How Do I See the Google Analytics Stats?
Previous Post on this topic: How to tell whether your site has Google Analytics.
A problem that frequently comes up is when the code for Google Analytics already exists on a site, but no one knows which Google Account it’s tied to. Unless you can log into the Google Account that originated the stats, you cannot see the stats. Or, if your Google account was added in the original account as an administrator, you can see the stats, but you are limited in some functions.
To see whether your site’s Google Analytics are in your account, go to http://analytics.google.com/. You may have to click a Start link, depending on whether you have been to this site before. You know that your Google account is hooked to your analytics if you see a chart like the one on the right.
It’s not uncommon for a new client to discover that they can’t figure out in which account their Google Analytics started. In that case, they have to start over with new Google Analytics account and code. This is why every organization should have a Google account that is not tied to one person, but is dedicated to the organization as a whole.
One thing about systems like Google Analytics, whoever owns that system can change the way it looks and works any time they want to. It’s best to keep a general idea of what you are looking for in your head and not be too surprised when the way it looks changes.
How Do I Get the Code for Google Analytics?
If you have a Google Analytics account and need to get the code to add to your website. Go to the Admin link in the lower left hand corner. Log into your Google account. If you do not already have a Google account, you will have to sign up for one to get Google Analytics.
- Go to https://analytics.google.com/
- Sign up for a Google Analytics account specifically. It will be tied to whatever account you are signed in with, so this is the place to be careful that your Google Analytics is tied to the account you want it tied to!
- If you are signing up for Google Analytics for the first time, the screens will take you to the code right after you sign up.
- The code needs to be added to your site in the <head></head> area of the code.
Adding the code to the site requires some understanding of HTML. If your site is a WordPress site, it also requires some knowledge of how WordPress works. In WordPress, the <head></head> part of the code is in your theme’s header.php file. But, in addition to being inside the <head></head>, it must be above <?php wp-header(); ?> or your WordPress may not work properly.
It is tempting to add your Google Analytics code through a plugin. But, plugins are often out-of-date. Just yesterday, I found out that the removal of an insecure plugin also removed the Google Analytics code. Better to add the Google Analytics code right into the WordPress file.
How Do I Get Google Search Console?
Like Google Analytics, you have to add something to your website to get that information. But, unlike Google Analytics, you only add a file that tells Google that you are the owner and merit the information it already has.