Add Google Analytics to Intranet

Adding GA to an intranet poses unique challenges compared to public websites, primarily due to the private nature of intranet environments and potential data privacy considerations. In this blog post, we'll guide you through the process of adding Google Analytics to your intranet, 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!

Can you spot the difference between the dashboards?

Challenges:

As we mentioned, implementing GA on your Intranet presents some unique challenges:

Data Privacy: Ensuring employee data privacy is crucial, especially in regions with strict data protection laws. Implementing GA on Intranet under the GDPR might be especially challenging, as employees are considered to be in a vulnerable position.
Internal IP Addresses: Tracking may be affected by internal IP configurations, requiring additional settings for accurate data collection.
Technical Integration: Depending on the intranet platform and infrastructure, integrating GA might require specific technical adjustments.

Set Up Google Analytics

First, you need to create a Google Analytics property for your intranet. If you're new to GA, here's how to start:

Create a Google Analytics Account: Visit the Google Analytics website and sign in with your Google account.
Set Up a New Property: Follow the instructions to create a new GA4 property. When asked for your website URL, enter your intranet's URL. Even if it's not publicly accessible, GA requires a URL to associate with the property.
Obtain Your Measurement ID: After setting up your property, note down the Measurement ID provided by Google Analytics.

Integrate Google Analytics with Your Intranet

The process of integrating GA into your intranet depends on the platform or CMS your intranet uses. Here’s a general approach:

Locate the GA Tracking Code: In your GA account, find the JavaScript tracking code snippet for your new property. This code should include your Measurement ID
Insert the Tracking Code: Paste the GA tracking code into the <head> tag of your intranet's HTML templates. If your intranet uses a content management system, look for options to add custom JavaScript or tracking codes in the CMS settings.
Consider User Privacy: Ensure that the use of GA complies with your organization's privacy policy and any relevant data protection regulations. Refer to your legal department for legal advice and consider presenting an opt-out option.

Configure GA for Intranet Tracking

To accurately track intranet activity and address potential challenges, consider the following configurations in your GA settings:

Filter Internal Traffic: If desired, create filters in GA to exclude traffic from certain internal IP addresses, focusing on specific departments or user groups.
Anonymize IP Addresses: Enable IP anonymization in GA to address privacy concerns, especially important in regions subject to GDPR or similar regulations (this is unnecessary for GA4 since the service no longer stores IP addresses).

Analyze Data and Optimize the Intranet

With GA integrated and properly configured, start analyzing the data collected to gain insights into intranet usage:

Review User Behavior Reports: Understand how users navigate through the intranet, which pages are most visited, and where users may encounter issues.
Optimize Intranet Structure: Use navigation and flow reports to streamline the intranet's structure, making important resources more accessible and improving the overall user experience.

Final Thoughts

Adding Google Analytics to your Intranet 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 and off you go. This takes about one minute- and there is a free version as well!

Enjoy!

Google Analytics Begrippenlijst