How To Setup Google Analytics for Shopify Store: Quick Guide
"I think this will work" rarely works in the world of e-commerce. If you really want to grow your Shopify store, you need to make decisions based on facts, not guesses.
If you want your online store to do well, you need to know how to use Shopify Google analytics. If you use Shopify to run an online store, you know that one of the hardest things to do is figure out how your customers use your store.
Store owners who have physical locations can ask them in person what they think of their products, layout, and the way they check out. But your customers use computers and could be thousands of miles away.
What is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free premium web analytics tool that can be used all over a website to track a variety of metrics. These include traffic, click-through rate, conversions, bounce rate, time on page, and a lot more.
This free tool gives business owners valuable information that will help them run a successful online store. If you have an online shopping store, you probably run different ads, work with influencers, and send out email campaigns. All of these marketing campaigns will lead back to your website.
You can also see all of your marketing funnels in one place with this important data analytics platform.
You'll be able to see total sales and average order value with a holistic view, and you'll also be able to make custom reports that focus on the metrics that are most important to your business.
Why Should You Add Google Analytics If You Already Have Shopify Analytics?
You might think that the Shopify Analytics platform gives you all the data you need to make a good business decision.
But while this gives you a general idea of how well your store is doing, it doesn't give you everything you need to know to make the best business decisions.
On the Shopify Analytics dashboard, you can see your total sales, the average order value, and the rate of conversion. It also comes with reports that you don't have to set up from scratch.
For example, if you want to compare different sources of traffic or find out what kinds of devices people usually use to make purchases, you won't be able to do this unless you use Google Analytics.
Google Analytics for Shopify is a little harder to use than other tools, but it is the best way to see how customers use your online store as a whole.
You can get the information you need to divide your customers into more effective marketing funnels and make marketing campaigns that grow with your business.
Google Analytics gives you all of this information for free. If you want to get more reports from Shopify, you'll have to switch to a more expensive plan.
How to Add Google Analytics to Shopify?
If you are new to marketing, setting up Shopify Google Analytics can be a little scary. To make things easier, we've laid out each step of the process below.
#1 Create Google Account For Shopify Store
If you already have Gmail, you can log in to Google Analytics with the same account. If you don't already use Google products, you should sign up for a Google account.
However, if you already have a Google account yourself, you should make a separate one for your online store. This way, you can keep your business emails separate from your personal emails.
After making a Google account, you need to make an Analytics account.
#2 Create Google Analytics Account
Do know that there are two types of Google Analytics before you start setting up your account:
Universal Analytics: Analytics as it was in the past.
Google Analytics 4: The newest version of Analytics lets you look at data in more detail, including measuring across devices, predicting product demand with AI, and more.
Shopify doesn't yet work with Google Analytics 4, which is too bad. Make sure you create Google's Universal Analytics property until they do so that everything works well. And don't worry, the "old" Analytics has plenty of power to help you understand your customers and boost your sales!
Follow this guide to set up a Shopify Google Analytics account, and when you're done, move on to Step 3.
#3 Enable Google Analytics
Shopify store owners can sometimes turn on Google Analytics more than once. This gives you wrong information about how well your store is doing. So, make sure this isn't the case for you before you move on to Step 3.
There are two types to find out if Google Analytics is already set up:
Click Online store > Preferences in your Shopify admin. See if there is nothing in the Google Analytics box. If you see a code that starts with UA-, it means that Google Analytics for Shopify is already set up.
Go to Themes > Actions > Edit code in your Shopify admin. Then, click/theme.liquid in the Layout section. Look for tags with names like ga.js, gtag.js, dc.js, or analytics.js. If you see any of these, it means you have Google Analytics.
If you have already turned on Google Analytics, skip to Step 4. If not, keep on reading!
How to enable Shopify Google Analytics
1. You need to make a Universal Analytics property in the tool. To do this, add Google Analytics to Shopify. Sign in to your Google Analytics account from your web browser using the Gmail account you'll be using for your online store.
2. Create an account for Analytics. Create a name for your account and make sure the right boxes are checked in the Account Data Sharing Settings.
3. Click Next to go to property setup.
4. Type in the name of your property and pick your time zone and currency.
5. Click Show Advanced Options.
6. Make a property for Universal Analytics.
7. Remember that Google automatically sets up Google Analytics 4 properties. These properties are not compatible with Shopify at the moment, so make sure you choose Universal Analytics.
8. Click Next.
9. Choose the right settings for your Shopify store in the "About your business" section.
10. Click Create.
11. Read and agree to the terms of condition and service.
12. You'll see a message that says "Success," and Google will ask you which Email notifications you want (if you want any).
13. Copy your Tracking ID (the Universal Analytics property). The number is the one that starts with UA-.
14. Open a new tab and go to your Shopify admin.
15. Go to the Online store and click on Preferences.
16. Put your Tracking ID in the box next to Google Analytics (the number that starts with UA-).
17. All done! Your Shopify store is now set up to use Google Analytics.
18. Keep in mind that Google Analytics won't show you any data until your Shopify store is no longer password protected.
19. All done! Now you know how to add Google Analytics to Shopify site. Google Analytics may take up to 24 hours to start gathering information about the customers who come to your store.
#4 Enable eCommerce Tracking Code
When you use eCommerce tracking codes, you can learn more about how your customers use your site. There are two different ways to use tracking codes for eCommerce.
Basic Ecommerce Tracking
Using a confirmation landing page, you can keep track of transaction and revenue data.
How to set up GA for Basic Ecommerce Tracking:
1. Open Google Analytics.
2. Go to Ecommerce Settings by clicking Admin Settings View.
3. Click the button that says "Enable Ecommerce."
Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking
Before a user buys something, keep track of every page they visit. This means keeping track of what a user looks at on different product pages, what they put in their cart, and whether or not they buy something or send it back.
How to enable Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking:
1. Open the Shopify admin page.
2. Go to Preferences by clicking Online store.
3. Make sure the Use Enhanced Ecommerce button is turned on in the Google Analytics section and click "Save."
4. Open Google Analytics.
5. Go to Ecommerce Settings by clicking Admin Settings View.
6. Turn on the button of Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking.
Conclusion
In a few steps, you can add Google Analytics to Shopify store. First, open Google Analytics, go to Admin, click Tracking info, and copy your Tracking ID (the number that starts with UA-).
Then, go to your Shopify admin, click Online store, and go to Preferences. Copy your Tracking ID from preferences and paste it to the box for Google Analytics.