Google Analytics: why it matters and how to set it up

Google Analytics is Google’s free tool for measuring what happens on your website: how many people visit, where they come from, which pages they read, and whether they get in touch. The current version is called GA4.

Why it is worth ten minutes

• You find out whether your website brings in work. Once it is connected, we can count estimate requests and taps on your phone number, not just visits.
• You see where visitors come from. Google search, Google Maps, Facebook, or a link from another website.
• You see which pages do their job. If one service page gets plenty of visits but nobody gets in touch from it, that is worth knowing.
• You can judge your marketing. Before you spend more on ads or search work, you can check what the last round actually did.

Google Analytics only records from the day it is installed. It cannot show you anything from before, so the best time to set it up is before you need the numbers.

Before you start

You need a Google account. Use one your business controls, such as your business Gmail or Google Workspace address, rather than the personal account of someone who may not always work with you. Whoever creates the Analytics account owns the data.

If you already have a Google Analytics account for your business, skip to giving us access.

Set up Google Analytics

Step 1: Create an account

Go to analytics.google.com and sign in with your business Google account. Click Start measuring. Enter your business name as the account name, choose your data sharing settings, and click Next.

Step 2: Create a property

A property is the website you want to measure. Name it after your website address, choose your time zone and currency, and click Next.

Step 3: Describe your business

Choose your industry and business size, then pick what you want to use Analytics for. For most service businesses, that is getting leads. Click Create and accept Google’s terms.

Step 4: Add your website

When Google asks where to collect data from, choose Web. Enter your website address, give the stream a name such as “Website”, and click Create stream.

Google then shows a Measurement ID that starts with G-. That is all we need to connect Analytics to your website.

Step 5: Give us access

Follow Give Superhero access to your Google Analytics so we can connect it to your website and set up the tracking.

If we look after your website, please do not paste Google’s tag code into your site yourself. We install it for you, and installing it twice counts every visitor twice.

Something looks different?

Google rearranges these screens from time to time. If a button is not where this article says, open a request in your client portal and we will walk you through it.