If you have a Ghost blog, you will want to analyze your traffic and find ways to expand your audience. Google Analytics can help with that, and it's easy to integrate with Ghost. Here is how to do it, step by step.
Let's dive in!
Before we dig in I want to show you something. I promise it's worth it...
Google Analytics is great, but also complex and a bit clunky. If you just want a straightforward dashboard with the insights you need, GA is not a great place to start. Additionally, Google doesn't care about privacy and GA requires an annoying cookie banner.
That's why I built Simple Analytics, a privacy-friendly and simple analytics tool - no personal data, no cookies, just the insights you need in a straightforward dashboard.
Here is how it looks vs GA. Feel free to check our live analytics to get an idea for your project. (It is free btw)
All right, enough about us. Now let's get into answering your question!
Setting up Google Analytics
- Create a GA Account: if you don't have a Google Analytics account, you'll need to create one. Visit the Google Analytics website and sign up. Once you have an account, create a new property for your Ghost blog.
- Obtain Your Tracking Code: Inspect your property to retrieve your GA tracking code. The tracking code is a JavaScript snippet provided by Google Analytics when you set up your property. It links your website to your Analytics account.
Adding Google Analytics
- Log in to your Ghost admin panel.
- Navigate to Code Injection: In the Ghost admin panel, find the 'Settings' menu, and under it, locate the 'Code Injection' section. This feature allows you to add custom JavaScript code to your site.
- In the Code Injection section, paste your Google Analytics tracking code into the 'Site Header' box.
- Save the Changes.
- (Optional) Create New Properties: To track multiple blogs, create new GA properties and use the corresponding tracking code. This prevents GA from conflating the data.
Verify the Integration
To ensure that the integration is successful, visit your Google Analytics dashboard. Check the real-time reports to see if it's recording visits to your site.
Final Thoughts
Adding Google Analytics to your blog can give you great insights. However, ask yourself: is Google Analytics the right tool for you?
GA is an overpowered solution for straightforward analytics. If you're looking for a simple and intuitive dashboard with the insights you need, there are better alternatives. Yes, I’m talking about my own product (Simple Analytics), but there are others out there as well.
I hated using Google Analytics for my projects. It's clunky, there are hundreds of dashboards and it doesn't look appealing. Also Google doesn't care about privacy or ethics. That's why I decided to build my own and more intuitive web analytics tool.
If this resonates with you, feel free to give Simple Analytics a spin. You just need to add the script to your blog and off you go. This takes about one minute- and there is a free version as well!
Enjoy!