How to Add a Second Website to Google Analytics

Adding another website to your Google Analytics account is a straightforward process once you understand how everything is organized. This is a common need for anyone managing multiple brands, a separate blog, or client properties. This guide will walk you through setting up tracking for a second website in your existing Google Analytics account and explain the best way to structure it.

Understanding the Google Analytics Account Structure

Before you add anything, it’s helpful to understand the hierarchy Google Analytics uses. Think of it like a digital filing cabinet for your data. This structure ensures that data from different websites or apps doesn’t get mixed up.

There are three main levels:

• Account: This is the highest level, like the entire filing cabinet. Your account is the container for all the websites and apps you want to track. Typically, a single business or organization has one account. You might create separate accounts if you're managing websites for entirely different businesses or clients.
• Property: This is a drawer in the filing cabinet. Each property represents a specific website or application. For example, if you own 'mybusiness.com' and a separate blog at 'mybusinessblog.com', you would create two separate properties - one for each - inside a single account. Each property has its own unique Measurement ID (e.g., G-XXXXXXXXXX).
• Data Stream: This is a folder inside the property drawer. A data stream is a source of data flowing into your property. For a website, you will create a 'Web' data stream. For an app, you’d create an 'iOS app' or 'Android app' data stream. You can have multiple data streams in one property if you want to collect data from a website, an iOS app, and an Android app under the same brand umbrella.

For our purposes, we will be creating a new Property for your second website within your existing Account.

When to Create a New Property vs. a New Account

This is the most common point of confusion. The decision comes down to the relationship between the websites.

Create a New Property If:

This is the most common choice and the one you'll likely use. You should create a new property for your second website if:

• You are tracking websites for the same business (e.g., a corporate site, an e-commerce store, and a community forum).
• The new website is a blog on a separate domain from your main site.
• You manage distinct brand websites that fall under one parent company.

Keeping a single account makes user management simpler. You can grant access to the entire account, and users will be able to see all the properties within it or grant them access to specific properties only.

Create a New Account If:

You should only create a brand new account if:

• The second website belongs to a completely separate business with different stakeholders and team members.
• You are a freelancer or agency managing a website for a client and they need to own the account.
• Billing information or legal ownership for the websites must be kept entirely separate.

For most users, adding the second website as a new property is the correct path. Now, let’s get into the step-by-step process.

Step-by-Step: Adding a New Website Property in GA4

Here’s how to create a new property for your second site within your existing Google Analytics account.

Step 1: Navigate to the Admin Section

First, log in to your Google Analytics account. In the bottom-left corner of the screen, you'll see a gear icon labeled 'Admin'. Click on it to go to your account settings.

Step 2: Create a New Property

The Admin screen is divided into two columns: 'Account' and 'Property'. In the 'Property' column, you will see your current property selected in a dropdown menu. Click the blue button right below it that says '+ Create Property'.

Step 3: Enter Your Property Details

Now you'll go through the property setup process. It’s pretty quick.

1. Property name: Give your new property a clear name. It's best to use the website's name or URL, such as "My Awesome Blog" or "awesometool.io."
2. Reporting time zone: Select the primary time zone for your website's audience. This ensures your daily reports reset at midnight in that zone.
3. Currency: Choose the currency your business operates in. This is especially important for e-commerce tracking.

Click 'Next' when you're done.

Step 4: Provide Business Information (Optional)

Google will ask for some optional information about your business, like your industry category and business size. This helps them provide tailored reports and benchmarks. Fill it out if you'd like, then click 'Create'.

Step 5: Set Up Your Data Stream

After creating the property, you'll be prompted to set up a data stream. Since you're adding a website, choose 'Web' from the list of platforms.

In the 'Set up web stream' panel:

• Website URL: Enter the full URL of your second website (e.g., 'www.mysecondsite.com'). Make sure to select https:// or http:// correctly.
• Stream name: This will be automatically filled with your website's name from the previous step, but you can change it if you need to.

