How to Install Google Analytics on Blogger

Adding Google Analytics to your Blogger blog is one of the best first steps you can take to understand your audience and grow your readership. Instead of guessing which posts resonate, you can see exactly what people enjoy reading, where they come from, and how they find you. This article provides a clear, step-by-step guide to connecting Google Analytics 4 to your Blogger site using two different methods.

What is Google Analytics and Why Do You Need It?

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic. Think of it as a dashboard for your blog's performance. For bloggers, it’s not just about vanity metrics, it’s about making smarter decisions with your content.

Without analytics, you're essentially writing in the dark. With it, you gain valuable insights that can shape your content strategy and help you connect more effectively with your readers. Here’s what you can learn:

• Audience Size: See exactly how many people visit your blog each day, week, or month. Track your growth over time and see the impact of your promotional efforts.
• Most Popular Content: Discover which blog posts are getting the most views. This tells you what topics your audience loves, so you can create more of what works.
• Traffic Sources: Find out how people are discovering your blog. Are they coming from Google search, a link on social media, or another blog? This shows you which marketing channels are most effective.
• Audience Demographics: Get a better understanding of who your readers are, including their general location, age, and interests. This helps in tailoring your content to be more relevant to them.
• User Behavior: Learn how long visitors stay on your site and which pages they visit. High engagement is a good sign that your content is valuable and interesting.

Connecting your blog to Google Analytics transforms your guesswork into a data-informed strategy, giving your hard work the best chance to succeed.

Finding Your Google Analytics 4 Measurement ID

Before you can connect Blogger and Google Analytics, you need a "Measurement ID." This is a unique identifier (formatted as G-XXXXXXXXXX) that tells Google where to send the tracking data from your blog. Here’s how to find it, whether you have an existing account or are starting from scratch.

For New Google Analytics Users

If you’ve never used Google Analytics before, you'll need to create a new account and what's called a "property" for your blog. It sounds technical, but it’s just a few simple setup steps.

1. Go to the Google Analytics website and click "Start measuring." You'll need to log in with your Google account.
2. Create an account: Provide an "Account name." This can be your business name or your personal name. It’s simply a way to organize your properties if you ever have more than one. Click "Next."
3. Create a property: Enter a "Property name," such as the name of your blog. Set your reporting time zone and the currency you use. Click "Next."
4. Business details: Fill out the brief survey about your industry and business size. This helps Google provide you with relevant benchmark data.
5. Choose your business objectives: Select what you want to achieve with your blog, such as "Generate leads" or "Raise brand awareness." Click "Create."
6. Set up your data stream: Now, you need to tell Google Analytics where to collect data from. Choose "Web" as your platform.
7. Enter your Blogger blog’s URL (e.g., yourblogname.blogspot.com) and give the stream a name (like "My Blogger Blog"). Click "Create stream."
8. Once created, a "Web stream details" page will appear. In the top-right corner, you’ll see your Measurement ID, which starts with "G-". This is what you need! Copy it to your clipboard.

For Existing Google Analytics Users

If you already have a Google Analytics account but need to either create a new property for your blog or find an existing Measurement ID, the process is quick and easy.

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account.
2. Click the "Admin" gear icon in the bottom-left corner of the page.
3. Ensure the correct Account is selected in the "Account" column. In the "Property" column, either select the property for your blog or click "+ Create Property" to start a new one (following steps 3-7 from the section above).
4. In the "Property" column, click on "Data Streams."
5. Click the data stream associated with your Blogger website.
6. The "Web stream details" page will open, and your Measurement ID will be clearly visible in the top-right corner. Copy it.

The Easiest Method: Add Your Measurement ID to Blogger Settings

Blogger has a built-in feature that makes connecting Google Analytics incredibly straightforward. For the vast majority of users, this is the only method you'll need.

1. Log in to your Blogger Dashboard.
2. On the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings.
3. Scroll down to the "Basics" section until you find the option labeled Google Analytics Measurement ID.
4. Click on it. A pop-up window will appear.
5. Paste the Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) that you copied from your Google Analytics account into the field.
6. Click Save.

That’s it! Your blog is now connected to Google Analytics. Blogger will automatically add the necessary tracking code to every page of your site. It might take up to 48 hours for data to start appearing in your GA4 reports, but you can check if it's working instantly using the method below.

Alternative Method: Manually Add the Tracking Code to Your Theme

While the built-in setting works for almost everyone, there might be rare occasions where you need to add the tracking code manually. This might apply if you are using a heavily customized third-party theme or if, for some reason, the settings option doesn't work. This method involves editing your blog’s HTML code, so proceed with a little care.

Quick tip: Before editing your theme's HTML, it's always a good idea to create a backup. In Blogger, go to Theme -> Customize dropdown -> Backup.

1. Get your Global Site Tag (gtag.js)

First, you need the full code snippet, not just the Measurement ID.

1. In your Google Analytics account, go back to Admin > Data Streams and click on your web data stream.
2. At the bottom of the "Web stream details" page, under "View tag instructions," you'll see a panel for installation instructions.
3. Click on "Install manually." Here you will find your Google Analytics code snippet, which starts with <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->.
4. Click the copy icon to copy the entire code block to your clipboard.

2. Add the Code to Your Blogger Theme

1. Return to your Blogger Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Theme in the left-hand menu.
3. Click the downward-facing arrow next to the "Customize" button and select Edit HTML from the dropdown menu.
4. The theme editor will open. It can look intimidating, but you only need to make one small change.
5. Click anywhere inside the code editor and press Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F on Mac) to open the search box. Type <head> and press Enter. This will take you directly to the opening head tag of your theme's code.
6. Paste the entire Google Analytics tracking code you just copied on the line directly below the opening <head> tag.
7. Click the "Save" icon (it looks like a floppy disk) in the top-right corner to save your changes.

Your tracking is now installed. This method accomplishes the same thing as the easier settings-based approach, but gives you manual control over where the code is placed.

How to Verify Your Google Analytics Setup is Working

You don't have to wait 24-48 hours to see if your work paid off. Google Analytics has a "Realtime" report that shows you activity on your site as it happens. This is the perfect way to test your installation.

1. Keep your Google Analytics dashboard open in one browser tab. Navigate to Reports > Realtime. The dashboard will show "0 users" if no one is currently on your site.
2. In a different browser tab or on your smartphone, open your Blogger blog. Click on a few different posts to simulate visitor activity.
3. Switch back to your Google Analytics Realtime report. Within a minute, you should see the "Users" count change to "1" or more. The map will show your location, and the cards like "Views by Page title" will show the article you're currently reading on your blog.

If you see your own visit show up, congratulations! You have successfully installed Google Analytics on your Blogger blog. You can now start gathering the data you need to grow your audience and create better content.

Final Thoughts

Connecting your Blogger blog to Google Analytics is a foundational step that moves you from simply creating content to strategically building an audience. Whether you use Blogger’s simple settings-based integration or manually add the code, you've unlocked a powerful tool for understanding exactly how your content performs and what your readers want.

Once you are collecting data in Google Analytics, the next step is turning that raw data into clear, actionable insights without getting overwhelmed. At Graphed, we've made this part incredibly easy. Instead of spending hours learning your way around complex reports, you can connect your Google Analytics account and simply ask questions in plain English - like "show me my most popular blog posts last month" or "create a dashboard of my traffic sources." Graphed delivers visual answers and live dashboards instantly, helping you focus on growing your blog, not deciphering charts.