How to install Google Analytics in WordPress for beginners

Why is Google Analytics important for bloggers?

Google Analytics is a free tool from Google that helps analyze the behavior of website visitors, allowing website owners to make decisions based on real data (Data-driven decision) to improve content strategy and enhance website performance.

Important information that can be viewed from Google Analytics includes:

• Who visits the website: Geographic location, browser used, screen resolution
• What users do on the website: navigation paths, time spent on the page, bounce rate
• Website traffic time: Peak traffic periods
• Source of traffic: Traffic from search engines, direct links, or referral websites
• Interacting with content: Clicking links and engaging with content

How to sign up for Google Analytics

• Go to the Google Analytics website.
• Click Get started today
• Sign in with your Google account
• Enter account name, select data sharing settings
• Create a Property by specifying the website name, time zone, and currency.
• Choose Web as the platform.
• Enter the website URL and stream name, then click Create stream.
• Copy the tracking code for use in the next step.

How to install Google Analytics on WordPress

Method 1: Install via the MonsterInsights plugin (recommended for beginners)

• Install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin.
• Go to Insights > Launch the Wizard
• Connect Google Analytics account
• Select the website and save the settings.
• You can view the report from Insights > Reports in the WordPress Dashboard.

Method 2: Install with WPCode

• Copy the tracking code from Google Analytics
• Install and activate the WPCode plugin
• Go to Code Snippets > Header & Footer
• Place the code in the Header section and save the settings.

Method 3: Install with code in the theme (advanced)

• Open the header.php or functions.php file.
• Place the tracking code before the closing tag.  or through the wp_head hook
• Record changes and upload files

Viewing reports in Google Analytics

You can view the reports by going to the Google Analytics Dashboard, which includes various reports such as:

• Realtime report
• Acquisition
• Engagement
• Revenue (Monetization)
• User retention
• Demographics
• Technology (Tech)

Google Analytics is an essential tool that helps website owners understand users and improve website performance. Installation can be done easily through plugins or by embedding code directly.  Don't forget to choose the method that suits your needs to obtain the most accurate and useful data.