We have written about Google Analytics for schools a few times in a few different places and for a number of different reasons. We're very often asked by schools when having a school website project conversation. The main reason this keeps popping up is that lots of people have heard of Google Analytics but most people don't really know what it can do. But, Google Analytics for Schools? What does that look like?

Let's cover some real basics about what is on offer with Google Analytics for schools.

What is Google Analytics for Schools?

Google Analytics is a service offered by Google which gives website owners useful statistics on the usage of their website.

The product is HUGE. But, it is really simple to start using and can give you some useful information, quickly and easily, even dropped right into your inbox regularly.

GA tracks visitors as they move around your website. It knows how they found your website; whether the user clicked on a link on another site (referrer), whether they came from an Adwords (paid) link or a free link (organic), whether they found you on a social media site or any number of other sources.

It knows how long they spend on your site. What device they are browsing on. It even can tell you where they are. You can monitor live site activity using Real-Time and you can track anything on your site that you set as a Goal. That might be the submission of a form, the downloading of a file, or viewing a video.

Detailed content reports let you understand which parts of your website are performing well. Plus, you can also check the content that might need attention. By understanding and effectively interpreting the data, you can make a significant difference to the performance of your site as a whole.

Google Analytics requires a short piece of code to be added to your website to start garnering these detailed statistics and it only takes a moment to set up. You will need a Google account of some kind.

Setting Up Google Analytics for Schools

If you are using the Schudio School Website Software this is really easy, of course. Simply go to your admin area, then to Settings >> Tracking and add the GA UA code which looks something like this: G-XXXXXXXXXX

You can find the UA code in your Google Analytics account in the Admin section.

Then, once you have added your unique UA code and hit save you will be tracking your site usage instantly.

If you aren't using the Schudio School Website Software, then you will likely need to get your web developer to add the Tracking Code to the right part of your website to start tracking visitors. It is incredibly easy to do. It shouldn't cost you the earth to add. Most decent web companies will offer to set this up for you when they build you a new school website.

Training for Google Analytics for Schools

Are you ready to go deeper? Do you want a full understanding of how you can use Google Analytics at your school? Well, we've created a full course on how to use Google Analytics for Schools. Featured by Google, our course covers all the basics to get you up and running. Plus, you'll be able to get a great handle after the course on how to use GA for your school website hugely effectively.

Sign up here: Introduction to Google Analytics for Schools