How To Set Up Google Analytics Tracking For Your Website?

Google Analytics Tracking Set up is done in 2 easy steps

1. Step 1: Signup for an Analytics Account using your Google account (gmail id).
2. Step 2: Add a javascript tracking code to your website (even if you are not technical, do not worry. Keep reading. I will point you to step-by-step tutorials)

Step 1: Signup for an Analytics Account using your Google account

• Login to analytics.google.com using your Google account
• Click ‘Signup’ button
• Enter the following details in the signup form:
  1. Account name: Enter the organization name.
  2. Website name: Enter the website name.
  3. Website URL: Enter the website’s URL
  4. Select ‘Industry Category’ and ‘Reporting Time Zone’
  5. Scroll down and click the button ‘Get Tracking ID’
  6. Read the ‘Google Analytics Terms Of Service’ and click ‘I Accept’
  7. A ‘Tracking Id’ and the ‘Website tracking code’ are shown for your property.

Step II: Add the tracking code to your website

Add the tracking code to every page of your website. You do not need to manually add it to every page. It can be done programmatically. If you are using Website Builders and Content Managment Systems (CMS), you do not have to write even a single line of code to add it programmatically. Most Website Builders and CMSes provide an interface to enter your Tracking Id. The software adds the code programmatically to all pages on the website. In the below 3 sections, I will point you to instructions that will help you add the tracking code to your website.


I. Hosted Website Builders and Content Management Systems (CMS) In this case, you neither own the code nor manage hosting. The hosting providers themselves provide you an interface to add this code to your website. If your website is built with any of the following services, click on the link for instructions to add tracking code to your website.

1. Wix Website Builder
2. Weebly Website Builder
3. Shopify Ecommerce Platform
4. WordPress.com hosted blogging platform. Google Analytics is available only with the Business plan. Note: WordPress.com is different from the self-hosted WordPress.org
5. Google Sites
6. Blogger.com
7. Medium.com
8. Tumblr
9. GoDaddy Website Builder

II. Self-Hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) or Ecommerce Software Self-hosted CMSes and Ecommerce Softwares provide plugins/modules/extensions to configure Google Analytics. Install the plugins and follow the instructions that come with them to activate Google Analytics for your website. If you have built your website with any of the below Softwares, click on the link for instructions to add tracking code.

1. WordPress.org
2. Joomla
3. Drupal
4. Magento
5. Prestashop

III. Websites built with programming languages (e.g. PHP, ASP etc.) The tracking code has to be pasted just before the closing tag. Paste the tracking code in to an ‘include’ file. Then use an ‘include’ statement to make the tracking code appear on every page before the closing tag.