Do you want to install Google Analytics in WordPress?
Knowing how your audience interacts with your website is crucial for your success. The best way to know your audience is through your traffic stats, and this is what Google Analytics provides for FREE.
In this article, we will share why Google Analytics is important, and how you can easily install Google Analytics in WordPress (step by step).
First, we will explain why Google Analytics is important and how it can help you grow your website.
After that, we will show you how to sign up for a Google Analytics account and different methods to install it on your WordPress site.
Finally, we will explain how to view your traffic reports in Google Analytics.
Here is a quick overview of what you’ll learn in this article.
- Why is Google Analytics Important
- How to Sign up with Google Analytics
- How to Install Google Analytics Using MonsterInsights (Recommended)
- How to Set Up Dual Tracking with both Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics
- How to Install Google Analytics Using Insert Headers & Footers Plugin
- How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress Theme (Advanced)
- Viewing Reports in Google Analytics
- Making the Most out of Google Analytics
Ready? Let’s get started!
Why is Google Analytics Important for Bloggers?
Once you start a blog, your #1 goal is to get more traffic and subscribers. Google Analytics helps you make data-driven decisions by showing you the stats that matter. You can see:
Who visits your website?
This part of analytics answers what is the geographical location of your audience, which browser did the user use to visit your site, and other important information such as screen resolution, JavaScript support, Flash support, language, and more.
This data is extremely useful, and it can help in numerous ways. When creating a custom website design, you can use the user data to make sure that your site will be compatible with your audience.
If most of your users don’t have Flash support, then you should avoid adding the flash element to your site. If most of your users are on 1280 screen resolutions, then make sure that your design is compatible with that resolution or smaller.
What do people do when they are on your website?
You can track where the users are going on your website, how long do they stay on your website, and what is the bounce rate (the percent of users who exit your site on the first visit).
By using this information, you can decrease the bounce rate and increase your pageviews.
You can also find your most popular articles, articles that are not doing so well, and what kind of content your users are looking for.
When do people visit your website?
By looking at the hottest hours in the day for your site, you can pick the best time to publish your post. If that time zone is not compatible with yours, then you can schedule your post to meet at that hour.
How do people find your website?
This section of the analytics shows you where did the users come from. For example, do they use search engines, enter direct links, or click on referral links from another site.
It also shows you what percentage of your visitors came from each of these sources. Google Analytics gives you the breakdown of each of these categories. If it is the search engine category, then it shows you which search engine got you the most traffic, Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
The breakdown of referral sources shows you which sites you need to work with the most. If your top referral source is Facebook, then you need to have exclusive Facebook content to make your Facebook audience feel special.
If your top referral source is an external website, then you might want to consider having a partnership with that website (guest post exchange or something else).
How do people interact with your content?
Google Analytics shows how your users interact with your site’s content. It shows you what percent of the user clicked on which link on your site and much more.
You can run A/B split tests by creating content experiments in Google Analytics to understand what works best to meet your goals.
By seeing the user interactivity, you can work your content around your users. By seeing the answers to the questions above, you can focus on the strategies that work for your site and avoid strategies that don’t work.
Simply put, eliminate the guesswork and focus on stats that matter, so you can make data-driven decisions.
How to Signup with Google Analytics
Google Analytics is available for free and all you need is a Google or Gmail account to sign up. The signup process is quite simple, follow the step-by-step instructions below to create your Google Analytics account.
Step 1: First you need to visit the Google Analytics website to sign up. When you’re on the website, simply click the ‘Get started today’ button.
Next, you will be asked to login with your Google account. If you already have a Google or Gmail account, then you can use that to sign in. Otherwise, you can go ahead and create a Google account for yourself.
Step 2: Once you sign in with your Gmail account, you will be prompted to a welcome screen like the one below.
This is where you will signup for Google analytics with your Gmail account. Go ahead and click the ‘Start measuring’ button.
After that, you will be asked to provide an account name. This name will be used internally so you can use anything like your business name.
