{"id":7620,"date":"2021-03-09T08:21:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T08:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/?p=7620"},"modified":"2025-03-23T18:50:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T18:50:50","slug":"google-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics","title":{"rendered":"Google Analytics Guide: A Deep Look into the Tools and Benefits of Using GA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Updated 21\/03\/2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Analytics is known for its ability to track website visits and the behavior of the audience on a given website periodically. It has evolved a lot since its launch in 2005. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should interest you to know the importance of using Google Analytics (GA) and how it plays an important role to enhance your business performance or your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you think of it critically, this tool collects a massive amount of data which is then processed to understand the behavior of your website audience and improve their user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also plays a very important role in your advertising campaigns through the analytics tracking code. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best part of it all is that analytics is owned by Google. It has always been free and hopefully, it will be for a long time to come<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let&#8217;s take a look at what really makes GA so powerful and unique as a business tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#What_is_Google_Analytics_GA\" >What is Google Analytics? (GA)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Is_Google_Analytics_Free\" >Is Google Analytics Free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Google_Analytics_Dashboard\" >Google Analytics Dashboard<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Audience_Overview\" >Audience Overview<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Acquisition_overview\" >Acquisition overview<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Behavior_Overview\" >Behavior Overview<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Google_Analytics_Setup\" >Google Analytics Setup<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Google_Analytics_Tacking_ID\" >Google Analytics Tacking ID<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Setting_up_Analytics_Tracking_Code\" >Setting up Analytics Tracking Code<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Google_Analytics_on_WordPress\" >Google Analytics on WordPress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Using_Analytics_to_Improve_Website_Performance\" >Using Analytics to Improve Website Performance<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#And_What_are_Smart_Goals\" >And What are Smart Goals?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#How_To_Set_Up_Analytics_Tag_with_Google_Tag_Manager\" >How To Set Up Analytics Tag with Google Tag Manager<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-analytics\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Google_Analytics_GA\"><\/span>What is Google Analytics? (GA)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Analytics<\/strong>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Web_analytics\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">web analytics<\/a>&nbsp;service offered by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Google\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google<\/a>&nbsp;that tracks and reports website traffic, currently as a platform inside the Google Marketing Platform brand.&nbsp;Google launched the service in November 2005 after acquiring&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Urchin_(software)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Urchin<\/a>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Google_Analytics\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: Wikipedia<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put differently, Google Analytics is like your website\u2019s personal spy\u2014minus the shady business. It\u2019s a free tool from the Google Marketing Platform that helps you track what\u2019s popping on your site, who\u2019s visiting, and how they\u2019re interacting with your content. Whether you&#8217;re running a big-time enterprise or just hustling with a small business, as long as you have a Google account, you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>Google Analytics<\/strong>, you can see where your traffic is coming from, check if your marketing campaigns are actually doing the job, and track important goals\u2014like purchases, sign-ups, or even just people adding stuff to their carts. It also breaks down visitor demographics, trends, and engagement patterns so you can tweak your strategy and keep your audience hooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For small and mid-sized retail websites, this tool is a goldmine. It helps businesses understand customer behavior, fine-tune marketing efforts, boost traffic, and keep visitors coming back for more.If you&#8217;re serious about growing your online presence, Google Analytics isn\u2019t just useful\u2014it\u2019s a must-have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To marketers and business owners that want a complete web analytical tool for their website, advertising performance reports or generally gathering intelligence on their audience, GA is a necessity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You just have to use it every day in order to get informative and outstanding reports on your website audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given its importance, there is one important question I will like to answer before moving on which is &#8220;Is Google analytics free? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Google_Analytics_Free\"><\/span>Is Google Analytics Free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Analytics is free. However, analytics 360 which is another version of google analytics is not completely free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Analytics 360 is for bigger brands that need to share data across multiple employees and implement more complex analytical tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a small business or medium-sized business, the free google analytics is sufficient as it got all you need to collect all the necessary data for further data processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-vivid-purple-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/marketingplatform.google.com\/about\/analytics\/compare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here is a comparison of Google Analytics and Analytics 360<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"209\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1024x209.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1024x209.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-300x61.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-768x157.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-150x31.