How to Install Google Analytics on Blogger

This is another super basic item on my agenda for SEO Week, but it is essential.  Google Analytics is one of my favorite ways to track and analyze the traffic on my website and blog.  If you don't know what your traffic volume is like, and where visitors are coming from, you are walking in the dark.  It's FREE, it gives you oodles of information, and you do not need a counter or button displayed on your blog. It installs slightly different from other counters, in that you don't put code into an HTML Gadget on your sidebar. Here is how you do it:

Step #1: Set up a free Google Analytics account: http://www.google.com/analytics/

1-Google-Analytics_Sign-Up


Step #2: Select ALL of the code, open a new window in your browser and go to your Blog.


2-Google-Analytics_Copy-Code


Step #3: Go to your "Layout" tab and Click "Edit HTML".

3-Google-Analytics_Edit-HTML


Step #4: Scroll to the bottom of the template, and Paste the code that you just copied directly above where it says </body> in your template, and click "Save Template".

4-Google-Analytics_Edit-Template


Step #5: Go back to Google Analytics and click "Save and Finish".

3-Google-Analytics_Save-Finish


Step #6: When you get back to your "Overview" screen, you will notice that you have a small yellow exclamation point under your status. This means that Google does not see your code, in order to get them to see it, you need to click on "Edit".

5-Google-Analytics_Edit


Step #7: Click on "Check Status".

6-Google-Analytics_Check-Status


Step #8: Now it should say "Waiting for Data". That is perfect, it means that Google now sees your blog will be gathering data.

7-Google-Analytics_Waiting


Step #9: Click on "Analytics Settings" or the Logo to return to the "Overview" page.

8-Google-Analytics_Settings


Step #10: You will now see that the exclamation point is gone and now there is a little clock. That means everything is working the way it should. When you click on "View Report", you will see all your date, but **Note: it usually takes 24 hours for any data to appear, so don't stress if it is not there right away.

9-Google-Analytics_View-Report

That's it! Just explore the application, and you will be so impressed with all the cool data that you are now gathering about the traffic on your blog!

Here's a list of some other Counters (I have Site Meter as well, just for cross reference):
Site Meter
StatCounter
Histats
goingup
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