How To Create A Google Analytics Account

Visitor Types - Web Page Viewing Length - Browsers Used - Unique Visits - Etc

In this section I will show you how to create a Google Account, and in turn show you how to create a Google Analytics Account. The Google Account will allow you to sign up to Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Google AdSense and so on.

Google AdWords is a service that allows you to build advertisements, using your own keywords and keyphrases, that are then advertised on google web pages....at your cost of course!

Google AdSense on the other hand is a service whereby relevant/themed advertisements are added to your web page(s) in order for you to make a commission from them when a customer clicks on one of them and/or buys a product/service from that advertisement.

Google Analytics is totally different. It gives you statistics about your website - How many people clicked on a certain web page, on what day, at what time, which web browser is used by your visitors and so on.

To create a Google Account you need to take your web browser to http://www.google.com/analytics/. When the Google Analytics web page appears click on its SIGN UP NOW link to continue.

Fig 1.0  Click on the SIGN UP NOW link to continue




Fig 1.1  Click on the SIGN UP NOW link to continue

Clicking on the SIGN UP NOW link (Fig 1.0 above) takes you to a second web page where you then have to click on another SIGN UP NOW link (Fig 1.1 above) in order to actually get on with the business of signing up! The second sign up web page appears if you do not have a Google Account, which you need in order to create a Google Analytics Account. So the first link was a total waste of time - You should go straight to http://www.google.com/analytics/sign_up.html if you have not done anything yet.

The SIGN UP NOW link, eventually!, takes you to the Create An Account page (below). It is a very simple form to fill in. The hardest part is getting the Verification Word typed in correctly!

Fig 1.2  Fill in this easy form to create a Google Account

The Verification Word is meant to be a security mechanism whereby a human is the one typing it into the edit box because only a human can read it.....a computer cannot.....yet! However. Security it might be but easy to read, and hear, it is not! If you type in the wrong verification word you will receive an error and be asked to type in a new verification word.

Clicking on the Disability symbol/link will play the verification word as a voice, but the trouble with this is that it sounds as though you are at a busy airport terminal. In other words, you cannot hear the word properly. Anyway! When you think you have entered the correct verification word, read the Terms & Conditions and so on before clicking on the I ACCEPT. CREATE MY ACCOUNT button. This will take you to the Email Verification (Account Creation Confirmation) page.

Fig 1.3  Set Google as your web browser's homepage (If you have DEFAULT HOMEPAGE ticked)




Fig 1.4  Click on the CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE button to continue

At this stage google has now sent out an email, to the email address you specified in Fig 1.2 above, asking you to verify that email address. This is done by clicking on a link within the google email. Once google is satisfied that you are the owner of that email address, because you were able to login to it of course, you should then click on the CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE link (above).

Do not click on the profile link that derives from the window that is opened when you confirm your email address - It will automatically log you into your Google Account, Profile section. You should close that window instead.

So the next step for you is to open that google email. It will have the heading Google Email Verification, be about 3KB in size and be from accounts-verification-noreply@google.com. It should also be inside your Inbox folder, but if not check inside your Junk Mail folder.

When you have opened the email click on the Email Address Verification link, that is inside the message, in order to verify your email address. Once that is done come back to the Email Verification window (Fig 1.4 above) and click on its CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE button to continue.

All you have done so far is create the Google Account, even though you thought you were signing up for the Google Analytics Account. It is only after clicking on the CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE button (above) that you are then taken to the proper SIGN UP button (below). This was all because you needed a valid email address in order to sign up for a Google Account. Now that has been done, and you have clicked on the CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE button (above), you can now proceed to sign up for the Google Analytics Account.

Fig 1.5  Click on the SIGN UP button to continue

After clicking on the SIGN UP button (above) you are taken to the registration form for Google Analytics sign up. Although the form is split into four, easy to fill in, sections only the first three can be filled in. The last section involves copying the Tracking Code into each of your web pages.

The first section asks which website you want tracking (analyzing) and to give the account a name. By default the account name is the name of your website (i.e. www.websitecreationhelp.com) but you can change this if you want (i.e. to Website Creation Help). The second section asks for minor contact details. And the third section asks you to sign the Terms Of Service agreement.

Fig 1.6  Enter the website you want tracking (analyzing) and then click on the CONTINUE button




Fig 1.7  Select your Country or Territory and then click on the CONTINUE button




Fig 1.8  Tick (Agree to) the Terms Of Service and then click on the CREATE NEW ACCOUNT button




Fig 1.9  Right click inside the CODE edit box, SELECT ALL of the code (script) and then COPY it

In Fig 1.9 above you need to right click anywhere inside the CODE edit box, to bring up the Options (context/pop-up) menu, and then left click on the SELECT ALL menu-item to select all of the code (script). When the code is selected right click anywhere over it, to bring up the Options menu again, but this time left click on the COPY menu-item to copy the code into memory (into the ClipBoard).

With the code now in memory all you need to do is paste it into each web page you want tracking (analyzing), immediately above the </body> command. In the meantime, scroll to the bottom of the code page and click on its FINISH button to complete the whole SIGN UP process.

Fig 1.10  Paste the Google Analytics tracking code (script) immediately above the </body> command

Only when you have pasted the code into each web page and then uploaded those web pages to your website will you be able to viewed your analyzed statistics. Note. Google may take time (i.e. 48 hours to a week) to properly analyze your web pages. So for now SIGN OUT of your account, wait a couple of days and then SIGN IN to your account to check your website's statistics. Sign in by going to http://www.google.com/analytics/.

Fig 1.11  Click on the VIEW REPORT link to review your Google Analytics (website statistics)

If you need to retrieve your tracking code, for whatever reason(s), first sign in to your Google Analytics account and then click on the EDIT link to the far right of the VIEW REPORT link. From there, click on the CHECK STATUS link, located at the top of the Main Website Profile Information window, to take you to the page with your tracking code on it. Then simply Copy & Paste the tracking code as described above.

To view your Google Analytics click on the VIEW REPORT link. It contains a wealth of information about your website and its visitors. Don't be put off by the amount of data, which can be overwhelming to a beginner, as the bulk of it is easy enough to understand. Just click on the links to the left of the page and see what data you can digest.