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image.png 979w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Other tools you will get in Analytics 360<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, the free version of GA should be enough for most webmasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Analytics_Dashboard\"><\/span>Google Analytics Dashboard<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at what you will find on the dashboard of analytics and how to navigate through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The traditional analytics dashboard contains the audience overview and acquisition behavior overview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s look at what you can find in each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Audience_Overview\"><\/span>Audience Overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In this section of GA, you will find all the data about your audience. Here you will find the number and percentages of your new and returning visitors, sessions, and the number of sessions per user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data on their GEOs such as country, language, and the devices used in accessing your website is displayed in the audience dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"904\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1-904x1024.png\" alt=\"Google analytics audience overview\" class=\"wp-image-7766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1-904x1024.png 904w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1-265x300.png 265w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1-768x870.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1-150x170.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-1.png 177w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Acquisition_overview\"><\/span>Acquisition overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here you get data on your acquisition audience which shows who is converting, and which source they are coming from as well as their bounce rate, pages\/sessions, and a percentage of those new and old audiences who are converting or making purchases.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will be able to view your audience data based on their continent, regions, channel, bounce rate, Goal completion, and average time on the page. All this data is designed to equip you with the knowledge of what to focus on the most.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"909\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-1024x909.png\" alt=\"Google analytics acquisition overview\" class=\"wp-image-7767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-1024x909.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-300x266.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-768x682.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-1536x1364.png 1536w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2-150x133.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-2.png 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Behavior_Overview\"><\/span>Behavior Overview<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here you have the stats on your audience behavior such as page views, unique page views, and average time on page, as shown in the first left section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stats on bounce rate, Exit percentage, and pages\/sessions are all shown here. Then you have stats on specific pages which bring you the most traffic and the percentage of the traffic from each page, The percentage of new and old users based on pages, and page groups based on popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from that, data on what user search on your website, even category breakdown, and the performance of your website over a period of time is as well shown.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"845\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3-845x1024.png\" alt=\"Google analytics behaviour overview\" class=\"wp-image-7768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3-845x1024.png 845w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3-248x300.png 248w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3-768x930.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3-150x182.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-3.png 165w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Analytics_Setup\"><\/span>Google Analytics Setup<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you have a clear understanding of what to expect with the main dashboard of analytics, you can agree with me that it&#8217;s actually a lot of valuable information to get here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here let&#8217;s take a look at how to set up Google Analytics on your website to start collecting data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This can be easily done in few steps and here is it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting up analytics is easy and fast, if you already have a Google account, you can easily use it to create your analytics account. If you don&#8217;t have one yet, you can an <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/accounts\/answer\/27441?hl=en\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create account<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are on the Google Analytics signup page, you will see the &#8220;Start using Google Analytics&#8221; and click on Sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup-1024x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7777\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup-1024x300.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup-300x88.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup-768x225.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup-150x44.jpg 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Analytics-setup.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you sign up and log in, navigate to admin to start the setup process. here you are required to enter your analytics account name, for example, It can be your site name &#8220;Mysite&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-1024x470.png\" alt=\"Setup Google analytics account\" class=\"wp-image-7776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-1024x470.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-768x352.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-1536x705.png 1536w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-2048x940.png 2048w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4-150x69.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-4.png 436w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next stage you are required to enter the property name under the property set. You can also choose your reporting time zone and currency here and click on &#8220;next&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"714\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-1024x714.png\" alt=\"Analytics property setup\" class=\"wp-image-7778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-1024x714.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-768x536.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-1536x1071.png 1536w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5-150x105.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-5.png 287w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The third stage is to fill in your business information. Analytics need to know more about the size of your business and what is more important for your business to measure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"867\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6-867x1024.png\" alt=\"Analytics setup business information\" class=\"wp-image-7779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6-867x1024.png 867w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6-254x300.png 254w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6-768x907.