By Jeff StarrGA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress Plugin
Adds Google Analytics 4 tracking code to your WordPress site. Supports many tracking features.
Connects Google Analytics to WordPress
Easily add Google Analytics 4 to your web pages
This plugin enables Google Analytics for your entire WordPress site. Lightweight and fast with plenty of great features.
Enable Google Analytics 4
Steps to enable Google Analytics 4:
- Follow this guide to create a GA4 account
- During account creation, you’ll get a tracking (measurement) ID
- Add your new tracking ID to the plugin setting, “GA Tracking ID”
- Select “GA4” for the plugin setting, “Tracking Method”
Save changes and done. Wait 24-48 hours before viewing collected data in your GA account.
GA Tracking Options
Here are the tracking methods available with this plugin:
- GA4 / Google Analytics 4 (default)
- Universal Analytics (deprecated)
- Legacy Tracking (deprecated)
Note: GA4 is recommended. Google has deprecated/disabled all other tracking options.
GA Feature Support
- Supports Google Analytics 4
- Supports Display Advertising
- Supports Enhanced Link Attribution
- Supports IP Anonymization
- Supports Force SSL
- Supports Google Optimize
- Supports Tracker Objects (Universal Analytics)
- Supports User Opt-Out (Universal Analytics)
Also supports tracking links and conversions via the Custom Code setting. Learn more about Google Analytics.
Features
- Blazing fast performance
- Does one thing and does it well
- Drop-dead simple and easy to use
- Regularly updated and “future proof”
- Stays current with the latest tracking code
- Includes tracking code in header or footer
- Includes tracking code on all WordPress web pages
- Includes option to add your own custom markup
- Sleek plugin Settings page with toggling panels
- Option to disable tracking of admin-level users
- Option to enable page tracking in the Admin Area
- Works with or without Gutenberg Block Editor
- Easy to customize the tracking code
- More features available in the Pro version »
This is a lightweight plugin that inserts the required GA tracking code. To view your site statistics, visit your Google Analytics account.
Pro Version
GA Google Analytics Pro includes the same features as the free version, PLUS the following:
- Visitor Opt-Out Box (frontend UI)
- Configure multiple tracking codes
- Live Preview of all tracking codes
- Choose location of multiple tracking codes
- Supports Custom Code in header or footer
- Disable tracking of all logged-in users
- Disable Tracking for any Post IDs, User Roles, Post Types
- Disable Tracking for Search Results and Post Archives
- Display Opt-Out Box automatically or via shortcode
- Complete Inline Help/Documentation
- Priority plugin help and support
Learn more and get GA Pro »
Privacy
User Data: This plugin does not collect any user data. Even so, the tracking code added by this plugin is used by Google to collect all sorts of user data. You can learn more about Google Privacy here.
Cookies: This plugin uses simple cookies for the visitor Opt-Out Box to remember user preference for opt-in or out of Google Analytics.
Services: This plugin does not connect to any third-party locations or services, but it does enable Google to collect all sorts of data.
GA Google Analytics is developed and maintained by Jeff Starr, 15-year WordPress developer and book author.
Support development
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can make a donation or purchase one of my books:
- The Tao of WordPress
- Digging into WordPress
- .htaccess made easy
- WordPress Themes In Depth
- Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
- BBQ Pro – Super fast WordPress firewall
- Blackhole Pro – Automatically block bad bots
- Banhammer Pro – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys
- GA Google Analytics Pro – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics
- Simple Ajax Chat Pro – Unlimited chat rooms
- USP Pro – Unlimited front-end forms
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂
Installation
How to install the plugin
- Upload the plugin to your blog and activate
- Visit the settings to configure your options
After configuring your settings, you can verify that GA tracking code is included by viewing the source code of your web pages.
Note: this plugin adds the required GA code to your web pages. In order for the code to do anything, it must correspond to an active, properly configured Google Analytics account. Learn more at the Google Analytics Help Center.
More info on installing WP plugins »
How to use the plugin
To enable Google Analytics tracking (GA4) on your site, follow these steps:
- Follow this guide to create a GA 4 account
- During account creation, you’ll get a tracking (measurement) ID
- Add your new tracking ID to the plugin setting, “GA Tracking ID”
- Select “GA4” for the plugin setting, “Tracking Method”
- Configure any other plugin settings as desired (optional)
Save changes and done. After 24-48 hours, you can log into your Google Analytics account and view your site statistics.
* Notes:
The “Tracking ID” also may be referred to as “Measurement ID”, “Property ID”, or “Tag ID”.
