Are you looking to add Google Analytics to WordPress? Want to know how people are finding your site, which blog posts are most popular, or how many of your visitors are using mobile devices?
All of that and much more can be easily found using Google Analytics and MonsterInsights.
In this article, we’ll show you how to add Google Analytics to your WordPress site using MonsterInsights, the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress.
Add Google Analytics to WordPress without Coding
Google Analytics and WordPress: The Basics
Google Analytics can measure many different metrics on a WordPress website. You can turn WordPress into just about any kind of website, and Google Analytics can track it.
The way you use Google Analytics will differ depending on what kind of website you have.
If you have a blog, maybe you’re most interested in which posts people are reading, how they found the posts (on social media? via Google search?), and if they’re clicking on ads or affiliate links.
If you have a business website, on the other hand, maybe you’re most interested in how many people are filling out your forms, how they’re finding your website, and which of your services are the most popular.
To add Google Analytics to any website to track your visitors’ behavior, you need to install the tracking code. The code should be placed just before the closing </head> tag in your header. For many people, this is not easy to do. Most WordPress website owners aren’t developers and don’t know how to work with code!
That’s where MonsterInsights comes in. Not only does the plugin make adding Google Analytics to WordPress a breeze with zero coding, but it also adds crucial tracking features to help you understand how people are using your website.
MonsterInsights seamlessly integrates with Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 (GA4), giving you the ability to use whichever version you have running, or both with our Dual Tracking feature.
Video Tutorial
How to Add Google Analytics to WordPress
- Step 1: Download MonsterInsights
- Step 2: Sign in to Google
- Step 3: Create Google Analytics Property
- Step 4: Set up MonsterInsights
- Step 5: Set up Dual Tracking
- Step 6: Adjust Enhanced Measurement & Data Retention Settings
Step 1: Download MonsterInsights
Normally, you’d have to insert your Google Analytics tracking code into your WordPress website’s code.
But with MonsterInsights, you don’t need to worry about using any code.
MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics (both Universal Analytics and GA4), so you can view all the data that matters most right in your WordPress dashboard.
Plus, with the click of a button, you can set up sophisticated tracking features such as event tracking, eCommerce tracking, form tracking, custom dimension tracking, outbound link tracking, and more.
To get started, head to the Pricing page and choose the license level that’s best for your tracking needs. Once your license is active, download the plugin zip file from your account page.
Step 2: Sign In to Google
Now, you need to log in or sign up for a Google account.
To get started, you’ll need to open the Google Analytics website and click the Sign in to Analytics link or Start for free button in the top right corner of the page.
Next, you can log in to your existing Google account if you have one, or click the Create account link to create a new Google account.
Step 3: Create a Google Analytics Property
After you’ve signed in to your Google account, click the Start measuring button on the next screen. 
Now, you’ll need to enter the Account name for your Google Analytics account. You’ll also see different data sharing settings, make sure you check all the boxes and then click Next.
Now, you’ll have to enter the property details of your website. Start by entering a name, select a reporting time zone, and currency.
To set up a GA4 property, enter your property name, then choose your time zone and currency. Click Next.
Fill in the rest of the business information, then scroll down and click Create.
You may see a popup at this point to accept the Google Analytics Terms of Service. Go ahead and check the checkbox and click I Accept.
That’s it! You’re now signed up for Google Analytics. Next, we’ll add Google Analytics to WordPress.
Step 4: Set up MonsterInsights
Navigate to the site where you want to install MonsterInsights and go to the WordPress admin dashboard.
Then navigate to Plugins » Add New and click the Upload Plugin button at the top.
On the next screen, you can click the Choose File button to select the zip file you downloaded in step one. Then click the Install Now button to upload the file and install the plugin on your site.
Once the plugin has been uploaded and installed, you can click the Activate Plugin button to activate it on your site.
After the plugin is activated, the plugin setup wizard will open to guide you through the setup process step by step.
At first, you’ll see the ‘Welcome to MonsterInsights!’ message and options to choose the category of your website. There’re 3 options: Business website, Publisher (Blog), and eCommerce.
Select a category that best describes your website, and then click ‘Save and Continue’ button.
If you want to skip the setup wizard, for now, you can click ‘Exit Setup’ button at the top.
