Part of optimizing your website for search engines is learning how to use metrics to analyze your site. How do users find your site? If you haven’t asked yourself that, then you may be missing on some opportunities. There are a ton of sites that can show you who and how people are getting to your site, but Google’s Analytics are the ones you want to pay attention to, and bonus, it’s free.
Google Analytics provides insights that can improve your site. But first, you must have an Analytics account, and link it to your website.
To create a new Google Analytics account you must sign up for an account at www.google.com/analytics. You must sign in at the top right with your Gmail account or your Google Email.
It’s a 3-step process:
- Sign up for Google Analytics
- Add tracking code
- Learn about your audience
Once you click on the Sign Up for Google Analytics button, you will have 2 tabs, one for website and the other is mobile app. For this tutorial, we will focus on the website portion.
Create a name for your account, something easily recognizable for that account. Create a website name which makes sense for your website.
Type in the website url. You will notice there is a dropdown for “http://” this dropdown is for those websites that utilize https websites. These are generally for websites that require additional security, such as an ecommerce website.
Choose an industry category. This seldom is an exact match. Choose one that matches your websites industry the closest.
Check to make sure you have the correct time zone for your website.
Choose the “Options” for data sharing and “Get Tracking ID.” If you’re unsure of the specific options, it’s normally best to use the Google recommended settings.
This will take you to the tracking ID code to insert into your website. At this point there are several ways to implement the tracking ID into your website, so choose the best option that fits your needs.
If you are using WordPress, there are many plug-ins available that will insert the proper code in the appropriate file. For example, if you are using a SEO plug-in they will have in the settings a place to insert the tracking ID. If you get stuck here, please consult with your website developer.
Before moving into the metrics, Google Analytics Product Linking allows for the Google Analytics to link with your Search Console and AdWords or AdSense.
