How to Add an Account to Google Analytics

Setting up Google Analytics for the first time might seem daunting, but it's one of the most powerful steps you can take to understand your website's audience. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step walkthrough for creating a Google Analytics account, setting up your website for tracking, and adding team members so you can start making data-driven decisions right away.

Understanding the Google Analytics Hierarchy: Accounts, Properties, and Data Streams

Before jumping into the setup, it's helpful to understand how Google Analytics organizes everything. If you don't grasp this simple hierarchy, you might get confused later on. Think of it like a filing cabinet system for your data.

• Account: This is the top level, like the entire filing cabinet. An account is typically your business or organization. It contains all the website and app data associated with your company. You can have multiple properties within one account.
• Property: This is a folder within your filing cabinet. A property represents a single website or mobile app. This is where your data is collected and processed. Before July 2023, the standard was Universal Analytics (UA), but now all new properties are Google Analytics 4. We'll be focusing on setting up a GA4 property.
• Data Stream: This is like a single file inside a folder. A data stream is a source of data flowing into your property. For a website, this is your web data stream. For an app, you’d have an iOS or Android app data stream. This is where you'll find your tracking code.

Understanding this structure helps you keep your data organized, especially as your business grows and you potentially manage multiple websites or apps under one company umbrella.

Step 1: Creating a New Google Analytics Account

First things first, you need a main account to house everything. If you already have a Google account (like for Gmail or Google Drive), you're ready to start. If not, you’ll need to create one first.

Follow these steps to create your GA4 account:

1. Go to the Google Analytics website and click "Start for free." You'll be prompted to sign in with your Google account.
2. Once you're in, you'll be guided through the setup process. The first screen you'll see is for Account creation.
3. Enter an Account name: This should be the name of your business or organization (e.g., "My Awesome Company").
4. Configure Account Data Sharing Settings: Here you'll see a few checkboxes. These options allow you to share your anonymous data with Google to help them improve their products, provide benchmarking, and offer technical support. It's generally safe to leave these checked, but you can review and uncheck them if you have strict privacy protocols.
5. Click the blue "Next" button.

That's it for the account level. You've created the main container.

Step 2: Adding a Property to Your Account

Now that you have your digital "filing cabinet" (the account), it's time to create the first "folder" (the property) for your website.

1. You'll now be on the Property creation screen.
2. Enter a Property Name: This should be the name of your website or app. It’s helpful to be specific, like "My Awesome Company Website" or "[yourdomain].com".
3. Set Reporting time zone and Currency: Select your local time zone and the currency your business uses. This is essential for accurate daily reporting and for tracking revenue if you run an e-commerce site.
4. Click "Next".
5. Describe your business: You'll be asked to provide your industry category and business size. This information helps Google Analytics configure your reports with relevant industry benchmarks and tailor your experience. Select the options that best fit your business.
6. Click "Next" again.
7. Choose your business objectives: GA4 asks what you want to achieve with Analytics. You can check off objectives like "Generate leads," "Drive online sales," or "Examine user behavior." Selecting these helps customize the reports that appear in your GA4 dashboard, making them more relevant to your goals from the start.
8. Click "Create" and accept the Google Analytics Terms of Service.

Now your property has been created. The next immediate step is to create a data stream so Google knows where to get data from.

Step 3: Setting Up Your Web Data Stream

With your new property in place, you need to connect it to your website. You do this by creating a web data stream, which generates the tracking code.

1. After creating the property, you'll land on a screen that asks you to Choose a platform. The options are "Web," "Android app," and "iOS app." For a website, click "Web".
2. Set up data stream: Enter your website’s URL (e.g., https://www.yourdomain.com) and give your stream a name (e.g., "[Your Domain] Web Stream").
3. Enhanced measurement: This option will be enabled by default, and you should definitely leave it on. Enhanced measurement automatically tracks key user interactions without any extra setup. These include:
4. Click "Create stream".

