Google Analytics


Measuring a website

To measure a website, you need to have a Google Analytics account. If you/your department does not already have an account, you first have to choose a Google account to log into Analytics and create a Google Analytics account which will generate a tracking ID. The tracking ID is added to your Princeton website via the Site Builder platform, WordPress or your content management system of choice. Every time a user visits a webpage, the tracking code will collect pseudonymous information about how that user interacted with the page.

Choose a Google account to log into Analytics

Add the tracking ID to your Site Builder site

  1. In your Site Builder Admin menu, select Configuration » Systems » Basic Site Settings 
  2. Paste/Enter your Google Analytics Measurement ID (Google Analytics 4 begins with "G-")
    Google Analytics Property/Measurement ID
  3. Click Save Configuration
  4. After the number has been added and Google has indexed the website, you can log in to your Google Analytics account to start seeing the statistics for your website.

Add the tracking ID to your WordPress site

Log in to your WordPress website. Navigate to Settings > Google Analytics. Input your GA4 tracking ID and save changes.

Processing and reporting

When the measurement code collects data, it packages that information up and sends it to Google Analytics to be processed into reports. When Analytics processes data, it aggregates and organizes the data based on particular criteria like whether a user’s device is mobile or desktop, or which browser they’re using. Once Analytics processes the data, it’s stored in a database where it can’t be changed.

Migrating to Google Analytics 4

Google introduced a new version of its analytics product referred to as "Google Analytics 4." The previous version is referred to as "Universal Analytics." Both versions of Google Analytics are supported by Google for now, but all users of Universal Analytics will be required to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 before July 1, 2023. View the Site Builder and WordPress migration guide to ensure you continue measuring website traffic. 

How to Recover a Google Analytics Account

Please Note: Web Development Services does not keep track of your user name and password to access your Google Analytics account. It is your responsibility to manage this information. If you have staff turnover, please be sure to transfer this knowledge accordingly.

Quick Links

For support or to learn more about Google Analytics, how to manage accounts and data, and more, visit the Google Analytics support page: https://support.google.com/analytics