Google Analytics (GA) is a free web traffic tracking software that provides webmasters with information regarding how visitors interact with their website.
If you are running a WordPress site, installing Google Analytics is a straightforward process. There are different ways of setting up GA.
But for the sake of simplicity, this guide focuses on using a plug-in to make the entire process stress-free. No matter the method that you opt to use, Google Analytics is a great tool when it comes to providing better insights of your website to make better data-driven decisions.
Prerequisites
- A valid Google Analytics account (If you don’t have an account, you can sign up here)
- A running WordPress site
- WordPress admin username and password
if you do not yet have a running wordpress site, you will need to start by getting a WordPress hosting plan. You can use HostAdvice’s WordPress Hosting reviews to choose the best web hosting for you.
Step 1: Login to your WordPress site
You can visit the admin section of your WordPress by entering the URL below on a web browser:
http://www.example.com/wp-admin
Remember to replace ‘example.com’ with the domain name of your WordPress site.
Once the login page that appears, enter your username and password and click ‘Log in’ to proceed.
Step 2: Add Google Analytics Plugin by Monster Insights
Once you are on the dashboard, locate the ‘Plugins’ and click ‘Add New’ on the sub-menu.
On the next screen, enter ‘Google Analytics by MonsterInsights’ on the search box. On the first plugin link that appears hit ‘Install Now’
The plugin will be installed successfully and you can enable it by clicking ‘Activate’.
Step 3: Authenticate Monster Insight Plugin with Your Google Account
Once you are through with the above steps, you will be taken to the Plugins list page. Here, you have to locate the plugin ‘Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights’. Then, click on ‘Settings’
Next, click on ‘Authenticate with your Google Account’
Next, click ‘Allow’ to give MonsterInsights access to your Google account.
Select ‘All Website Data’ from the list box that appears for the website that you want to track traffic for and click on ‘Complete Authentication’
You will be taken back to the MonsterInsights Plugin Settings page. Click on ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom
You have successfully saved your Google tracking code on your WordPress through the MonsterInsights’ plugin
Conclusion
In this article, we have taken you through the steps of installing Google Analytics on your WordPress site using a plugin from MonsterInsights. From this point onwards, Google will be able to track your website visitors and their interactions with your site. You can log in on Google Analytics website a day or two after the installation to ensure that everything is working.
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