In the next screen, you’ll need to connect MonsterInsights plugin to your website by providing your license key.
You can find your MonsterInsights license key in your email receipt or account area on the plugin website.
Once you enter your license key, it’ll verify your account, and then you can click on the ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ button.
After that, you’ll see an option to connect your Google Analytics with your MonsterInsights account. Select your account to continue authentication.
Next, you’ll need to allow MonsterInsights the proper permissions.
After that, you’ll need to pick a profile to complete the connection. If you’ve multiple websites connected to your Google Analytics account, then you’ll need to choose the right website property here.
Choose your profile, and then click the ‘Complete Connection’ button.
After that, it’ll finalize the authentication process in a few seconds, and then take you back to your MonsterInsights setup page.
Now you can see recommended settings for the Google Analytics plugin.
This page includes some of the most important settings as the following:
- Events tracking – Enabled by default.
- Enhanced Link Attribution – Enabled by default.
- File Download Tracking – Most used file types (doc,exe,js,pdf,ppt,tgz,zip,xls) added by default.
As you scroll down, you’ll see more settings.
- Affiliate Link Tracking – It has 2 affiliate link paths added by default, and lets you add more affiliate link paths.
- Access to MonsterInsights Reports – You can choose who can see the MonsterInsights reports.
- Automatic Plugin Updates – You can enable or disable the option to install updates automatically.
Review and configure these recommended settings, and then click the ‘Save and Continue’ button at the end.
On the next screen, you’ll see options for even more tracking options, addons, and helpful plugins.
The first four items are:
- Standard Analytics & Reports – The standard MonsterInsights reports you’ll get in your WordPress dashboard.
- Enhanced Link Attribution – Can help you see where users are clicking on your site.
- All in One SEO Toolkit – The best WordPress SEO plugin that integrates with MonsterInsights
- Smart Form Builder by WPForms – The most popular WordPress form builder plugin
When you scroll down, you’ll find even more options:
- Privacy Compliance Addon – Helps Google Analytics become compliant for GDPR, CCPA, and more
- Advanced Reports – Get access to advanced reports inside MonsterInsights, such as search keywords, a real-time report, publishers and eCommerce reports, and more
- eCommerce Tracking – Instantly enable eCommerce tracking
- 20+ Advanced Tracking – Even more advanced tracking, such as author tracking, form conversion tracking, scroll tracking, and more
- Advanced Growth Tools – Get access to our campaign URL builder, popular posts addon, and A/B testing integration.
- Media Tracking – Enable embedded video tracking. See how many times videos are watched, how far they were watched on average, and more.
After that, you’ll see a new screen with this message ‘Awesome, You’re All Set!’. It means the setup process is complete, and you’ve successfully installed Google Analytics in your WordPress site.
Step 5: Set up Dual Tracking
Now, you’ll be able to set up dual tracking if you have both a Universal Analytics property and a GA4 property. Setting up dual tracking will bring in all your historical data from Universal Analytics, while giving you the benefits of Google Analytics 4.
On the main Settings page, scroll down to Google Authentication and find the Dual Tracking Profile box. Here, you can input either your Universal Analytics Tracking ID or your GA4 Measurement ID, whichever one you didn’t authenticate with in the setup wizard.
Step 6: Adjust Enhanced Measurement & Data Retention Settings
Turn Off Enhanced Measurement
If you created your own Data Stream in GA4 (instead of letting MonsterInsights create one automatically), then you’ll need to turn off Enhanced Measurement. To do that, go to Admin » Data Streams, then click on your data stream:
Now, click on the switch to turn off Enhanced measurement.
After clicking the switch, a message will pop up asking if you’re sure you want to turn it off. Click Turn off.
Make sure you don’t have enhanced measurement on! MonsterInsights adds a lot of custom enhanced tracking, and leaving this on can actually result in skewed, incorrect data.
Change Data Retention Settings
By default, your data retention settings will be set to 2 months. If you want to be able to use your data in custom reports beyond 2 months (which most people do), go to Admin » Data Settings » Data Retention:
Now, use the dropdown to change your settings to 14 months:
That’s it! You’ve successfully added Google Analytics to WordPress the right way.
