Want to know how many people are finding your website and how? You can find that out and way more by setting up Google Analytics with MonsterInsights.
In this post, we’ll show you how to add Google Analytics to WordPress using MonsterInsights, the easiest Google Analytics WordPress plugin.
How to Add Google Analytics to WordPress
Here’s exactly how to add Google Analytics to WordPress (with a plugin).
In This Article
Step 1: Log in to Google
To get started, you’ll need to log in or sign up for a Google account you’d like to use for your website Analytics.
To do this, go to the Google Analytics website and click on the Sign in to Analytics or Get started today button in in the top right corner of the page.
You will be redirected to a new page. Log into your existing account or create a new Google account if you need to.
Step 2: Sign Up For Google Analytics
You’ll be redirected to the Google Analytics homepage once you’ve signed in to your Google account. Click on the Start measuring button.
Now, you’ll need to enter the settings for the site you want to start tracking. First, name your account.
Next, scroll down to customize your Account Data Sharing Settings. Once you’re finished selecting the options you want or don’t want, click Next.
The next page is going to ask you to create a Google Analytics 4 property, which basically records all measurement data.
Continue to fill in your website details, including the Property Name, Reporting time zone, and Currency. Then, click the Next button.
After that, you’ll need to enter information about your business, such as the Industry category and Business size. Once done, click on Next again.
Following this, choose your business objectives to get personalized reports. Check the relevant boxes and hit the Create button.
Once you hit the create button, Google Analytics will display popup for their terms and service agreement.
Simply check the box that says, “I also accept the Data Processing Terms as required by GDPR,” then hit the I Accept button.
After that, choose the platform you want to start collecting data for. Since we’re setting up GA4 for a website, select the Web option.
This will open a sidebar where you’ll be required to enter your Website URL and Stream name. Add that as specified.
Next, you’ll also be asked to enable Enhanced measurement to measure your site’s interactions automatically. Once done, click the Create stream button.
There you have it! You’re now signed up for Google Analytics. Now, let’s get ready to add Google Analytics to your WordPress site.
Step 3: Set Up MonsterInsights
For a more advanced setup of Google Analytics, you’d need to enter your Google Analytics tracking code into your WordPress website’s code.
But using MonsterInsights, you don’t need to worry about messing with any code! Log in to your MonsterInsights account and download the plugin .zip file.
Then, head to your WordPress site’s dashboard. You’ll want to go to Plugins » Add New and then click the Upload Plugin button.
Next, click on the Choose File button to select your zip file, or drag it into this area. Then Click the Install Now button to upload the .zip file.
Once the plugin is finished uploading and installing, click the Activate Plugin button.
Once the plugin is activated, the setup wizard will help guide you through the process step by step.
The first screen will ask you to choose the category that best matches your website. Choose yours and click on the Save and Continue button.
The second screen will ask you to connect the MonsterInsights plugin to your WordPress website by providing your MonsterInsights license key.
This key can be found in the account area of the MonsterInsights website and the email receipt. Enter the key and click the Connect MonsterInsights button.
The next screen will ask you to pick a Google account to connect to your MonsterInsights account. You’ll want to select the account you used to set up your Google Analytics account.
Now, you need to allow MonsterInsights to do a few things that have to do with your Google Analytics. Click on the Allow button to continue.
You must select a profile on this next screen to complete the connection. If you have more than one website connected to your Google Analytics account, choose the right one.
Pick the selection that says the website’s name and All Web Site Data. Then, click the Complete Connection button.
Next, the authentication process will be finalized, and you’ll be returned to the setup wizard. You’ll land on the Recommended Settings page.
At the top of the page, you’ll find these settings:
- Events tracking — Enabled by default.
- Enhanced Link Attribution — Enabled by default.
- File Download Tracking — Most used file types (doc, pdf , ppt, zip, xls, docx, pptx, xlsx) are already added by default.
Scroll down to see more settings.
These settings include:
- Affiliate Link Tracking — There are 2 affiliate link paths added by default, and you can set up WordPress link tracking here easily.
- Access to MonsterInsights Reports — You can choose which users can see your MonsterInsights reports.
- Automatic Plugin Updates — You can enable or disable this option to install updates to your plugin automatically.