Google Analytics will also show multiple account data sharing settings. These settings give you control over sharing your Google Analytics data. You can keep the default settings and move on to the next step.
Step 3: On the next screen, you will need to create a Google Analytics property.
Google introduced a new version of Analytics called Google Analytics 4 or GA4. It’s the latest version that tracks your website and mobile apps in the same account. Plus, you get new features, metrics, and a different interface for your reports.
Important Note: If you already have a Universal Analytics account, then it’s critical to start tracking data in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as well. That’s because Google will sunset Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. After the sunset date, Universal Analytics will not receive any data and will eventually stop working.
Setting up a Google Analytics 4 property after the sunset date will mean starting from scratch. However, you can start sending data into GA4 today while still using Universal Analytics. This way, you’ll have historical data in Google Analytics 4 for comparison and analysis when Universal Analytics closes.
To start, go ahead and enter a property name, select your reporting time zone, and currency. Then click the ‘Next’ button.
On the next screen, you’ll need to select an ‘Industry category’ from the dropdown menu for your website and choose a ‘Business size’ from the given options.
Next, you’ll need to scroll down and select how you intend to use Google Analytics with your business, like measure engagement, optimize advertising cost, increase conversions, and more.
You can choose multiple options or all of the given options that meet your needs. When you’re done, simply click the ‘Create’ button.
Once you click on the Create button, a popup window will open with Google Analytics terms of service agreement.
Simply click the checkbox for ‘I also accept the Data Processing Terms as required by GDPR’ and then click the ‘I Accept’ button.
Next, you’ll see a popup with options on which communication emails you’d like to receive from Google Analytics.
Simply click the checkbox for the updates you want to receive and then click the ‘Save’ button.
Step 4: Now you will be presented with your Google Analytics Webs stream options.
Since we’re setting up Google Analytics for a WordPress site, go ahead and select the ‘Web’ as the platform.
After that, you’ll need to enter your website URL and Stream name.
By default, Google Analytics will have an Enhanced measurement option enabled. This allows you to track page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, file downloads, and more in Google Analytics.
Next, you can click the ‘Create stream’ button.
You can now see your Stream URL, name, and Measurement ID.
It will also show different enhanced measurements that it will record.
Google Analytics will also show different ways to add Google Analytics code to your WordPress website under the ‘Tagging Instructions’ section.
If you click the ‘Global site tag (gtag.js) option, you’ll see the Google Analytics tracking code.
You can copy this tracking code because you will need to enter it in your WordPress site depending on the method you use below. You can also simply leave this browser tab open and switch back to copy the code when needed.
We suggest leaving the Analytics browser tab open as you may need to revisit it once you have installed the code on your WordPress site.
Now that you have set up a Google Analytics account, let’s take a look at how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.
How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress
There are a few different ways to set up Google Analytics in WordPress. We will show you three methods where the first option is the easiest and the last is the hardest.
You can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Note: You need to use only one of these methods on your website to avoid double tracking of page views in your Google Analytics account.
Method 1. Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights is the most popular Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. Over 3 million websites use it including the likes of Bloomberg, PlayStation, Zillow, WPBeginner, and more.
It is the easiest and by far the best way to add Google Analytics to WordPress (for all users beginners and experts alike). Plus, it offers a Dual Tracking feature that lets you add Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 to your WordPress website without editing code.
MonsterInsights is available as both, a paid premium plugin, and a free version. In this tutorial, we will be using the MonsterInsights free version.
You can use the MonsterInsights Pro version if you want more advanced features like eCommerce tracking, Ads tracking, Author tracking, etc. The process of setting them up is the same.
Let’s get started.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, the plugin will add a new menu item labeled ‘Insights’ to your WordPress admin menu and you’ll see a welcome screen. Go ahead and click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button.
Clicking on it will open the MonsterInsights setup wizard.
First, you will be asked to choose a category for your website (a business website, blog, or online store). Select one and then click on the ‘Save and Continue’ button.
Next, you need to connect MonsterInsights with your WordPress website.
Simply click on the ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ button.
This will take you to Google accounts where you will be asked to sign in or select a Google account if you are already signed in.
