Google Analytics is a freely available service from Google that enables you to track in detail how visitors find your website and what they do when they get there. Web Analytics packages are essential for any online marketing campaign and if you plan to use Google Adwords then Google Analytics is even more highly recommended.
How do I sign up?
To sign up for analytics you first need a google account. You can create a google account by going to e.g. google.co.uk click "Sign In" that appears at the top right hand side of the screen and then click onto "Create an account now". You should then go to Google Analytics at http://www.google.com/analytics/ and click "Sign up Now" - you will need to enter your login information and are then asked to enter the website that you wish to track.
How do I configure my site for Google Analytics?
To configure your site for Google Analytics you then need to copy some code onto each page of your website so that Google can fully track your website. If you developed your site using Dreamweaver, Frontpage etc or developed your site in static HTML you need to edit the code for each page and copy and paste the tracking code so that it appears just before the closing "</body>" tag. (Note - it is recommended you use the new tracking code rather than the legacy code if you are setting up a new site - particularly if any of your pages are secure)
Once you have completed this you can ask Google to check that your code has been installed correctly. If it has then you will be told that the installation is correct and that Google is waiting for data. Reports are updated periodically through the day so the data you see in Google Analytics isn't live - leave it for a few hours and then return to start seeing data from your site.
If your site contains dynamic content you can use a template or "common include" to set up the tracking code throughout your site. Content Management Systems such as Joomla often have extensions (additional programs that you can download) that enable you to add tracking code throughout your site - you just enter the "Web Property ID" to let Google identify your site. The Web Property ID appears in the format of e.g. "UA-3238767-9" and will be assigned to you when you set up your Google Analytics Account.
Finding your tracking code again
If you have set up a site and for some reason you lose the code from your web pages or if your site was set up with the legacy tracking code and you wish to move to the new tracking code you can access it at any point by signing in to Google Analytics and on the opening page (where you are shown a list of sites you manage together with the "View Report" link) click onto the "EDIT" link that appears to the far right of the row in the "Actions" column.
