Semalt Expert Teaches You Adding Google Analytics To A Site

You must have heard of Google Analytics: the powerful tool which records all vital statistics on your website. It could be the average time users spend on a web page, the bounce rate, traffic levels, number of page views plus so much more. By default, all web hosting packages include a tool that allows webmasters(you) to integrate Google Analytics into your website fully. As such, you're spared the agony of having to insert tracking codes on all web pages manually.

Alexander Peresunko, the Customer Success Manager of Semalt, takes a look at some helpful information in this regard.

To keep tabs with analytical data, you must first create a Google Analytics (GA) account. Since this is obviously Google's product, you should have a Gmail account ready. Go to this link - www.google.com/analytics - for your account. When you copy and paste this link into your web browser, you'll be prompted to sign up. Set up your GA account and the property (property here is used to refer to your website). Fill in all the required data such as the website's name, its URL, time zone and industry.

How to access the tracking ID

• Go to the 'Admin' tab which appears when you click on the gear (cog wheel). It's nestled at the bottom left side of the screen.
• Under properties, select the one you'd wish to track.
• Click 'Tracking Code' under 'Tracking Info'. This opens a page which displays your Tracking ID.

Note that the tracking ID denotes a UA prefix which is followed by digits. Something like UA-98765432-1. Jot it down on a notebook because you'll need it later.

Adding Google Analytics' tracking ID into your website

Once you have retrieved the tracking ID as illustrated above, you can proceed to configure Google's Analytics tool. Just follow these steps:

1. Log in to your web host account

2. Click 'Hosting' followed by 'Manage Site'

3. Under the Analytic's section, key in the tracking ID

4. Click the 'Add' button

5. Go back to the homepage of Google Analytics and switch the status to 'On'

Excluding web pages from being tracked by Analytics

Did you know that you can exclude files and folders in your website from being tracked? If you use a content management software (CMS) like Joomla or WordPress then excluding Analytics from keeping tabs on the admin or dashboard of these CMS pages. For this you need to:

1. Log into the web host account

2. Go to 'Hosting' followed by 'Manage Site'.

3. Under Analytics, select 'Advanced Options'. Note that if you'd already enabled the ID then choose 'Edit' then finish off with 'Advanced Options'.

4. An empty field shows up. Fill it with the path to the file/ folder you wish to exclude from being tracked.

5. Finish off with 'Add, ' and you're done.

Getting Analytics data

If you have set up your Google Analytics account, then you should get all the data and reports as scheduled. After these changes, it may take up to a full day before the data is available.