How to Set Up a New Google Analytics Account

In this day and age, a strong web presence is essential to having a successful business. A huge part of having a strong presence online is being able to track what works and what doesn’t. Why waste time and money re-using an ad campaign that got no traffic? Which of your marketing efforts got you the best results? How do your customers interact with your website? What kind of customers are you attracting? What areas can you improve upon? These questions and more can be answered by using online tracking tools, such as Google Analytics. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can set up a Google Analytics account and make the most of “Google Analytics Chicago” or Google Analytics in another area.

set up google analytics

What Is Google Analytics?

Before we jump into creating a Google Analytics account, you should probably have an idea why it’s so important. Google Analytics is one of the most popular ways to track traffic to and on your website. With this free service provided by Google, you’ll see how many people visit your site, who visits your site, how many “click-throughs” you get from Google Ad campaigns, and how many of those visits lead to you making money. As you can imagine, all of this data is extremely useful in helping you make appropriate changes to your overall business strategies.

GA4

The Google Analytics system is further improved upon with Google’s new analytics platform, GA4, which launched in October 2020. Google Analytics 4 is now the new system for Google Analytics. You, as a business owner or marketer, can get a lot more out of the new system, and it has benefits for consumers. GA4 is no longer tracking with third-party cookies, which was a safety concern for many users. It now only uses first-person data, which comes straight from a user’s Google account. Further, GA4 avoids the issue of device discrimination, which its predecessor struggled with.

Why Use Google Analytics?

It may seem a bit daunting, and it’s a lot of work to set up Google Analytics so you can experience “Google Analytics Chicago” or Google Analytics in another area properly. Is it really worth all that effort? Absolutely! Without a way to know what works and what doesn’t, you may end up wasting time and money on ad campaigns and marketing that doesn’t work. To know how effective your efforts through social media and advertising are, you need a tool such as Google Analytics to tell you where you can improve and what is actually working for you. There are other paid options out there for analytics tracking, but why use those when Google’s option is free and the most popular?

Now that you understand a bit more about the “what” and “why”, let’s dive into the “how” – how do you create a new Google Analytics account?

how to set up a google analytics account

Creating a Google Analytics Account

The first step to getting started with Google Analytics and making the most of “Google Analytics Chicago” or Google Analytics in another area is to create your account. So, how do you set up a new Google Analytics account? First, head on over to the sign-up page for Google Analytics. You’ll then be prompted to enter an account name. This can be anything of your choosing. Just make sure it makes sense for your business or whoever you will have to hold the account.

Next up is reading over the “Account Data Sharing Settings” section. By default, “Google products & services” is the only one left unchecked. If you wish to help Google improve its services, you may check this box. Otherwise, leaving everything on the default setting is optimal.

Once you click “Next,” you’ll be asked for more details about your business. Name your business property, then select the timezone in which the property exists and the currency you use. You will be able to add more properties and edit this existing property after the initial setup.

The final section of account setup seeks to learn more about your individual needs. Select your business size, then have a look at the options you can use Google Analytics for. Check the box next to the options you’re interested in. Don’t worry. You can use any of these features whether or not you select them now.

After you click on “Create,” you’ll be prompted to look over the Google Analytics terms of service. You must agree to continue, but it’s helpful to know what you’re signing up for. After accepting these terms, you’ll be asked what email preferences you have.

That’s it! Your account is all set up. It’s now time to set up Google Analytics itself.

Multiple Google Analytics Accounts

There are certain cases where you may want to have multiple Google Analytics accounts. If you manage multiple websites, you’re going to want one account for each to make your life easier. You may also want to organize different accounts into a certain category, such as creating one account for the marketing team and another for sales so they can each see the specific data that matters to them rather than having to sift through everything.

Setting up a new Google Analytics account is easy. Just follow the steps above! The good news is you can also link the accounts if you so desire. There are a few options for doing so. Just choose the one that works best for you.

creating google analytics account

Deleting Your Google Analytics Account

To delete your existing Google Analytics account, you will need permissions of at least the “Editor” level. If you have the correct permissions, follow these steps:

  1. Remove the Google Analytics code from all of your web pages and apps.
  2. Sign in to Google Analytics.
  3. Click “Admin”.
  4. Under “Account”, select the account you wish to delete.
  5. Click on “Account Settings”, then “Move to Trash Can”.

How to Set Up Google Analytics

Now that you have an account, you can begin the task of figuring out how to set up Google Analytics. Using the provided Setup Assistant is ideal, especially if you’re new to the platform. This system will walk you through everything you need to get started and will make sure you don’t miss anything important. Once again, you will need at least “Editor” level permissions to set up or make changes to Google Analytics.

Sharing Access to Google Analytics

Adding your business partners or team members to your Google Analytics access is sometimes necessary so that they can properly do their jobs without the need to harass you all the time for updates. To allow a new user to access your Google Analytics, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
  2. Click on Admin, then find the desired account, property, or view.
  3. In the Account, Property, or View columns, click “Access Management”.
  4. Under the “Account Permissions” list, click the plus sign, then select “Add Users”.
  5. Enter the email address of the user’s Google Account. Each user is identified by email address.
  6. Select “Notify new users by email” to send a message to the user.
  7. Select the permissions you want to give this new user. Learn more about permissions.
  8. Click Add.

ga4

SEO and Analytics

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and does exactly what it sounds like. It optimizes searches for users so that they see the most relevant content for their inquiry. Using more keywords that your customers might use on any search engine of their choice will optimize your website and get you closer to the top of the results. The closer to the top of the first page you are, the more likely you are to get noticed. The more traffic you can garner, the more data you can work with, and the more positive changes you can make to your advertising or social media efforts.

SEO and Google Analytics go hand-in-hand. If you fail to optimize your SEO properly, you’ll get far less traffic than if you take the time to do the research. Find out what keywords your customers are searching for and implement them into your website’s content.

Reading Your Google Analytics Results

Google Analytics is a handy tool, no doubt. A major issue many people have with it, however, is the sheer amount of data it provides. Sifting through so much information can be a huge hassle. Handy tools like a Google Analytics dashboard make this so much easier. A dashboard is a collection of the summary widgets that Google Analytics provides, but when used properly can help you focus on what matters most. You can choose which metrics to display and not be stuck sifting through the junk that doesn’t benefit you in any way. Focus on what matters.

How Can I Improve My Analytics Results?

Now you know how to make a Google Analytics account and the importance of analytics results, but how do you get truly awesome results with “Google Analytics Chicago” or Google Analytics in another area? That’s where SEO Design Chicago comes in! Our Google Analytics service will cover everything for you. From start to finish, our experts will get you rolling and help you throughout the entire Google Analytics process. We also offer a free SEO analysis, so there’s no risk in reaching out to see what we can do for you!

FAQ:

  • How to set up a Google Analytics account?
  • What is Google Analytics?
  • How do I add another account to Google Analytics?
  • Can I have multiple Google Analytics accounts?
  • Can I delete my Google Analytics account and start over?

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