The following steps will explain how to create a new account with Google Analytics and connect it to your WordPress site so that you can begin collecting analytic data on who is visiting your site, which pages they view, and other data points.
1) Go to Google Analytics and log in with your Google/Gmail account.
2) Click on “Access Google Analytics” in the top right corner:
3) Sign up for Google Analytics by clicking on the button on the following page:
4) Fill out the New Account information as indicated below:
Note that this account can be used for a number of websites (each having its own “property”), so you should choose your business name or your own name, rather than the website name.
After agreeing to the Google Terms of Service, you will land on your new account’s Admin page. You will be able to get back to this page any time you need to by going to https://www.google.com/analytics/web/ while being logged into your Gmail/Google account.
5) Copy the Tracking ID (a code beginning with UA-). For most WordPress sites, you can disregard the tracking code snippet below the ID.
For example:
6) Install and activate a Google Analytics plugin.
Two plugins that I recommend (you only need one):
- Google Analyticator (has a nice snapshot that displays in your WordPress Dashboard, and sets up by connecting directly to your Google account)
- Google Analytics for WordPress by Yoast (by the same guy who created the excellent SEO plugin)
7) Enter your Tracking ID into the plugin (or connect with Google through the plugin) according to the plugin instructions.
Once you have connected your site to Google Analytics, Google will start collecting data behind the scenes. When you’re ready to check out the data, you can view some basic data in the plugin (depending on which one you choose) or log into Google Analytics for a full view. Caveat: depending on the traffic to your site (and the age of your site) it may be weeks or months before you have meaningful data to analyze.