Go ahead and choose your Google account or enter your email to sign in.
Next, you will be asked to allow MonsterInsights to access your Google Analytics account.
Click on the ‘Allow’ button to continue.
The next step to completing the connection is to select the profile you want to track.
You need to select your website here and then click on the ‘Complete Connection’ button to continue.
After that, simply click on the ‘Complete Connection’ button to continue. MonsterInsights will now install Google Analytics on your website.
Next, you will be asked to select the recommended settings for your website.
The default settings would work for most websites. If you use an affiliate link plugin, then you need to add the path you use to cloak affiliate links. This will allow you to track your affiliate links in Google Analytics.
MonsterInsights will also ask who can see the reports. You can choose different WordPress user roles. Once you’re done, click on the ‘Save and Continue’ button to save your settings.
Next, MonsterInsights will show you a list of website tracking features you would like to enable.
You can scroll down and click on the ‘Continue’ button or the ‘Skip for Now’ option.
On the next screen, MonsterInsights will show that you’ve successfully setup Google Analytics tracking.
You can see that Google Analytics is connected, tracking code is installed, and data is now being collected.
Next, you can scroll down and see a field to enter your license key.
Go ahead and click the ‘Complete Setup without Upgrading’ option for now.
You’ve successfully added Google Analytics to your WordPress website.
Next, you’ll need to create a Measure Protocol API Secret. This will allow MonsterInsights to track events like eCommerce purchases, form conversions, and more.
To start, you can login to your Google Analytics account. Then head over to the ‘Admin’ settings page and click on the ‘Data Streams’ option.
Next, you’ll see your Data Streams.
Simply select the data stream you connected with MonsterInsights.
On the next screen, scroll down to the ‘Advanced Settings’ section.
After that, click on the ‘Measure Protocol API Secrets’ option.
You’ll now see a new window slide in with your Measurement Protocol API Secrets. Initially, this page will be empty, and you won’t have any API secrets.
Go ahead and click the ‘Create’ button.
Next, you’ll need to enter a nickname for your API secret.
Once you’ve done that, simply click the ‘Create’ button.
Your API secret will now be created.
Go ahead and copy the API secret that’s under the ‘Secret Value’ field.
Next, you’ll need to enter the Secret Value in MonsterInsights.
You can do that by going to Insights » Settings from your WordPress admin panel and then clicking the ‘General’ tab.
Then head over to the ‘Google Authentication’ section.
Simply enter the Secret Value under the ‘Measurement Protocol API Secret’ field.
You’ve successfully set up the Measurement Protocol API Secret.
Now, let’s see how to use dual tracking in MonsterInsights if you have a Universal Analytics account.
How to Set Up Dual Tracking When Using Universal Analytics
If you already have a Universal Analytics account, then MonsterInsights makes it super easy to track both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 through its Dual Tracking feature. The best part is that you don’t have to edit any code.
Just note that Universal Analytics will sunset on July 1, 2023, and you won’t be able to track your website data after the sunset date. We highly recommend that you set up a Google Analytics 4 property today and start sending data to GA4.
To set up dual tracking, you can start by going to Insights » Settings from your WordPress dashboard and then click the ‘General’ tab.
After that, scroll down to the ‘Google Authentication’ section.
Under the ‘Dual Tracking Profile’ field, you can enter the Univeral Analytics (UA) code.
You can find the Universal Analytics code in Google Analytics by going to the ‘Admin’ settings page.
After that, click on ‘Property Settings’ under the Property column.
You’ll see the ‘Tracking Id’ in the following format: UA-123456789-1.
You’re now successfully tracking Universal Analytics with Google Analytics 4 on your WordPress site. Remember, it will take Google Analytics some time before showing your stats.
The best part about MonsterInsights is that you can view your Google Analytics reports inside your WordPress dashboard. Simply visit the Insights » Reports page to check out a quick overview of your analytics data.
It also comes with a Popular Posts addon that allows you to show your top-performing content to boost your traffic and pageviews.
