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Using Google Analytics
The best of the analytic sites is Google Analytics. All you need to do is register your website with Google Analytics, add some code to your website, and then go to the Google Analytics site to see who has been visiting your site. Google Analytics gives you a ton of data—almost anything you would want to know about the people visiting your site. Here are some of the highlights:
■ Number of visits
■ Page views
■ Pages per visit
■ Average time on site
■ Percent of new visits
Google Analytics also offers a number of statistics based on traffic sources and content. Starting Google Analytics If you don’t have a Google account, create one. If you do have a Google account, log in to it.
1. Go to Google Analytics. Google Analytics allows you access to your site’s analytics.
2. Click the Access Analytics button. 3. After you access Google Analytics for the first time, you are asked to sign up for the service.
Setting Up a New Account
After you have logged in to Google Analytics, follow these steps to set up a new account:
1. Choose the website you want to track with Google Analytics.
2. Enter the website’s URL.
3. Enter a name to be displayed when you look at the analytics for the website.
4. Select a Time Zone Country and Time Zone from the drop-down list.
5. Click Continue.
6. Enter your first and last name in the name boxes, and the phone number if you wish.
7. Select your country from the drop-down list.
8. Click Continue.
9. Read the Google Analytics Terms of Service.
10. Click the Yes box.
11. Click Create New Account.
12. The tracking code is then displayed.
Applying the Tracking Code
The tracking code is JavaScript code, and you need to add it to every page you want to track, before the </body> tag.
1. Copy the script from the Tracking Code box.
2. Paste this code into every page you want tracked.
After you have added the code to your site, return to the analytics page. Your Analytics Settings now displays the page you are tracking and the status of information gathering
Viewing Reports
After you have added your site to Google Analytics, you must give it some time to gather data. I know you are going to want to see results immediately, but Google Analytics monitors thousands of sites, so it takes a few hours for the data to trickle in. Here’s how you can view your Google Analytics report:
1. Log in to Google Analytics.
2. Click the View Reports link.
This is just the very beginning of using Google Analytics. Have a look around and look at all the statistics available.
Tweaking Your Site Based On Analytics
After you have captured a number of analytics, you will want to look at them and make decisions about how to change your website. For example, if you have a lot of traffic to one page, make sure that page is placed at the front of your website. Also, if you are getting visitors who don’t go to other pages on your website, you might want to change things around. After you have made these changes, keep an eye on the analytics to see whether the changes have had an effect.