Go ahead and configure these recommended settings the way you want them, and then click on the Save and Continue button.
Next, the setup wizard will recommend that you install some addons.
The 2 addons that you should install here are:
- MonsterInsights Forms — Track your form views, conversions, and submissions. Works perfect with WPForms, including when used with a simple contact form, a multi-step form, or even an order form.
- MonsterInsights Page Insights — Keep track of metrics for individual posts and pages in your dashboard.
Click on the Save and continue button when you’re done.
If you don’t have WPForms installed, the next screen will prompt you to install it. Setting this up here is a great idea because WPForms is the best contact form plugin around and can help boost your form conversions.
Click on the Continue & Install WPForms button when you’re ready.
After that, you’ll see a new screen with the message ‘Awesome, You’re All Set!’. This confirms that the setup process is complete, and you’ve successfully installed Google Analytics on your WordPress website.
This screen is important because it lets you know a few things:
- You’ll need to wait anywhere from a few hours up to 24 to start seeing website reports.
- If you’re using a caching plugin or your hosting service provider one, you’ll see a notice that you’ll need to clear your cache. You may not see this message, which is fine.
- You should subscribe to the blog to keep updated on everything happening with MonsterInsights, and to get tips to grow your site
Click the Finish Setup & Exit Wizard button when you’re ready. You should be all set now!
FAQs about Adding Google Analytics to WordPress
Google Analytics is a popular topic of interest among our readers. Here are some answers to the most common questions about Google Analytics.
Is MonsterInsights Free?
There is a free and paid version of MonsterInsights, the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress.
How Do I View My Google Analytics Metrics?
It can take several hours for Google Analytics to start collecting your data (up to 24 hours if you have a large site). After that time, you’ll be able to view your reports.
To view your Google Analytics metrics, head to your WordPress dashboard. You can view the reports in the MonsterInsights Dashboard Widget.
If you’d like to view full reports, head to Insights » Reports from your dashboard. The first report you’ll see is the Overview Report.
To view other reports, click on the tabs and links at the top of the report. There are lots of different types of data you can track with MonsterInsights, like:
- Top landing pages — See which landing pages are the most popular on your site
- Link and button click tracking — See which links and buttons are getting the most clicks
- Search console report — Track what keywords people are typing into Google to find your site
- Forms tracking — See which forms are getting the most views and submissions
Does WordPress Have Built in Analytics?
No, WordPress doesn’t come with built-in analytics. In order to see who is visiting your site and from where, you’ll need to install Google Analytics on your website.
But this tutorial shows you how to add Google Analytics tracking code to WordPress.
Does WordPress Tell You Who Visited Your Blog?
No. WordPress doesn’t tell you who visited your blog. But, Google Analytics can tell you who visited your blog.
If you’re looking for Google Analytics for WordPress, MonsterInsights can help guide you through how to add Google Analytics code to WordPress.
What Is Google Analytics Used For?
Google Analytics is a powerful free software that gives you insights into who your website users are, how they find your website, and in which ways they use it.
It’s the most widely used web analytics service in the world, but can be tricky to set up if you’re not using a plugin.
That’s why awesome tools like MonsterInsights are so popular for small business owners.
How to Enable Google Analytics on WordPress?
Simply start at step 1 at the top of this post for a step by step tutorial on how to add Google Analytics to WordPress.
What Are Web Analytics vs. Google Analytics?
Web Analytics and Google Analytics both fall under digital marketing, a broad term. Web Analytics is the collection of data about your website that you can use for insight to grow your digital marketing efforts.
While Google Analytics is a web analytics tool to help you collect and better understand data from your site.
Can I Add Google Analytics to WordPress Without a Plugin?
You can, but you’ll need to be pretty tech-savvy and familiar with coding. For beginners, using a plugin is the best way to go.
Next, Learn about Form Analytics and Tracking
And there you have it! You’ve successfully added Google Analytics to WordPress using MonsterInsights. With that said, you may also want to check out our post on form analytics and how to track them.
Be sure also to check out the WordPress link tracking features in MonsterInsights to see which links get the most clicks on your site. This way, you can gauge the performance of your affiliate links, outbound links, and more.
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