You can use it to automatically add inline popular posts links to boost engagement.
If you’re using an online store, then it can also automatically add your top-performing products at the end of each blog post to boost sales:
Note: MonsterInsights was formerly known as Google Analytics for WordPress by Yoast. WPBeginner’s founder, Syed Balkhi, acquired the plugin in 2016 and rebranded it to MonsterInsights. Now it is part of our family of premium WordPress plugins.
Method 2. Insert Headers and Footers Plugin
This method is not as good as MonsterInsights because you will not be able to do advanced tracking configuration, and you will not be able to view Google Analytics data in your WordPress dashboard.
First, you will need to copy your Google Analytics tracking code (Global site tag) that you copied in Step 4 earlier when creating a Google Analytics account.
You can find it in the Web stream details under the ‘Tagging Instructions’ section.
Next, you need to install and activate the Insert Headers and Footers plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, you need to visit the Settings » Insert Headers and Footers page. Here you need to paste the Google Analytics tracking code that you copied earlier into the ‘Scripts in headers’ section.
Don’t forget to save your changes to store your settings.
That’s all, you have successfully installed Google Analytics on your site.
3. Install Google Analytics in WordPress Theme
This method is for advanced users who are familiar with the code. It is somewhat unreliable because your code will disappear if you switch or update the theme.
We almost never recommend using this method.
If this is your first time adding code to your WordPress files, then you should check out our guide on how to copy paste code snippets in WordPress.
First, you will need to copy the Google Analytics tracking code that you copied in Step 4 earlier. You can view it in the Web stream details section under the ‘Tagging Instructions’ section.
Now there are two common ways to add this code to your WordPress theme files. You can choose either one of them (not both).
1. Add code in header.php file
Simply edit the header.php file in your WordPress theme and paste the Google Analytics tracking that code you copied earlier right after the <body> tag.
Don’t forget to save your changes and upload the file back to your server.
2. Add via Functions File
You can also add Google Analytics tracking code to the WordPress functions file. It will then automatically add the tracking code to every page on your WordPress site.
You will need to add this code to your theme’s functions.php file.
<?php
add_action('wp_head', 'wpb_add_googleanalytics');
function wpb_add_googleanalytics() { ?>
// Paste your Google Analytics tracking code from Step 4 here
<?php } ?>
Viewing Reports on Google Analytics Website
Google Analytics is capable of showing you a treasure of data collected from your stats. You can view this data by visiting your Google Analytics dashboard.
See Reports in Universal Analytics
You will see the built-in Google Analytics reports in the left column. Each section is divided into different tabs and clicking on a tab will expand it to show more options.
Here’s what different reports in Universal Analytics tell you:
- Real-time report will show you a real time view of your traffic.
- Audience tab will show reports to help you understand your users.
- Acquisition reports explore where your users came from.
- Behavior reports summarize what your users do after they arrive on your site.
- Conversion reports show how well you’re doing against your goals.
See Reports in Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 reports are a bit different from Universal Analytics reports. In the left column, you’ll see a dedicated Reports option. The reports are grouped together under 2 broad categories, including Life Cycle and User.
One of the most noticeable differences you’ll find in GA4 reports is that there’s no bounce rate metric. Other than that, you’ll find a new reporting interface, new metrics like engagement time, there are no goals in GA4, and more.
That said, you can expect more new features, reports, and metrics coming soon to Google Analytics 4 since development on Universal Analytics has ended and it will sunset in July 2023.
Here’s a breakdown of different reports in Google Analytics 4:
- Realtime report is similar to Universal Analytics and shows active users on your site in real time.
- Acquisition report shows which medium users use to find your websites, like organic, referral, email, and affiliate.
- Engagement report shows conversions and events that take place on your site.
- Monetization report brings all your eCommerce data in one place along with new reports like In-app purchases and Publisher ads.
- Retention report basically shows new vs returning visitors and helps get insights about user retention.
- Demographics help you see website traffic from top countries, cities, and more. It also shows gender breakdown and interest reports.
