Google Analytics is an essential tool for any website and therefore for your Shopify store. It allows you to track down several essential data for the management of your site. So how do you add it to your Shopify store? In this article, we’ll show you how to add and set up Google Analytics on Shopify.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is Google’s statistical system that allows you to know all the information about those who visit your site. These include the number of page views, the bounce rate, the means used by visitors to access your site (Smartphone, computer, tablet), their journey, etc. In other words, it is an audience analysis tool. It lets you know who your users are, what are they doing, have they converted? With Google Analytics Shopify, you’ll gain a better understanding of your business. You’ll know who your customers are, and what they do once they make it to your site.
How does Google Analytics Shopify work?
Lorsque vous créez un compte Google Analytics, vous recevez un code que vous allez mettre sur votre site web ou application. Nous verrons dans la suite comment trouver son code Google analytics ? Ce code se chargera donc de collecter des informations sur vos clients en y plaçant des cookies. Ces cookies contiennent de l’information de base. Cela vous aide à déterminer si le visiteur est déjà venu sur votre site ou s’il est nouveau. Ensuite, ces informations vont revenir sur Google Analytics qui à son tour va se charger de les traiter. Il s’agit des rapports d’audience, de comportement, d’acquisition, de conversion, etc.
Une fois ajouté à votre site web, Google Analytics vous permet de :
- mesurer les résultats de campagnes individuelles en temps réel,
- déterminer si le profil de vos visiteurs correspond avec votre cible : données démographiques des clients, langue, origine géographique, …
- suivre les taux de conversion,
- suivre les données de trafic,
- connaître la source de votre trafic,
- d’avoir des informations sur le pays d’origine de vos visiteurs,
- connaître le nombre de vos visiteurs convertis en clients,
- savoir si vos stratégies de marketing sont efficaces,
- etc.
Installer Google Analytics Shopify
To track down and improve the performance of your online store, here’s how to install Google Analytics Shopify. Being already an excellent e-commerce platform, you will make it even more efficient by proceeding with the installation. Here are the steps to follow.
Create an account on Google Analytics
To open your account, you must first have a Gmail address. If you don’t have one yet, please create one quickly. Once that’s done, head over to the official Google Analytics website. This is the first link that will appear in search results when you enter Google Analytics in your browser. Then click “Register” to begin your registration. Since you set it up to add it to your Shopify store, you will have to default to “Website”. In fact, we will ask what elements do you want to follow up on? You have the option to choose between Website or Mobile Application. In this case, it is called a “website”.
Next, you’ll name your account. For example, you can put the name of your company. After that, you will need to fill in the name of your website. Below, you will need to indicate your domain name. If you have an SSL certificate, it is very important that you check “https://”. In fact, on Google Analytics, it is “https://” that is mentioned by default. That’s why you shouldn’t forget to do it.
Subsequently, you can select an industry category offered by Google. You can also scroll to the bottom and select “Other” if no category is right for you. The most important thing is that you think about matching the time zone of your Google Analytics account with the one you have set up in the back office of your website.
Proceed to the creation of its identifier
When it comes to sharing the collected data, you can leave the options that Google has checked by default. These options may allow Google to suggest more relevant analytics to you. If you don’t want to, you can uncheck them.
Once the first step has passed, you must then create your username. This will allow you to track the behavior of visitors to your site. Before that, it will of course be necessary to accept the terms and conditions after reading them. After that, another page will appear with your Google analytics ID as well as your JavaScript fragment. Please select and copy it, then go to the back office of your Shopify.
Go to the back office of your Shopify store
Once you have access to the back office, go to the admin interface of your Shopify store. You will then click on “Online Store” and then on “Preferences”. Shopify facilitating the addition of Google Analytics, has a module for this purpose. Then paste the previously copied code into the reserved field, then click “Save”. Once this is done, you will see the Google Analytics ID present within your back office. You’ve just added Google Analytics to your Shopify store. It may take 24 or 48 hours to see the first statistics.
Once you install the Analytics tracking code, data such as user characteristics, information about traffic generated, navigation information will not automatically appear in your reports. However, you can check how website tracking works at the same time.
Make sure page tracking has started
It is wise that you make sure that the tracking of your pages has started. To do this, you can use one of the Google Analytics reports. This is the real-time report. Within this, you even have the option to choose the location. This will allow you to see visits to your website in real time. With these reports, you have the ability to monitor user activity as it occurs.
Understand the Google Analytics Shopify interface
Google Analytics Shopify consists of the Home, Reports, Personalization, and Administration section.
Sections
In the “Home” section, you have a list of all your Google Analytics accounts with the properties as well as views associated with the property. In the “Reports” section, you have all your data organized into reports. On the navigation bar on the left, you have several tabs. The first is the “Dashboard” tab which contains all the dashboards you have created. You have the option to import or even share them. These tables will allow you to track data that is relevant and essential to your business. There is for example the E-commerce dashboard, SEO performance, site performance, etc.
