Trying to find an easy way to add Google Analytics to a WordPress multisite network? WordPress multisite offers a simple way to create and manage a network of sites from a single WordPress dashboard.
But when it comes to connecting to Google Analytics, it can be tricky for beginners. Besides that, adding the tracking code to each website can be a time-consuming task.
This is where ExactMetrics comes in handy. It sets up Google Analytics on all your website automatically and helps save time.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to add Google Analytics to WordPress multisite in just a few easy steps.
Issues with Adding Google Analytics to WordPress Multisite
Google Analytics is a great tool for getting data about how your WordPress multisite network is performing. But one of the drawbacks is how tedious it is to connect Google Analytics to your network.
If you have just a few websites in the network, setting up Google Analytics on each site one-by-one may not be much of a setback. But for website owners that have hundreds of sites in their network, this can be incredibly time-consuming.
Aside from that, most analytics plugins don’t support multisite tracking, so you have to manually add Google Analytics to each site. Plus, it requires editing code, which is difficult if you’re not a developer.
So, is there an easier way of adding Google Analytics to the WordPress multisite network?
The best and simplest way to link Google Analytics to a WordPress multisite network is with ExactMetrics. It’s the best premium WordPress Analytics plugin, and you can easily connect each site to your analytics at once. Best of all, you don’t have to deal with any code.
Let’s look at the steps for setting up Google Analytics on your multisite network.
How to Set Up Google Analytics on WordPress Multisite
The first thing you’ll need to do is sign up for a Google Analytics account to get started. Just follow these steps…
Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account
Go to the Google Analytics website and click the Start for free button.
On the next screen, you’ll have to log in using your Google account. If you don’t have one, click the Create account button to set up a new account.
Once you log in, you will see Google Analytics welcome screen. Next, click the Start measuring button.
Now enter your account details, starting with an Account Name. Then check all the boxes for Account Data Sharing Settings and click Next.
Google Analytics will now ask for your Property details. Enter a property name, which is your website. Then select a reporting time zone and currency. Once you’ve entered these details, click Show advanced options.
You’ll now have to enable the Create a Universal Analytics property option.
Next, enter the URL of your website under Website URL. This is your main website from which you’ll control other sites in the network. After that, select the Create a Universal Analytics property only option and click Next.
Google Analytics will now ask you to select an Industry category for your website. Next, choose a Business size and select how do you intend to use Google Analytics with your business (you can choose more than 1 option).
Click Create when you’ve entered these details.
After that, you’ll see a popup window with Google Analytics terms of service agreement. Make sure you check all the boxes and then click I Accept at the end of the window.
Google Analytics will then show you a tracking code that you’ll have to enter on your websites. Now, this requires coding, so skip this step for now because ExactMetrics will automatically setup Analytics for you.
Step 2: Add Other Websites in the Network to Google Analytics
Once you’ve created a Google Analytics account, the next thing to do is add your other websites in the multisite network to Analytics.
To start, log in to your account and then go to Admin (located in the bottom left corner).
Next, click the Create Account button. Now enter the details of your other websites, as shown in the first step.
You will have to enter all the websites that you have in your multisite network. Just repeat this step and enter the details of your sites until you’ve added all the websites.
Now let’s see how you can add Google Analytics tracking code to each site at once.
Step 3: Install and Activate ExactMetrics
ExactMetrics offers advanced tracking features and easy-to-read reports inside your WordPress dashboard. It helps you connect to Google Analytics in just a few minutes.
Do note that you’ll need the ExactMetrics Agency plan for setting up Google Analytics on a WordPress multisite network.
After purchasing the plugin, log into your ExactMetrics account, and select the Downloads tab.
Click the Download ExactMetrics button.
Next, log into your WordPress multisite network to install and activate the plugin.
Select Plugins » Add New and click on Upload Plugin near the top of the screen.
On the next screen, select the zip file you just downloaded from your ExactMetrics account.
To install it on your WordPress multisite network, click Install Now to upload the file.
Once uploaded, click Network Activate to activate the plugin across your entire network.
That’s it, ExactMetrics is now active throughout your WordPress multisite network!
Step 4: Add Google Analytics to WordPress Multisite
The next step is to verify your license key and add Google Analytics to WordPress multisite.
After activating ExactMetrics on your network, you’ll be taken to a welcome screen. Click the Launch the wizard button to begin the setup process.
You can also launch the setup wizard by navigating to ExactMetrics » Settings and clicking the Launch Setup Wizard button.
After launching the setup wizard, you’ll be prompted to select a category that describes your website. Select one and click Save and continue.
On the next screen, enter the ExactMetrics license key. You can find the key under the download tab in your account area.
Once your license key is verified, the setup wizard will help you connect Google Analytics to ExactMetrics. Click the Connect ExactMetrics button to start.
Now select a Google account to connect it to ExactMetrics. Make sure it’s the same account you used in the first step.
On the next screen, click Allow to give ExactMetrics the permissions it needs to connect to your Google account.
Next, select the Google Analytics account associated with your site. Then click Allow to give ExactMetrics access to your analytics data.
On the next screen, choose the website profile you want to connect to and select Complete Connection.
ExactMetrics will then show you some recommended settings such as enable event tracking, enhanced link attribution, enter file download extensions, affiliate link tracking, and more. Click Save and continue when you’re satisfied with the settings.
You even enable different addons for advanced tracking. For instance, you can set up custom dimensions for tracking additional information about your visitors. Or track AMP pages, Facebook Instant Articles, and more.
In the last step, click Finish Setup & Exit Wizard button to finish setting up ExactMetrics.
With that, you’ve added Google Analytics to your multisite network!
How to Add Google Analytics to Subsites
If you want to view analytics stats for any of the subsites directly in their WordPress dashboard, you can override the network settings for that subsite.
To do that, switch to the subsite’s dashboard by navigating to My Sites » Subsite » Dashboard.
Once in the subsite’s dashboard, select ExactMetrics » Settings and activate the license key the same way you did before.
By default, each site will use the same tracking code set up on the network site. If you want to use a different tracking code on an individual site, you can override the network’s tracking code in this next step.
To add Google Analytics for the subsite, click Connect ExactMetrics.
Then choose which analytics account you want to link to the subsite and click Complete Connection.
Depending on the number of site activations you have available, you can repeat this process for any of the subsites you want to see individual data for.
It may take a few hours before Google Analytics starts collecting data. Once data is available, you can check your analytics for the whole network right in WordPress.
To do that, go to the network dashboard. Then select ExactMetrics » Reports to see how your WordPress multisite is performing.
And that’s it!
We hope this tutorial on adding Google Analytics to WordPress multisite was helpful! You may also want to check out our tutorials on how to track your form conversions source in Google Analytics.
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