**Q: How do I add Google Analytics to my website?**
⚠️ Before you start: back up your site first, and sign in with the business’s Google account.
What this fixes: You can’t see how many people visit or what they do, so you’re improving the site blind.
Steps:
1. In Google Analytics (https://analytics.google.com), create a “GA4” property. If one exists, find its Measurement ID (looks like G-XXXXXXX).
2. In WordPress, install Site Kit by Google (https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-site-kit/) or a code plugin like WPCode (https://wordpress.org/plugins/insert-headers-and-footers/).
3. Connect Site Kit to the account, or paste the Measurement ID into the plugin.
4. Save and clear your cache.
5. Open Analytics “Realtime,” visit your own site in another tab, and confirm you see 1 active user — that’s you.
Tools you may need (free):
– Google Analytics (https://analytics.google.com) — the account and property.
– Site Kit by Google (https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-site-kit/) — the easiest connector.
Common mistakes to avoid:
– Installing the tag twice (once in Site Kit and once by hand), which double-counts visits.
– Forgetting to clear the cache, so the tag doesn’t appear.
When to call SEO Doctor:
– Realtime shows no visits after install.
– You already have old Universal Analytics and aren’t sure what to keep.