Without statistics on your website there is no way of tracking the success of any marketing you do. Tracking is a very important aspect of learning and improving your marketing efforts so you can create a bigger and better business.

The first thing you will need to do is create a Google account so you can log into Google Analytics. If you don't have a Google account you can create one here (it's free):-
https://www.google.com/accounts

After you've created a Google account you can log into Google Analytics and start tracking your website.

Once you've logged in you will be asked to Choose Website Profile Type. If you're setting up a new website you will want to choose:-
Add a Profile for a new domain

You will then be asked to Add a Profile for a new domain. Fill in your website details and then choose your timezone (make sure you choose a timezone as this will give you more accurate data).

From there you will be asked to add some tracking code to your website. There are two different tracking codes to choose from. The latest (ga.js) code or the older (urchin.js) code.

What's the difference between the two tracking codes in Google Analytics?
The main difference is that with the latest version of the Google Analytics tracking code you will have access to a lot more data and various types of reports. It's recommended you go with the new tracking code.

You will now be asked to add your tracking code before the closing tag on your site. Sounds difficult? Don't worry, here's a step by step guide.

Adding Google Analytics to a html website

If your site is built using straight html pages you will need to add your tracking code to each and every page of the website. Once you have added the code to all your pages you will need to upload them to your server again.

If you are using a template system like the one available in Dreamweaver or Golive, you will need to add the tracking to the template itself as this is where the closing tag usually lies. Upload your new template and you should be good to go.

Adding Google Analytics to a Wordpress website

If you're running a blog or are using Wordpress to run your website you will need to either install a plugin that allows you to add your Google Analytics code to Wordpress or do it manually.

To install your tracking code manually log into your server using an FTP program like Filezilla or Smartftp (I personally use Filezilla).

Once you have logged onto your server you will need to download the file named 'footer.php' from the following location:-
wp-content\themes\yourthemename\footer.php

Here you will find the closing tag. Add your code right before this tag and Bob's your monkey's uncle!

Adding Google Analytics to a Joomla website

This is a pretty straight forward process. Simply get your code from the Google Analytics website and follow these instructions:-

Log into Joomla using www.yourwebsiteaddress.com.au/administrator/
In the top menu select: "Extensions" > "Template Manager"
Click on the template marked as default and click "Edit"
In the template edit page click the "Edit HTML" icon
Go right to the bottom of the code in this page and on the second to bottom line you should see the tag
Paste your Google Analytics tracking code just before the tag
Now press "save" and Google Analytics is installed on your Joomla website!

Other websites

Other websites will differ on how to install the tracking code. If you're not sure it's probably best to contact your website administrator or hosting company for some advice.