How to add Google Analytics to OpenCart 2.0.x
Is your webstore as successful as you want it to be? Are you using marketing tactics to generate more traffic and customers in your store? In order to be successful you need to have the right information, analyze it and produce the adequate strategies to achieve the set goals. To ensure, that your website is achieving the results you are expecting you can use web analytics services. One of the most powerful tools for monitoring and analysing traffic on your website is the freemium Google Analytics. In this tutorial we will show how to add Google Analytics in your OpenCart 2.0.x webstore.
Configuring Google Analytics in OpenCart
In order to integrate Google Analytics in Opencart 2.0.x, we will go in a three steps process:
- Sign Up for a Google Analytics account
- Add Tracking Code
- Make sure you are collecting data
After this tutorial, you will be ready to start analyzing your tracked store data. Let’s start with creation of Google Analytics account.
1.Sign up for Google Analytics
In order to access Google Analytics you need to have a Google account. With this account you can create a new Google Analytics account.Visit https://www.google.com/analytics/, click the Access Google Analytics button if you already have a Google Anaytics account, otherwise click Create an account button (top right), and follow the on-screen instructions.
There are few fields you need to fill in order to create a new account. You can specify if you are tracking a website or a mobile application. You need to set your account and website name. When typing in your website URL, be careful to point the correct URL where your OpenCart store is installed. Optionally,you can enter the type of industry which represents your business and the time zone from where you are reporting. Furthermore, you can control your data sharing with other Google products and services by checking or not the four checkboxes: Google products & services, Benchmarking, Technical support and Account specialist.
2. Get Tracking Code
After completing the form and pressing Get Tracking ID button, you are redirected to admin page where the Tracking Code is located.
You can now copy the given code and paste it in your OpenCart admin panel in Admin Panel => System => Settings => YourStore=> Server => Google Analytics Code. Save changes and proceed to your Google Analytics account to see you website analytics.
3. Make sure you are collecting data
Once you put the Tracking code into your web-store, you have to make sure it is working properly. Here we will show two simple ways to make sure your tracking is enabled. One possibility is to check the Real-Time reports which Google Analytics provides. You can do that by following these steps:
1. Sign in with your Google Analytics account
2. Select the view of your property where you have added the tracking code.
If you have recently added the tracking code to this property (website), it is likely that there will only be one view. In Google Analytics you are allowed to have up to 100 accounts with different properties and each property with different views.
3.Select Reporting tab
Go to Real-Time -> Overview. If there is data displayed in these reports it means that your tracking code is currently collecting data.
Another way to see if tracking code is working is by checking the Tracking Status in your property. These steps need to be followed in order to achieve it.
1.Sign in with your Google Analytics account
2.Navigate to the property by going into Admin tab.
3.Click Tracking Info ->Tracking Code.
4. Receive the tracking code status message.
There are four possible statuses of the tracking: Waiting for Data, Tracking Not installed or Not Verified ,Receiving Data,Unknown.
If your status in Waiting for Data or Receiving Data that means that the configuration of the tracking code has been successful. Now you can explore all the analytics features that Google Analytics offers.
In conclusion
By performing simple steps, you can easily add Google Analytics to your OpenCart store. In this way you can benefit from tracking it’s eCommerce features. You can track eCommerce conversions for each product, understand why engaged visitors are in your site and why some users bounce your site. Furthermore, you can see the success of email marketing campaign,track social engagement of users in your site and use event tracking to calculate the number of calls to action completed. Now it is all up to you to track the success of your store.
