How can you improve your website with Google Analytics?

The success of a website relies not only on strong content and good visibility but also on a clear understanding of visitor behavior. To see how users arrive at your site, which pages they engage with, and where they leave, web analytics tools are essential. Among them, Google Analytics is the most widely used, offering detailed insights that make it possible to fine-tune SEO strategies, marketing campaigns, and content for better results.

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is one of the most widely used tools for website analysis. Its origins lie in the “Urchin Tracking Monitor,” developed by Urchin Software Corporation and acquired by Google in 2005. Today’s version, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), is based on cookies and event tracking that collect information about how visitors interact with a website. This data is then turned into detailed statistics that answer key questions such as:

• How many users visit the website or individual pages over a given period?
• How much time do they spend on the site?
• Which channels (search engines, social media, links) drive traffic?
• From which regions do visitors come?
• How many complete a conversion (purchase, download, signup, etc.)?
• At what point do they leave the website?

By capturing anonymized interactions (events) and aggregating them into reports, Google Analytics provides valuable insights into user behavior. Used strategically, these insights can support website optimization and improve search engine rankings.

However, since all data is stored on Google’s servers in the USA and may be linked to other Google services, the tool raises data privacy concerns. Depending on your requirements, there are alternatives to Google Analytics that offer comparable features and may better align with data protection needs.

How does Google Analytics help?

The visitor data collected with Google Analytics gives you valuable insights into the effectiveness and quality of your content. At the same time, it provides direct feedback on the performance of your advertising campaigns. By linking your Google Ads account with Analytics, you can clearly see which keywords generate the desired results and identify where adjustments or optimizations are needed.

Metrics such as dwell time and bounce rate help determine which pages perform strongly and which may need improvement. When combined with information about the paths users take to reach your pages, you gain a detailed view of successful links and high-performing content as well as areas that could be optimized. The geographic data collected by Google Analytics should also align with your marketing goals. For businesses with a local customer base, it can be problematic if most visits come from outside the intended region. On the other hand, for an online shop serving a nationwide audience, such results indicate that the strategy is working effectively.

How to set up Google Analytics for your web project

To use Google Analytics for your website, online shop, app, or social media channels, you first need a Google account. From there, you can either create a dedicated Analytics account or connect an existing Google Ads account.

Within the account, you can set up properties (such as a website, app, or store) and define the appropriate access rights. You can also configure goals—for example, tracking visits to specific URLs, events, or conversions.

There are several ways to integrate Google Analytics:

• Google Tag Manager – recommended if you are using multiple tracking tags.
• Manual embedding in the HTML code – by inserting the tracking code directly into your pages.
• CMS plugins – such as Site Kit by Google for WordPress.
• Apps – integration via the Firebase SDK for Android or iOS in combination with your GA4 property.

How to integrate Google Analytics

Once you’ve created your GA4 property, you need to integrate Google Analytics into your web project so that data can be collected. Google provides various methods for this.

Step 1: Create a property

Log in to Google Analytics with your Google account and open the “Admin” section at the bottom of the left-hand menu. Select “Create property”, enter the name of your website or app, and specify the type of data stream (Web, Android, or iOS). Google will then generate a unique measurement ID that begins with “G-,” which you’ll need for the integration.

Step 2: Retrieve the tracking code

Once the property has been created, Google Analytics will display the tracking code (“gtag.js”). You can find it under “Tagging Instructions” in the menu, listed as “Google tag (gtag.js)”. Copy the entire script to your clipboard, as you’ll need it in the next step.

Step 3: Integrate it into the website

There are several ways to integrate the code. The most flexible method is to use the Google Tag Manager. Create a new GA4 configuration tag there, insert your measurement ID, and publish the container. This approach has the advantage that you can later add more tags at any time without having to adjust your website’s source code again.

Alternatively, you can insert the tracking code manually by placing the script directly in the <head> section of all your website pages. If you’re using a content management system such as WordPress or Drupal, integration via extensions like Site Kit by Google is especially convenient. These plugins handle the integration automatically, so you don’t need to modify any code yourself.

Step 4: App tracking with Firebase

For apps, the old Google Analytics SDK is no longer used. Instead, the Firebase SDK is required. Download the Firebase SDK for Android or iOS and integrate it into your app via your development environment (Android Studio or Xcode). You can then define events such as app launches, clicks, or in-app purchases. Once you link Firebase with your GA4 property, the collected app data will automatically appear in Google Analytics.

Step 5: Verify functionality

Finally, you should test the setup. Open your website or app and go to the “Realtime” section in Google Analytics. There, you can immediately check whether visits are being tracked correctly.

Google Analytics dashboard and reporting features

After completing the integration, it’s a good idea to explore the Google Analytics interface. The Home dashboard provides an overview of active users, sessions, and key events in real time. One highlight is the Lifecycle Reports, which map the entire user journey—from acquisition to engagement, monetization, and retention.

GA4 also includes more advanced tools under the Exploration tab. This area lets you build custom reports, define audience segments, and analyze visitor paths in greater detail. As a result, you gain deeper insights into user behavior, uncover opportunities for improvement, and can better adapt your content, campaigns, and conversion goals.

Integrating Google Analytics with other Google tools

One of the strengths of Google Analytics is its ability to connect with other Google services. A particularly valuable integration is with the Google Search Console. This link adds SEO metrics such as impressions, clicks, and average rankings directly to your Analytics reports. With this data, you can see which search terms drive visits to your site and better evaluate how well your content performs in organic search.

GA4 can also be connected to BigQuery, Google’s data warehouse solution. This makes it possible to export raw Analytics data and run SQL-based queries for in-depth analysis. You can also build custom dashboards and reports, for example by combining BigQuery with Looker Studio. For data-driven companies, this integration offers a powerful way to uncover advanced insights into user behavior.