View Your Google Analytics Metrics in Your Dashboard
As we mentioned above, it can take a few hours for Google Analytics to start collecting data. Wait for some time, and then you’ll be able to view your WordPress website reports right inside your WordPress dashboard.
A quick summary of the website analytics report is available in MonsterInsights’ dashboard widget.
To view the full reports, you’ll need to visit Insights » Reports from your dashboard. There, you’ll see the overview report first.
Then, you can view all the other reports by clicking on the tabs/links at the top of the report. Here’re just a few types of data you can track using MonsterInsights’ plugin:
- Top landing pages: Which landing pages are most popular on your site
- Link and button click tracking: Which links and buttons are getting the most clicks
- Search console report: What keywords people are using to come to your site
- Forms tracking: Which forms are getting the most impressions and submissions
Also, you can track advanced metrics like eCommerce transactions and custom dimensions easily with MonsterInsights.
In conclusion, MonsterInsights makes it super easy to add Google Analytics to WordPress, set up advanced tracking, make your site GDPR compliant, and view reports.
Add Google Analytics to WordPress without Coding
We hope this tutorial helped you to set up Google Analytics with MonsterInsights. You may also want to see our guide on is MonsterInsights worth it and how to add a simple contact form to WordPress.
If you liked this article, then please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for more free tutorials, reviews, and Google Analytics tips.
Excellent! Easy to follow instructions—even for technically inept people like me.
Thanks for posting this; it was really helpful!
I’m so glad I found this! I was getting very frustrated! Thanks
Thank you, Candy! Glad you found it helpful 🙂 Feel free to check out WPBeginner for more beginner-friendly WordPress tutorials!
Excited try this, but at the last step it won’t let me select my website. It’ll only let me select the alternative which is All Web Site…..
Hi there,
That’s the correct view. The default Google view for a website is called “All Website Data”. The heading name of the website is there for users who have more than 1 Google view per property and more than 1 property to help them separate their Google view/properties
Hello MonsterInsights Team,
I just try this plugin and setup very well in my website by reading this tutorial. It is really useful and working correctly.
Thank you.
Thank you, G.P.! Glad you found it useful! You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Google Analytics and MonsterInsights tutorials if you like 🙂
I really appreciate this very complete step-by-step explanation…unusual to get something this good…thank you.
Thanks so much, Christian! Glad you found it useful 🙂 If you like, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more step-by-step tutorials.
Do i need to manually add google analytics tracking code script to my wordpress site ?
Hi Dilan! Nope, if you follow this tutorial and use MonsterInsights, there’s no need to manually add the tracking code. MonsterInsights handles all that for you, so there’s no need to touch any code.
What happens if you already have GA tracking code implemented on your site? Do you need to remove it? If so, do you lose your historical data?
Hi there,
Yes you’ll want to remove it. Your historical data is tied to your Google Analytics profile not the actual tracking code, so MonsterInsights will be reporting it’s Google Analytics data into the same place. Thus your historical data will be just fine, and from the point of view of Google Analytics’s reports, the newly collected data will go to the same place as your “historical” data, so on reports like session count it will appear as if nothing changed; the biggest change you will notice is you will be able to get more reporting out of Google, for example in the Top Events area we’ll start adding the outbound link click events (if you have that feature turned on) for example.
-Chris
Perfect!!! So glad to have found this and as usual, you guys rocked it! Thanks 🙂
Thanks for the explanation, but I still have one concern, if you can help me out. After we successfully set up your plugin, can we normally add new pages on our website? I mean, is the tracking code automatically inserted in all pages that we create after we installed MI plugin?
Thanks
MonsterInsights automatically outputs the tracking code on all pages/posts created before and after install of the plugin.
And just one question. We have installed the code with MI plugin last week, and I thought that it worked normally. But now I see that we still can’t see age and gender reports. I clicked and confirmed all the needed things in property settings, but still nothing. In the code there is “displayfeatures” line, can this be the reason? I read that this line is not necessary anymore since it can just be toggled in property settings. Any help?
Thanks
Harry,
To track more information of your visitors like gender and age, you’ll need to enable demographics and interests report in Google Analytics.
If I already have Google Analytics setup on my website and am using another plugin for e-commerce tracking, can I just uninstall those plugins and install yours?
