How to Set Up Google Analytics with Plugin

Adding Google Analytics to your website is the first step toward understanding who your visitors are and what they do. While you could manually insert tracking code into your site’s files, using a plugin is a much faster, safer, and easier way to get the job done. This guide will walk you through setting up Google Analytics on your WordPress website using a plugin so you can start making data-driven decisions without touching a single line of code.

Why Use a Plugin to Install Google Analytics?

If you're managing a website, you have enough on your plate without needing to become a part-time developer. Manually adding the Google Analytics tracking code involves editing your theme’s header files. A small mistake here could break your site's layout or functionality. Plugins eliminate this risk entirely.

Here are the main benefits of using a plugin:

• No Coding Required: You can get everything set up through a simple interface with a few clicks. There’s no need to mess with sensitive theme files.
• Error-Proof Installation: The plugin handles the placement of the tracking code, ensuring it’s in the right place and fires correctly on every page.
• Extra Features and Convenience: Many plugins do more than just add the tracking code. They often pull key metrics directly into your WordPress dashboard, giving you a quick snapshot of your site's performance without having to log in to Google Analytics separately.
• Seamless Updates: When you update your WordPress theme, you risk erasing any manual code changes you’ve made. A plugin protects your tracking code from being removed during theme updates.

Choosing the Right Google Analytics Plugin

A quick search in the WordPress plugin repository will show dozens of options for Google Analytics. For this tutorial, we’ll focus on Site Kit by Google. It's Google's official plugin for WordPress, it's completely free, and it seamlessly connects your site not only to Analytics but also to other essential Google services like Search Console and PageSpeed Insights.

Other popular and reliable options include:

• MonsterInsights: One of the most popular analytics plugins, it offers a user-friendly setup and powerful features, though some of its best reports are locked behind a premium version.
• Analytify: This plugin simplifies analytics by presenting data in a very intuitive way inside your WordPress dashboard, with both free and premium versions available.

For most users, especially those just starting out, Site Kit is the perfect choice because it's powerful, easy to use, and comes directly from Google.

Before You Start: Creating a Google Analytics Property

Before you can install any plugin, you first need a place for your website's data to be sent. This means creating a Google Analytics 4 property. If you've used Google Analytics in the past (the version known as Universal Analytics), the process is slightly different now but equally straightforward.

Here’s how to create your new GA4 property:

1. Visit the Google Analytics Website: Go to https://analytics.google.com and sign in with your Google account. If you don't have one, you'll need to create one first.
2. Start Creating an Account: If you're new to GA, you'll be prompted to create an account. If you have an existing GA account, go to the Admin section (the gear icon in the bottom-left) and click "Create Account".
3. Set Up Your Account:
4. Set Up Your Property:
5. Provide Business Information: Answer the optional questions about your industry and business size. This helps Google provide you with relevant benchmarks. Click "Create" and accept the terms of service.
6. Set Up a Data Stream: Now you need to tell Google where to collect data from.

After creating the stream, you'll see a screen with installation instructions and your "Measurement ID" (which looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX). You can ignore the manual installation code — the plugin will handle everything for you. Just keep this browser tab open for now.

Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Google Analytics with Site Kit

Now that your GA4 property is ready, it's time to connect it to your WordPress site using the Site Kit plugin.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Site Kit Plugin

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. In the search bar, type "Site Kit by Google".
4. The official plugin will appear in the search results. Click Install Now.
5. Once the installation is complete, the button will change to Activate. Click it.

After activation, you'll be redirected to the Site Kit welcome screen. Click the blue button that says "Start Setup".

Step 2: Connect Your Google Account and Verify Site Ownership

1. Site Kit will prompt you to connect to your Google Account. Click Sign in with Google.
2. Choose the Google account you used to create your Analytics property.
3. You'll be asked to grant Site Kit permission to access data from your Google account. It will ask for several permissions to manage Search Console, Analytics, and other services. Click Continue to grant access. These permissions are necessary for the plugin to work correctly.
4. Site Kit will then automatically verify that you own the website domain. This is often done by placing a small verification token in your site’s code, a process the plugin handles for you.
5. Once verified, click Go to my Dashboard.

At this point, you have successfully set up the basic integration. Site Kit has already connected Google Search Console for you, which is a fantastic bonus. Now, let’s connect Analytics.

Step 3: Connect Google Analytics to Site Kit

1. From the main Site Kit dashboard inside WordPress, you'll see a section for Google Analytics. Click on Connect Service.
2. Again, you’ll be asked to sign in with the same Google Account.
3. Site Kit will then search your Google Account for available Analytics properties.
4. From the dropdown menus, select the Account and Property you just created in the previous steps. The "Stream" field should auto-populate with the web stream you set up.
5. Click Configure Analytics.

That's it! Site Kit will now automatically place the required GA4 tracking tag on every page of your website. You didn't have to copy, paste, or edit any code.

Verifying Your Google Analytics Installation

You’ll naturally want to make sure everything is working as expected. There are a few easy ways to verify that your data is being collected.

1. Check the Site Kit Dashboard

The easiest way is to look at the Site Kit dashboard inside WordPress. It might say "Gathering data" for a while, but it's a good first stop. This view will show basic metrics once data starts flowing.

2. Use the Google Analytics Realtime Report

This is the most definitive way to know if your tag is working. Here's how:

• Go back to your Google Analytics account in your browser.
• In the left-hand navigation, go to Reports > Realtime.
• Now, open your own website in a new browser tab or on your phone.
• Within a minute or two, you should see at least "1" user in the Realtime report. You can even see what city you’re in and which page you’re viewing.

If you see your own visit show up, congratulations! The setup was a success. Keep in mind that standard reports in Google Analytics can take 24-48 hours to fully populate, so don't be concerned if you don't see detailed data right away.

What to Check After Installation: First Steps in GA4

You’ve installed Google Analytics — now what? GA4 is powerful, but it can be overwhelming at first. Here are three key reports to start with to get immediate value:

1. Traffic acquisition report

This report tells you how visitors are finding your website. Are they coming from Google search, social media, or other websites?

Where to find it: In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. You'll see channels like "Organic Search," "Direct," "Referral," and "Organic Social." This helps you understand which marketing channels are working best.

2. Pages and screens report

Want to know your most popular content? This report shows you which pages on your site get the most views and engagement.

Where to find it: Go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens. Here, you can identify your top-performing blog posts or landing pages, giving you clues on what kind of content resonates with your audience.

3. Demographics details report

This report helps you understand who your audience is by showing you data on their location, gender, and age.

Where to find it: Go to Reports > User > User attributes > Demographics details. Knowing your audience's location can help you tailor your content or marketing efforts more effectively.

Final Thoughts

Setting up Google Analytics with a plugin like Site Kit transforms a potentially technical task into a simple, straightforward process. By following these steps, you’ve installed one of the most powerful free tools for understanding your website audience, giving you the insights needed to grow your traffic and engage your visitors more effectively.

Once you start collecting data in Google Analytics, the next challenge is turning those numbers into clear, simple answers. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the complex GA4 interface, you can connect your data directly to an analytics tool that does the heavy lifting for you. This is exactly why we built Graphed to help. It seamlessly connects to your Google Analytics account (and all your other marketing platforms), letting you ask questions in plain English — like "Which blog posts are getting the most traffic from Google?" or "Show me a dashboard of a User Conversion report" — and get back instant dashboards and insights, no expertise required.