- Tech report shows which device, browser, operating system, app version, and screen size people use the most to view your website.
Making the Most out of Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an incredibly powerful tool with tons of awesome features. Some of them are quite obvious and easy to use, others require some additional setup.
Here are some of the resources that will help you make the most out of Google Analytics reports.
- Track user engagement in WordPress with Google Analytics
- Track WooCommerce customers in Google Analytics
- Track outbound links in WordPress
- WordPress Conversion Tracking Made Simple – A Step-by-step guide
Google Analytics works best with Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools). It allows you to see how your website is doing in search results. See our complete Google Search Console guide to learn how to use it to grow your website.
If you want to improve your WordPress SEO rankings and get more traffic, then we recommend using the AIOSEO plugin for WordPress which is an all-in-one SEO toolkit.
We hope this article helped you learn how to install Google Analytics in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate guide to increasing your blog traffic and our comparison of the best email marketing services.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Arnolfo Santoro says
If my WordPress project starts out on a staging site, should I wait to add Google analytics until it is live?
ANGELI says
Does this blog incorporate the new changes to Google Analytics? Do they impact blogs at all? Thanks
WPBeginner Support says
If you mean Google Analytics v4, this article is not updated for that at the moment but we will update it as soon as the integration for it is ready
Admin
Karen says
When I tried to follow these directions, I got so far, and then I got an “Authentication Issue” message. It told me I didn’t have a Google Analytics account and needed to set one up. It then directed me to this article, but this article doesn’t tell me what to do if I get the “Authentication Issue” message. It says I need to be sure I have a Google Analytics account. That’s what I was trying to set up when I got their error. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can resolve this?
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to ensure you followed our step for visiting the Google Analytics site and setting up an account on their site. If you have, you may want to check that you are on the correct Google account when trying to connect Google Analytics to your site.
Admin
Jessamae Tilar says
This really helped me set up my google analytics. I tried the first one and it’s so easy.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Sharon says
Does the third option you listed work on the basic or standard version of WordPress? The Business version of WordPress is required to install any plugins.
WPBeginner Support says
Our tutorials are for WordPress.org sites, you would need to reach out to WordPress.com for their current restrictions.
Admin
Ricardo says
Hii!! I have a question… if you do this by changing the header.php on the theme.. wouldn’t it be erased when the theme updates?…
WPBeginner Support says
You are correct unless you create a child theme.
Admin
Urc Ite says
Hey, nice tutorial.
However, after installing the monsterInsights plugin, my website loads a bit slower.
When I run the speed test, it says “reduce render blocking”.
Is that normal??
WPBeginner Support says
More than likely, the tool you are using does not like the Google Analytics tag where it is and due to Goole wanting the tag in the header it can very mildly slow a site but not enough to normally be noticeable.
Admin
Holley says
I am a total non-techy newbie just starting out on a blog. I’m so glad I found you! Thank you for providing easy to understand step by step directions.
Before I found out about you, I installed a header/footer plug-in on my site based on someone’s recommendation. After watching this tutorial, is there a way to undo what I’ve done and switch to MonsterInsights plug-in? I like having it on my Dashboard and it seems easier to read (once I know what all that stuff means
WPBeginner Support says
You would remove the code from the Insert Headers and Footers plugin and the code would be removed from your site and you would be able to add using the plugin method at that point
Admin
Jeff says
Google Analytics does not any longer look like what you show. They have changed it.
WPBeginner Support says
Thank you for letting us know about that update, we’ll look to update our article when we are able
Admin
gwendolyn says
OMG… THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. I’m starting a blog with Word Press and I have really struggled to get set up for google analytics until I found you!
You were a Blessing!!!
Thanks for your help
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide could help
Admin
William Hails says
I don’t know what I did wrong but my setup is not complete… it is not connected to my gmail account but only to my website ?
WPBeginner Support says
If you have created your account then you should be able to log in with the google account you signed up with. If you have multiple Gmail accounts you may want to change accounts to see if you set up analytics on a different account.