Of course! Make sure to remove other Analytics plugin while using MonsterInsights. Otherwise, Analytics may double track your traffic.
You should also try our eCommerce addon, which gives you all the data you need to optimize your eCommerce store for conversions.
If I use your plugin to acquire the tracking code, who owns the google tracking code? Would I have access to the data accumulated to that traffic code (on the google analytics website) if for any reason I choose to delete the plugin? Or would I only have access to the data through my WP dashboard, and only as long as I have your plugin active and installed?
Hey Yaron,
Thanks for your interest in MonsterInsights and letting us know your concerns. If you decide to uninstall the plugin in future, you can still access your previous tracking data in Google Analytics. It won’t disappear.
If you want, you can then set up Analytics natively and continue tracking your site without any issues. But you’ll definitely miss the cool tracking features MonsterInsights provides.
I need free monst..
Hi Hussein – you can grab the free version of MonsterInsights (MonsterInsights Lite) here.
I guess it took about 15 minutes before the code started to appear in the source code. It seems to be working now. Thanks for a great plugin guys!
Jain,
Happy to see that you liked the plugin. Thanks!
I am setting Monster Insights up for a client now and would like to know what I need the client to do on his end in order for me to authenticate the account. I have full access to the WordPress dashboard but not his GA account.
Hi there,
You will need to have your client give you access to their GA account to do this. Google has a very flexible and straightforward permission management system for Google Analytics, so they can add you to the GA property relatively easily. They’ll want to follow this guide here: https://www.monsterinsights.com/docs/how-to-grant-user-access-in-google-analytics/
-Chris
Hi
My administrator has installed MI on my Word Press website and I have set up Google Analytics and authenticated MI with my Google Account.
I want to track outbound links clicked on my website. Do I simply look at the reports in Google Analytics or is there more that I need to do in MI on my website. Thanks
Hi there,
If you haven’t already you’ll want to turn on tracking for outbound links in MonsterInsights. Then you can view the results in Google Analytics following this guide if you’re a Lite user, and if you’re a Plus or Pro level MonsterInsights user, you can view the top links on on the brand new reporting dashboard for paid MonsterInsights users inside of WordPress on the Publisher Report.
Thanks
I’m trying to authenticate my monsterinsight but the popup at authentication doesn’t show the lower buttons (cancel and next, hence I’m stuck.
Hi there,
This is caused by a plugin conflict. If you can get in touch with us on our contact page, we’ll be happy to get you sorted out
-Chris
It seems there is no way to get a UA anymore. All new properties are automatically v4. There is no option for universal compatibility anymore?
Hi Brad,
You can still get UA property by enabling the option “Create a Universal Property only”, found under the advanced options when creating a new property. Here’s our step by step guide on how to do this: https://www.monsterinsights.com/how-to-add-a-property-in-google-analytics/
A question: does it matter if I checked Create both a v4 and a Universal Tracking id? I’m asking because it’s been more than 24 hours, and I’m still not getting any data. It’s my first time setting anything up anything like this, so I’m probably doing something silly.
Hi Simon,
You can create both v4 and UA IDs 🙂
As for Google Analytics not showing any data, it could be possible that the tracking code might not be correctly set up. You can check out this article: https://www.monsterinsights.com/when-google-analytics-is-wrong-how-to-fix-common-inaccuracies/
Let us know if you have more questions or feel free to reach out to our support team for further assistance.
I did everything exactly as stated in the tutorial and it’s over 24 hours and the report isn’t showing
Hi David,
Thanks for stopping by the blog. If you’re still having this issue, please reach out to our support team for help resolving it.
I am setting up analytics for a new website. Do I need to install GA3 after installing GA4?
Hey Chris! Thanks for your question. If it’s a new website, we’d advise to only set up GA4.
This video is great,. I’ve had monsterinsights for a few years now but needed to setup GA4. I have followed your steps, however all of my previous data has now disappeared?
Hi Natalie,
Your Universal Analytics data will not be moved over into your GA4 property – to see it, you’ll have to open Google Analytics and go back into your Universal Analytics property. Google didn’t create any way of getting that old data moved over, so your GA4 property is like starting fresh without historical data.