You’ll now see a "Web stream details" page. This page contains your unique MEASUREMENT ID (it looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX). This ID is a critical piece of information you'll need for the next step.

Step 4: Installing the Google Analytics Tag on Your Website

Creating your account is just the start, for GA to actually track anything, you need to add its tracking code (called the "Google Tag") to your website. Here are the three most common ways to do this.

Recommended Method: Use Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free tool that lets you manage and deploy marketing tags (snippets of code or tracking pixels) on your website without having to modify the code. It's the most flexible and scalable method.

If you're already using GTM, simply create a new "Google Tag" and paste your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) into the Tag ID field. Set the trigger to fire on "All Pages" and publish your changes. That's all you need to do!

Alternate Method 1: Manual Installation

If you're not using GTM and have access to your website's code, you can install the tag manually. On the "Web stream details" page, under "Installation instructions," find the tab for "Install manually." You will see a block of JavaScript code (also known as the gtag.js snippet). Here’s what you do:

1. Copy the entire code snippet.
2. Paste it immediately after the <head> tag on every page of your website. If you're using a template or theme, you can typically add this to a single header file that applies to all pages.

Alternate Method 2: Use a Plugin or CMS Integration

If your website is built on a platform like WordPress, Shopify, or Squarespace, you're in luck. These platforms often have built-in integrations or easy-to-use plugins to simplify the process.

• For WordPress: You can use a plugin like Site Kit by Google or MonsterInsights. After installing the plugin, you'll just follow its setup wizard and copy-paste your Measurement ID. The plugin handles the code placement for you.
• For Shopify: Shopify has a native integration. Go to your Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store > Preferences, and you'll find a Google Analytics section where you can paste your Google Tag snippet.

Step 5: How to Add Users to Your Account

"Adding an account" can also mean giving another person access to your Google Analytics data. For this, you’ll add them as a user. Here's how to grant someone access to your account or property safely.

First, it’s important to understand the different permission levels:

• Administrator: Has full control, including adding/deleting users and properties. Grant this level of access sparingly.
• Editor: Can edit settings within the account or property but cannot manage users. This is great for someone actively managing your marketing settings.
• Marketer: Can edit audiences and conversions but not much else.
• Analyst: Can create and share reports and dashboards but cannot change any settings.
• Viewer: Has read-only access. They can see data and reports but cannot make any changes. This is the safest option for sharing with stakeholders.

Steps to Add a User:

1. In Google Analytics, click the Admin icon (the gear) in the bottom-left corner.
2. You'll see two columns: 'Account' and 'Property'. Choose whether you want to grant access to the entire account (all properties within it) or just one specific property.
3. Click the blue "+" icon in the top-right corner, then select "Add users."
4. Enter the Google account email address(es) of the person or people you want to add.
5. Select a predefined role (like "Editor" or "Viewer"). You can select more than one.
6. Click the "Add" button in the top-right. Your colleague or freelancer will receive an email notifying them that they have access.

Step 6: Verify Your Tracking is Working

After installing the tag, don't just assume it's working. You should always verify that GA is receiving data.

The easiest way to do this is with the Realtime report.

1. Open a new browser tab or use your phone and visit your website.
2. In Google Analytics, go to Reports > Realtime in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. You should see at least '1' in the "Users in Last 30 Minutes" card within a minute or two. If your visit shows up, congratulations! Your tracking is set up correctly.

Final Thoughts

You've successfully created a new Google Analytics account, installed the tracking tag on your site, and learned how to securely share access with team members. This setup is your foundation for understanding user behavior, tracking marketing campaigns, and ultimately growing your online presence with real data as your guide.

Once you've collected some data, the next step is analysis and reporting. At Graphed, we simplify this process by connecting directly to your Google Analytics account. You can instantly create real-time dashboards and get answers to your questions using simple, natural language instead of wrestling with complex report builders. If you’re looking for a faster way to turn your data into insights, try Graphed for free.