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6-150x177.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-6.png 169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Fill in the details and then click on create as shown below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"922\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7-922x1024.png\" alt=\"Analytics create account\" class=\"wp-image-7781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7-922x1024.png 922w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7-270x300.png 270w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7-768x853.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7-150x167.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-7.png 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you click on &#8220;create&#8221;, you will be taken to the last stage where you will need to accept the Google Analytics terms of service agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"610\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-610x1024.png\" alt=\"Agreement and user terms analytics\" class=\"wp-image-7782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-610x1024.png 610w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-179x300.png 179w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-768x1288.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-916x1536.png 916w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8-150x252.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-8.png 119w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One you have accepted the terms and agreement. You will be taken to the next page where you will start setting up data stream to start collecting data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"264\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-1024x264.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-1024x264.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-768x198.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-1536x396.png 1536w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-2048x528.png 2048w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9-150x39.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-9.png 776w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically from here, you will need to proceed to create a &#8220;Tracking ID&#8221; and add the tags to your website to start collecting data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Analytics_Tacking_ID\"><\/span>Google Analytics Tacking ID<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Analytics tracking ID and the Tracking code can be set in various ways depending on your site and other third-party tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-tag-manager\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">Google tag manager<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tracking ID is used by third-party add-ons, and plugins to enable the linkages between analytics and the connection website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is mostly used in WordPress and other tools designs to integrate GA.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Setting_up_Analytics_Tracking_Code\"><\/span>Setting up Analytics Tracking Code<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The analytics tracking code is used to link your website and GA for data collection. It&#8217;s this code that makes it possible for the data to be collected from your website. It is necessary to add the analytics code in the header section of your website to enable effective data collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the image below, you will see the analytics code is integrated through Google tag manager in the header section of the website. This is how you must add the code for it to effectively track the events on your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" src=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-1024x621.png\" alt=\"Google analytics integration through tag manager\" class=\"wp-image-7790\" style=\"width:580px;height:351px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-1024x621.png 1024w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-1536x931.png 1536w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11-150x91.png 150w, https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/image-11.png 330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Analytics_on_WordPress\"><\/span>Google Analytics on WordPress<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Installing or integrating analytics in WordPress is simple and can be done in several ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first method is to add the analytics code in the header section of your index file or your home page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another method is to add the code using a plugin called the &#8220;Header and Footer&#8221;. If you already have the plugin, all you need is to include the analytics code in the header section of the plugin and save the changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once that&#8217;s done, you will have to wait for a few days for the data to start showing in your WordPress dashboard and your analytics dashboard.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monsterinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/insert-code-into-theme-header.png\" alt=\"How to Add Google Analytics to WordPress Without a Plugin\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Analytics_to_Improve_Website_Performance\"><\/span>Using Analytics to Improve Website Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole point of analytics is simple\u2014giving you the inside scoop on what\u2019s working (and what\u2019s flopping) so you can level up your website\u2019s performance and, ultimately, your business. That\u2019s where Google Analytics comes in. It\u2019s like having a backstage pass to your own website, showing you all the juicy details you need to make smart moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the kind of goldmine <strong>Google Analytics<\/strong> hands you on a silver platter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Where your traffic is coming from<\/strong> \u2013 Are people finding you through Google, social media, referrals, or paid ads? Knowing this helps you double down on what\u2019s working.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Your top-performing pages<\/strong> \u2013 Which pages are pulling in the most visitors? Time to analyze why they\u2019re working and replicate that magic elsewhere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/crucial-crawl-errors\/\">Page load speed<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 If your site is slow, people will bounce faster than a bad first date. GA helps you pinpoint lagging pages so you can fix them before users bail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bounce rate<\/strong> \u2013 Speaking of bailing, this tells you how many people leave after visiting just one page. If it\u2019s high, something\u2019s off\u2014maybe your content, design, or page speed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Devices your audience is using<\/strong> \u2013 Are your visitors on mobile, tablet, or desktop? If most of them are on mobile and your site isn\u2019t optimized for it, you\u2019re leaving money on the table.