Admin
faisal says
may time i tried to install google analystics i functions.php in wordpress.
its given errors
.Your PHP code changes were rolled back due to an error on line 67 of file wp-content/themes/Extra/functions.php. Please fix and try saving again.
syntax error, unexpected ‘<', expecting end of file.
guide me what i do now.whats its solutions.
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to try removing line 1 from the code in our guide for that specific error.
Admin
Tikyda says
Thanks a lot for sharing on how to install Google Analytics.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Marsha says
I installed Google Analytics to my blog using Monster Insights via the tutorial above but I can only see analytics using the Monster Insights dashboard on WP, the analytics is not showing up on the Google Analytics website at all.
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to make sure if you have multiple properties that you’re checking the correct one and you have given 48 hours for Google Analytics to populate the data.
Admin
Elena says
I keep getting this message:
“The selected account doesn’t have any Google Analytics Web properties.
Please select another Google Account and make sure your Google Analytics property is set as “Web” not “Apps and web” or “Apps”.
You can find more details about setting up your Google Analytics property in this article.
Try picking a different app/profile to auth into”
I’ve linked my account to Web only, but I don’t know if it’s an issue with how I worded the property? Please help! Thank you!
WPBeginner Support says
If you have multiple properties, ensure you are connecting to the correct one, you can also reach out to MonsterInsight’s support for assistance with that error if everything is set correctly.
Admin
Lourdes says
Super Helpful!!!! thanks!!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Claire says
Can you set up Google Analytics for multiple websites with the same Google account? And how?
WPBeginner Support says
In your Google Analytics Admin section, there is the option to add a new account that would be your new site.
Admin
David Pasquaone says
Thanks! Exactly what I needed. ✌
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide was helpful
Admin
putri says
Thank you for the post! Your content helps me a lot in setting Google Analytics up!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Charlotte van Noord says
after following the instructions I got this error showing up:
syntax error, unexpected ‘<', expecting end of file
WPBeginner Support says
It would depend on how you are attempting to add the code, you may want to try some of the other recommended methods in the article for the moment.
Admin
Kiran says
Very helpful for the beginner
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you found our guide helpful
Admin
mahmoud says
Thanks.
Great information
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Thomas says
Thank you for making this well thoughtout content. For FREE!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad you’ve found our content helpful
Admin
shine htet linn says
Dear Team,
I tried to connect Google analytics code to the wordpress using insert Header and Footer plugin. But when i verify it said “verification unsuccessful”. Please help me to solve it.
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to start by clearing the caching on your site for the most common solution to this issue.
Admin
Srai says
Excellent instructions. Thanks a bunch!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Stephanie says
Amazing! I love how you walked through each step, was so much easier to understand, all three methods when watching you calming and in real time go through it as a newbie.
Bookmarking and Subscribing
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
David ayeni says
thanks alot, this was really helpful, fixed it in minutes, How to i add adsense to my website after that, is there any article on that
WPBeginner Support says
For adding Adsense you would want to take a look at our article below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-add-google-adsense-to-your-wordpress-site/
Admin
Chisom says
Hello, Thanks for this helpful article, but i have a question,
If i use the Monster insight or the “Insert header and footer plugin”, if i create a new page after setting the analytics up, will it be automatically added to the new page or i will have to set it up again.
WPBeginner Support says
Using either of those methods would automatically add the code to your new posts and pages
Admin
Ian Warner says
Thanks for this helpful information. I want to install Google Analytics without Google Tag Manager. Where do I find the code for this please?
WPBeginner Support says
You would not add Google Tag Manager if you do not want to use it on your site.
Admin
Dileepa K says
Thanks for this detail explanation. Very helpful
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Gabbi says
OMG so helpful and easy! Follow all the steps now I am set up! Thanks a bunch
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Brian says
Very helpful. The steps to take were clear and understood.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you found our article helpful
Admin
Helen C says
Thanks, I dont know alot about any of this but I installed google analytics with no problem by following your tutorial.
Now on to something else!