Then there is the “Shortcuts” tab where you can add the reports you view most often. You will then find the “Alert Events” that can alert you for example when you have a drop in your traffic. Then there is the “Real Time” tab. In this tab, you will be able to see the activity of your site in real time: active pages, referring sites, etc. You receive a lot of data about your traffic in real time.
Categories
On the Google Analytics interface, you have four categories of analytics reports. The first type of report is related to the Audience: who is your audience and what are its characteristics? (age, gender, interests, etc.). The Acquisition category allows you to know where your visitors come from? Do they come through search engines? You will be able to get all this information. Then there is the Behavior category that will let you know what visitors are doing on your site. This way, you will know which pages are the most visited on your site. The last category is the “Conversions” category. This will allow you to follow the goals you have previously set for yourself.
In the “Personalization” section, you will be able to create, manage, and access your custom reports. These are analytics reports that you create yourself based on the data you find relevant. In the “Administration” section, you’ll see your properties, Google Analytics accounts, and settings for each account. You also have tracking information as well as other information. There you will find all the settings that allow you to customize your Google Analytics account and use it more efficiently.
How do I use Google Analytics Shopify?
You can find several relevant pieces of information on Google Analytics Shopify.
Get insights about your audience
You can use Google Analytics Shopify to find out how your customers find you and what keywords did they search for? Google Analytics also allows you to view statistics about the number of users who visit your site. You can even determine on the site how many times on average users return and the average time they spent on the site. In addition, you even have the possibility to have access to certain demographic data such as age and gender. This will be useful for you to know your audience.
Track and analyze your conversion rate
The conversion rate refers to the number of visitors who perform an action, that is, who make a purchase. To measure the number of conversions, you can go to “Conversions” in the Administrator interface. This report compares the periods and shows the contribution of different traffic sources in the conversion of your site. To optimize your conversion data, you can use some performance tests.
Analyze your performance on the site
When you use the “Behaviors” and “Conversions” reports, you will find all the information essential to the analysis of the actions that visitors perform once on your site. How long do they stay? How many of those who visit leave before they even click on another page? Do they sign up for your newsletters or check your pricing page? In this way, you will be able to determine if your previously defined business objectives are achieved. This will allow you to better understand where your traffic is coming from. Thus, you will be able to work on it in a more targeted way.
Monitor bounce rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who only click on one page before leaving your site. This rate does not depend on the time the visitor spends on the site. For example, on some sites, the content may not satisfy a visitor, who nevertheless visits several pages, but does not find what he is looking for. On the other hand, on other sites, the visitor can stay for a long time on the page that interests him and will not necessarily visit another because he would have already obtained the information that interests him. In the “Behavior” tab, you will be able to monitor your bounce rate for each page.
Understanding visitor behavior
Understanding the behavior of those who visit your site allows you to have a good conversion rate. The “Acquisition” tab lets you know where your visitors are coming from. By going into this report, you can track the evolution of traffic in real time to learn more about the growth of your site. In the real-time menu, you will see in real time those who visit your site, what pages are viewed, which keywords have been used, etc. Don’t forget to also explore the “Audience” menu to have information about your visitors such as:
- date of last visit,
- category of device used to navigate,
- date of acquisition,
- acquisition channel,
- etc.
Page load speed
Your site should not be slow to load. This could have negative repercussions, because the visitor will not be patient and will leave your site immediately. In the “Behavior” report more specifically in Site Speed and Page Load Time, you will have indications if there are any problems. There are several tools that can help you fix these issues in order to improve your site’s load time.
Understand the Google Analytics Shopify interface
Google Analytics Shopify consists of the Home, Reports, Personalization, and Administration section.
Sections
In the “Home” section, you have a list of all your Google Analytics accounts with the properties as well as views associated with the property. In the “Reports” section, you have all your data organized as reports. On the navigation bar on the left, you have several tabs. The first is the “Dashboard” tab which contains all the dashboards you have created.
Then there is the “Shortcuts” tab where you can add the reports you view most often. Then, there are the “Alert Events” that can alert you for example when you have a drop in your traffic. Then there is the “Real Time” tab. In this tab, you will be able to see the activity of your site in real time: active pages, referring sites, etc.
Categories
On the Google Analytics interface, you have four categories of analytics reports. The first type of reports is related to the Audience: who is your audience, what are its characteristics? The Acquisition category lets you know where your visitors are coming from. Then there is the Behavior category that will let you know what visitors are doing on your site. The last category is the “Conversions” category. This will allow you to follow your goals, that is to say those that you have previously set for yourself.
In the “Personalization” section, you will be able to create, manage, and access your custom reports. In the “Administration” section, you’ll see your properties, Your Google Analytics accounts, and the settings for each account.