Enhanced measurement is enabled by default, which is great. It automatically tracks page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, and other useful events without any extra setup. Keep this switched on.

Click 'Create stream'.

Step 6: Get Your Measurement ID

Success! You've officially created a new property and data stream for your second website. You will now see a 'Web stream details' page. The most important piece of information here is your Measurement ID, which looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX. This ID is what connects your website to this specific GA4 property.

You are now done inside the Google Analytics interface. The final step is to place this tracking code on your new website.

Installing the GA4 Tracking Tag on Your Second Website

To start collecting data, you need to add your new GA4 Measurement ID to your site. This can be done in a few different ways, depending on your website’s platform and your technical comfort level.

Method 1: Using a WordPress Plugin (The Easy Way)

If your second website runs on WordPress, the easiest method is to use a plugin. These tools add the necessary code for you without you ever having to touch a file.

• Site Kit by Google: This is Google's official WordPress plugin. It not only connects your site to Google Analytics but also integrates Search Console and AdSense. You simply follow its setup wizard, and it will handle the installation.
• GA Google Analytics: A simple, popular plugin. You just install it, navigate to its settings, and paste in your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX).
• Other Integration Plugins: Many theme frameworks or page builders have built-in fields for Google Analytics tracking IDs. Check your theme options first.

Method 2: Using Google Tag Manager (The Recommended Way)

If you already use Google Tag Manager (GTM), this is the best and most flexible method. It keeps your site's code clean and makes managing other marketing tags (like Meta Pixel or Google Ads) a breeze.

1. In your Google Tag Manager container, go to 'Tags' and click 'New'.
2. Give your tag a name, like "GA4 Configuration - My Second Site."
3. In 'Tag Configuration,' choose 'Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration'.
4. In the 'Measurement ID' field, paste your new GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX).
5. In the 'Triggering' section, select the 'Initialization - All Pages' trigger. This ensures the tag fires on every page of your site.
6. Save the tag, then click 'Submit' in the top right to publish your changes.

Note: This assumes the main Google Tag Manager container snippet is already installed on your second website.

Method 3: Manually Adding the Code to Your Website (The "Hands-On" Way)

If you don't use WordPress or a tag manager, you can add the tracking code directly to your website’s HTML files. This is best for static websites or for those who are comfortable editing code.

Back on the 'Web stream details' page in Google Analytics, look for the 'View tag instructions' button. Then, under the 'Install manually' tab, you'll find the global site tag (gtag.js) snippet. It will look something like this:

< -- Google tag (gtag.js) -- >,

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXXXXX"></script>

<script>

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [],

function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments),}

gtag('js', new Date()),

gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXXXXX'),

</script>

You need to copy this entire block of code and paste it immediately after the opening <head> tag on every page of your second website. If your site uses a template or a single "header" file, you only need to add it there.

Verifying That Everything Is Working

Once you’ve installed the tag, the final step is to make sure it’s collecting data. The easiest way to do this is with the Realtime report.

1. In your Google Analytics account, make sure you have your new property selected in the top-left dropdown.
2. Navigate to Reports > Realtime.
3. Open a new browser tab and visit your second website.
4. Within a minute or two, you should see yourself appear in the Realtime report as a visitor. Look at the 'Users by Country' map or the 'Views by Page title' card.

If you see your activity, congratulations! You have successfully added a second website to your Google Analytics account and data is being collected.

Final Thoughts

Managing multiple websites doesn’t have to mean messy analytics. By using Google Analytics' property structure, you can neatly organize tracking for each site within a single account, keeping your marketing data separated but easy to access. The process is as simple as creating a new property within your admin settings and placing the new tracking tag on your site.

Once you connect all of your websites, bringing all that data together to understand performance can still be a challenge. Toggling between different Google Analytics properties is time-consuming. That’s where we built Graphed to help. We allow you to connect all your Google Analytics properties at once, along with your other marketing platforms like Shopify, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads. From there, you can use simple, natural language to create unified dashboards and reports, giving you a full view of your business performance in one place without constantly switching tabs.