Web business owners, site administrators, and technical staff such as software developers and designers are extremely attentive to website statistics and analytics. The reason why is quite clear: this is what proves their website's success, that shows that everything they have done is right.

Google Analytics is one of the top tools that provides you with accurate data about your website. Google Analytics and Drupal websites can now cooperate successfully thanks to an amazing purpose-built module!

Let’s check out how to use the Google Analytics module in Drupal 8 and make sure this is what you need!

Google Analytics: a Tool for Your Business Transformation

The number of Drupal modules is huge. The dedicated community has created powerful solutions for dealing with both development and organizational tasks. One obvious advantage Drupal has is that it can be used by a non-technical person. Thanks to this feature many enthusiasts have started running useful websites without even a basic understanding of what markup is.

Every business has a target, purpose and well-defined aim. Google Analytics is a great product for making sure your efforts were not just a waste of time. This tool lets you track the progress of your site, draws your attention to problematic elements and helps to improve the overall performance of your site.

We have prepared 5 main reasons why you need Google Analytics for your Drupal 8 website.

Measure the Traffic

People come to your website from various places. Somebody has read about you on social media, others have found you at the top of search results. If you use online advertising or implement an email marketing program, they may be the sources of traffic as well. Google Analytics builds your understanding of where most of your visitors come from and how to improve other traffic channels.

Study the Keywords Report

The keywords report is one of the most useful GA features. You need to use relevant keywords to optimize and improve your appearance on a search results page. Crucially, those keywords have to be the most frequently used ones. Google Analytics informs you about relevant keywords that may help you gain positive results. Additionally, the service suggests to you what keywords to add to get your advertising campaign to a higher level.

Get to Know Your Audience

Just imagine: you can get full information about your visitors and the steps they take when clicking on your website. With Google Analytics, you get access to this data! GA reveals the visitors’ location, gender and age for you. It helps you to understand whether this is a returning visitor or a newcomer. With all this data, you are able to adapt the web pages to your visitors’ specific needs and satisfy their wishes.

Know the Weaknesses

The information about your visitors is not everything you need. As we have mentioned above, with GA, you also get the opportunity to find out more about their journey on your web pages. GA demonstrates what sections the visitors are interested in, what attracts them and what scares them away. The clear understanding of exactly where the visitor ends the journey will shed light on your website’s weaknesses. And, if you know them, you can fix them.

Use a Free Tool

Many of the tools that measure website analytics cost you a fortune. The price can vary from $12 to hundreds of dollars as it depends on the functionality they provide. However, Google Analytics costs you nothing.

Google Analytics is necessary for optimizing your website and increasing its efficiency.

How to Integrate Google Analytics in Drupal 8

This step-by-step guide on how to install Google Analytics in Drupal 8 will help you improve your website in a few minutes!

1. Create your account on Google Analytics and log in.

Log in to your account or create one if you have not used GA before.

2. Connect your GA account and your website.

The next step is to connect your website to the GA account. At this stage, you also get the script and user ID. Add this information to your website and continue to the next step.

3. Complete the login process on your website.

Now, pay some attention to your website. Open the login page and put in the needed credentials to proceed.

4. Install the module.

Open the Google Analytics installation page and start the process. Make sure you have picked the one that supports Drupal 8 version.

5. Embed the Tracking ID.

Return to the Google Analytics page and get your Google Analytics event tracking on Drupal. Open Property Settings and insert data into the Web Property ID field.

6. Deal with the extra settings.

Use your website to access Google Analytics and set up the needed configuration on the dashboard.

7. Test it!

To make sure everything works well, start the testing session. Perform the following actions:

visit the Google Analytics website,

log in to your account,

go to the real-time tab and pick the Overview option.

This is the place that will provide you with the proof that you have successfully integrated Google Analytics in Drupal site. Here, you can access all the traffic-related data, important details and infographics. Based on this data, you can make your own conclusions about your website’s efficiency and performance, optimize it and enjoy how useful the GA module is.

As you can see, Drupal and its modules are quite easy to understand and install, even for specialists with no previous technical experience. Your willingness to succeed is more important than your technical skills. Plus, Drupal makes it possible for you to apply the best practices to the business of your life.

Importance of Data Tracking

Your whole business depends completely on the customers’ decisions. The more visitors that come to your website, the more profitable it is. So, if you still have doubts regarding whether you should add Google Analytics on Drupal 8, take a look at the 3 positions that usually need this tool the most:

Business Owner

Each visitor can suddenly become a customer and positively influence your profit. Google Analytics opens the curtain to the details that may draw a full picture of how everything is going for you. In addition, it may help you hit your sales targets. So do it!

Marketing Specialist

Google Analytics provides marketers with a detailed description of their active audience, their preferences and interests. Divide these visitors into categories according to specific preferences, learn how to cater to the needs of each of them and watch your conversion rates grow!

Drupal Developer

The significant data about what devices and apps the visitors use to open up the website may help you improve its responsiveness. A good-looking cross-browser website is something most visitors love!

Conclusion

Drupal is one of the most popular types of CMS in the modern web development market. It is suitable for both professional developers and software enthusiasts with no to little development experience.

Google Analytics is a free, irreplaceable and valuable extension for measuring the website's performance. This great Google solution lets you understand the visitors’ wishes and cater to their needs in the best way.

By integrating this awesome tool into your Drupal web solution, you can take your online business to the top. Start improving your website and make it bring you more profit!