytics with your social media accounts so that all activity on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more is collected in your Google Analytics account. To link your accounts:

From the main menu, click "Social Settings" Under "Connected Accounts", select from the list of networks you have an account for Click "Authorize App" to complete the connection process (you'll need to be logged in with your social media account)

That's it! You're all set up - go out there and start tracking! Please note that this is a basic guide - but it covers some of the essentials which everyone should know about. If you want more details on how to get started with Google Analytics (and analytics in general), view this guide here: www.google.com/analytics/tutorial. It includes some basics about website design, goals, alerts, conversions, filters, and more.

#Step 7: Troubleshooting

If you've followed this tutorial correctly, yet are still having difficulty setting up Google Analytics - try out these steps: Make sure your website is live (visitors can access it) Ensure that the privacy setting of your website allows the Google Analytics script to run properly Go through these common problems, and look for your issue(s) in particular. Still, stuck? Please contact us via social media or email if you have any questions or comments! We're always happy to help with any questions about web analytics, analytics in general, or using Google's tools in particular. Have fun collecting data!

#Step 8: A note about privacy & security

Google Analytics places most information into two categories - information that is private (meaning it cannot be used for advertising targeting), and public information (can be used for targeting). Information about your website, such as the title, URL, content on each page, language settings, etc. - is private. With regards to visitors to your website - only a small percentage of visits to a given webpage can be recorded to better protect user privacy. You may also view this summary here, which explains Analytics' current data collection practices.

Conclusion:

Google Analytics is a very powerful tool - but can also be overwhelming for beginners. Using this setup guide, you should have no trouble setting up Google Analytics and tracking all of your website's activity from the most basic to the most advanced reports.

Author Bio:

Sarah has been writing for a decade and now for the Quran teacher near me Website. She obtained her Master’s degree at the University of London. Her main objective is to write insightful content for those people who read and like it.