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was able to help
Admin
Eli says
Super helpful; thanks brother.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Johnny Come Lately says
Thank you! Very useful video. I used the Headers and Footers Plugin as I prefer to have google analytics app on my phone and I can view all websites from that.
taekookyizhan says
this article was super helpful and contained everything I wanted to know. thank you
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Paul says
Can’t wait to learn more.
WPBeginner Support says
We hope our guides can help
Admin
Heather says
Thank you! This was super easy to follow and I was able to setup Google Analytics using Monster Insights very quickly following this guide.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad we could help simplify the process
Admin
Amin Al Salim says
It’s quite very good and useful
WPBeginner Support says
Thank you, glad you found our guide helpful
Admin
Avi says
Hey! Amazing tutorial.
But while going with the 3rd method I faced an error which says :
Your PHP code changes were rolled back due to an error on line 1006 of file wp-content/themes/oceanwp/functions.php. Please fix and try saving again.
syntax error, unexpected ‘<', expecting end of file
Please help.
WPBeginner Support says
Your functions.php likely did not close its PHP, you should be able to add the code without the first line
Admin
Rich says
Yep, that worked for me – removed ‘<?php' and the error dispeared.
Thanks..
dell says
Hi. My plan is free. It doesn’t support plugin installation. In that case, what can I do for using google analytics?
WPBeginner Support says
For WordPress.com sites, you would need to check with the support documentation for what they allow at the moment.
Admin
Lisanne says
Hello,
I did instal Google Analytics correctly and it works perfectly!
But it is tracking my own IP as well.
Is there an solution to this problem?
I couldn’t found it anywhere.
WPBeginner Support says
This is one of the reasons why we recommend MonsterInsights, it should filter out your own visits without needing to set up a filter in Google Analytics.
Admin
Enni says
I follow the steps exactly from the video tutorial, but I can’t update my file of theme editor, it says this:
Your PHP code changes were rolled back due to an error on line 83 of file wp-content/themes/neve/functions.php. Please fix and try saving again.
syntax error, unexpected ‘<', expecting end of file
WPBeginner Support says
We would recommend taking a look at our guide on copying snippets from the web below for the most common reasons for an issue like that:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/beginners-guide-to-pasting-snippets-from-the-web-into-wordpress/
Admin
Janet says
Thank you for all of this, G Analytics is something I struggle with implementing as my brain shuts down at the thought, but you’ve made it more clear to me!
I’m using Insert Headers and Footers to paste the code, but I already have code on there for other stuff – can I paste code directly below?
WPBeginner Support says
Yes, you would add the new code below your current code
Admin
Peggy says
Thank you. I am just launching my website and you have been such a great resource. This quickly explained how to set up Google analytics in my website and I love that I don’t have to put code on each page as I was very confused on the google analytics page.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was able to simplify the process for you
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mayank jain says
thannks a lot man ..really helped alot
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our article was helpful
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Efren says
Really cannot find a good site where to explain how to add the Google tracking code to a wordpress site without plugin. Why plugin is needed anyway? IS there any other website apart from this wordpress where i can add the hmtl code i want without having to purchase, add plugin, update my account or anything like that? Man, they make it complicated
WPBeginner Support says
It sounds like you are on WordPress.com which would be the main factor for that issue, you may want to take a look at our comparison here:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-free-wordpress-com-infograph/
WordPress.com requires one of their paid plans currently to connect Google Analytics
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andreia says
just to say thank you
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad you liked our guide
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Jaymin Thakkar says
Hello,
I’m using #3 to add GA in WordPress Theme. I just wanted to know if add code in header.php file then do I also have to add via functions.php? Will only update in header.php work?
WPBeginner Support says
You would use one of the methods, you would not want to use both and it is personal preference on which method you use
Admin
Jaymin Thakkar says
Thank You so much for the information!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Elisabeth says
Thank you so much for the information! You mention it takes some time for Google Analytics to connect to the website. How long is that process generally? My Siteground dashboard shows sessions and pageviews, but GA still shows zero.
Thanks for your help!
WPBeginner Support says
normally 24-48 hours but times can vary
Admin