Also note that it can take 24-48 hours after adding the tracking code before any analytical data appears in your Google Analytics account. To check that the GA tacking code is included properly, examine the source code of your web pages. Learn more at the Google Analytics Help Center.
Upgrading Analytics
Google Analytics tracking methods change over time. First there was urchin.js, then ga.js, analytics.js, and then gtag.js. Now there is the latest and greatest, “GA4” (Google Analytics 4). If you are using an older version (anything other than GA4) and want to upgrade, check out this upgrade guide from Google.
Plugin Upgrades
To upgrade GA Google Analytics, remove the old version and replace with the new version. Or just click “Update” from the Plugins screen and let WordPress do it for you automatically.
Note: uninstalling the plugin from the WP Plugins screen results in the removal of all settings from the WP database.
For more information, visit the GA Plugin Homepage.
Restore Default Options
To restore default plugin options, either uninstall/reinstall the plugin, or visit the plugin settings > Restore Default Options.
Uninstalling
GA Google Analytics cleans up after itself. All plugin settings will be removed from your database when the plugin is uninstalled via the Plugins screen. Your collected GA data will remain in your Google account.
Pro Version
Want more control over your GA Tracking codes? With awesome features like Opt-Out Box and Code Previews? Check out GA Pro »
Like the plugin?
If you like GA Google Analytics, please take a moment to give a 5-star rating. It helps to keep development and support going strong. Thank you!
Screenshots
GA Google Analytics: Plugin Settings (default)
GA Google Analytics: Plugin Settings (expanded)
FAQ
Check out the top of this page, first section provides the steps to add GA4 to your site.
This article should help to get a better idea of the changes: History of Google Analytics
If you check the source code of your pages and don’t see the GA tracking code, check the following:
- Check that your theme includes the hooks,
wp_headandwp_footer - If you are using a caching plugin, try clearing the cache
If the GA tracking code still is not displayed, most likely there is interference from another plugin or theme. In this case, the best way to resolve the issue is to do some basic WordPress troubleshooting.
You need to wait 24-48 hours (or longer) for Google to collect some data. Just takes time for Googlebot to crawl your pages, collect and process data, etc. For more information, check out the Google Analytics Help Center.
Yes, you can use the gap_custom_code filter hook.
Here are the steps:
- Enable Universal Analytics in the plugin settings
- Add the Optimize plugin (e.g.,
ga('require', 'GTM-XXXXXX');) to the setting, “Custom GA Code” - Add the Page Hiding (flicker) snippet to the setting, “Custom <head> Code”
- Enable the setting, “Custom <head> Location”
Done! You can view the source code of your web pages to verify the results.
More info about Google Optimize.
Here are the steps:
- Add the following code to the plugin setting, “Custom Code”:
<script>window['ga-disable-UA-XXXXX-Y'] = true;</script> - Check the box to enable the setting, “Custom Code Location”.
Done! You can view the source code of your web pages to verify the results.
By default the plugin includes the auto parameter in the tracking code:
ga('create', 'GA-123456789000', 'auto'); However some tracking techniques (such as Site Speed Sample Rate) require replacing the auto parameter. To do it:
First disable the auto parameter by adding the following code to WordPress functions or custom plugin:
// GA Google Analytics - Disable auto parameter function ga_google_analytics_enable_auto($enable) { return false; } add_filter('ga_google_analytics_enable_auto', 'ga_google_analytics_enable_auto'); Now that auto is disabled, you can replace it with your own parameter(s). For example, to implement Universal Analytics Site Speed Sample Rate, enter the following code in the plugin setting “Custom Tracker Objects”:
{'siteSpeedSampleRate': 100} Save changes and done. The resulting tracking code will now look like this:
ga('create', 'GA-123456789000', {'siteSpeedSampleRate': 100}); So can adjust things as needed to add any parameters that are required.
- Add to “Custom Tracker Objects” setting:
{ 'anonymize_ip': true } - Save changes and done.
To ask a question, suggest a feature, or provide feedback, contact me directly. Learn more about Google Analytics.
Changelog
Thank you to everyone who shares feedback for GA Google Analytics!
If you like GA Google Analytics, please take a moment to give a 5-star rating. It helps to keep development and support going strong. Thank you!
New Pro version available! Check out GA Pro »
20240701
- Fixes bug with
dismiss_notice_link - Deprecates Universal Tracking (more info)
- Improves/updates plugin settings page
- Improves/updates plugin documentation
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.6 (beta)
Full changelog @ https://plugin-planet.com/wp/changelog/ga-google-analytics.txt