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geolocation insights<\/strong> \u2013 Find out which countries (or even cities) your audience is coming from. Perfect for tailoring content, running targeted ads, or adjusting your strategy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Session duration<\/strong> \u2013 How long are people actually staying on your site? The longer, the better\u2014it means they\u2019re engaged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Live traffic data<\/strong> \u2013 Want to see what\u2019s happening in real time? Google Analytics lets you watch visitors navigate your site as it happens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acquisition data<\/strong> \u2013 Basically, how and where people are discovering your site. This helps you optimize marketing campaigns for better reach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s just scratching the surface. <strong>Google Analytics<\/strong> doesn\u2019t just throw numbers at you\u2014it hands you the insights you need to make smarter, data-driven decisions. So, if you\u2019re not using it yet, you\u2019re flying blind. Time to tap in and start tracking<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these insights help you make more informed decisions on improving your <a href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/blogger-seo-tips-that-can-boost-your-traffic\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">SEO to boost your traffic<\/a>. With this data, you will figure out what is wrong with your website and figure out how to fix it to improve your site performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, based on what is already working for your website, you may decide to double on it to even get better results or gain more traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This works very especially when you are running ad campaigns and decide to create goals or smart goals to see which ads are converting more so you can increase your efforts and increase your <a href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/online-advertising-roi-what-you-need-to-know\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">advertising ROI<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_What_are_Smart_Goals\"><\/span>And What are Smart Goals?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When we talk of smart goals in analytics, we simply mean tracking event conversions which is very useful to help you understand which audience is converting more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only for advertising but generally everyone that converts through any of your traffic sources is tracked using smart goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, smart goals are completed events and they help ad networks, for example, understand which audiences are converting the most to help improve your <a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/google-advertising-tips\/\">Google Advertising campaigns<\/a> using machine learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting up smart goals is not a must, but it is crucial when running <a href=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/21-online-advertising-companies\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/21-online-advertising-companies\/\">online advertising<\/a> campaigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to get your analytics setup is with Tag Manager and here is the process<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Set_Up_Analytics_Tag_with_Google_Tag_Manager\"><\/span>How To Set Up Analytics Tag with Google Tag Manager<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you\u2019ll learn how to set up specific Google Analytics tracking tags for your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to your&nbsp;<a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/tagmanager.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Tag Manager dashboard<\/a>&nbsp;and click on the&nbsp;<strong>Add a new tag&nbsp;<\/strong>button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will be taken to a page where you can create your new website tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On it, you\u2019ll see that you can customize two areas of your tag:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Configuration.&nbsp;<\/strong>Where the data collected by the tag will go.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Triggering.&nbsp;<\/strong>What type of data do you want to collect?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Click on the&nbsp;<strong>Tag Configuration button<\/strong>&nbsp;to choose the type of tag you want to create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll want to choose the \u201cUniversal Analytics\u201d option in order to create a tag for Google Analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you click on that, you can choose the type of data you want to track. Do that and then go to \u201cGoogle Analytics Setting\u201d and choose \u201c<strong>New Variable\u2026<\/strong>\u201d from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll then be taken to a new window where you\u2019ll be able to&nbsp;<strong>enter your Google Analytics tracking ID.&nbsp;<\/strong>This will send your website\u2019s data straight into Google Analytics where you\u2019ll be able to see it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once this is done, head to the \u201cTriggering\u201d section in order to select the data you want to send to Google Analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with the \u201cConfiguration,\u201d click on the&nbsp;<strong>Triggering button<\/strong>&nbsp;in order to be sent to the \u201cChoose a trigger\u201d page. From here, click on&nbsp;<strong>All pages<\/strong>&nbsp;so it sends data from all your web pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When all is said and done, your new tag setup should look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now simply click on&nbsp;<strong>Save<\/strong>&nbsp;and voila! You have a new Google Tag tracking and sending data to your Google Analytics page about your website!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re not done yet, though. You still need to set up your goals \u2014 which brings us to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is vital to have Google Analytics set up for your website right from the beginning so you won&#8217;t miss any valuable data that would be part of your traffic optimization process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GA is a pretty useful tool looking at all it offers for all webmasters. It&#8217;s simply impossible to do without when it comes to online business website optimization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get it set up today for your benefit if you have not yet done that. It&#8217;s free and easy to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated 21\/03\/2025 Google Analytics is known for its ability to track website visits and the behavior of the audience on a given website periodically. It has evolved a lot since its launch in 2005. It should interest you to know the importance of using Google Analytics (GA) and how it plays an important role to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1022],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing-tools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7620"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23068,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7620\/revisions\/23068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adstargets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}