How to Use Shopify Google Analytics

In addition to the data provided by Shopify analytics, you can connect your Shopify store to Google Analytics to track events and learn more about the performance of your store. Analytics allow you to learn more about your customers and your sales to help you improve your business. With Google Analytics, you can automatically track specific events in your store when a customer:

• Visits a page in your store (page_view)

• Searches for a product in your store (search)

• Views a product in your store (view_item)

• Adds an item to a cart (add_to_cart)

• Begins a checkout process (begin_checkout)

• Enters payment information (add_payment_info)

• Completes their checkout (purchase)

How to set up Google Analytics for your Shopify store

Prior to connecting your Shopify store to Google Analytics, you first need to create a Google Analytics account. Then you can create a Google Analytics 4 property from which you can add to your Shopify store through a web data stream. When completing this process, you will receive a Tag ID for later use. Google provides a guide with the information you need for creating a Google Analytics account, property, and data stream. Once this is complete, follow these steps to add Google Analytics to your Shopify store:

1. Access store preferences.

2. Connect your Google account.

3. Connect your Google Analytics 4 property.

4. Link Google Analytics to your Google Ads account.

Let's go through each step in detail:

1. Access store preferences.

You can access your store preferences from your Shopify admin by selecting Online store > Preferences.  

2. Connect your Google account.

To connect your Google account, go to the Google Analytics section and select Manage pixel here, then click Connect your Google account.

3. Connect your Google Analytics 4 property.

Select the Tag ID you received earlier when setting up your Google Analytics 4 property, then click Connect your Google Analytics 4 property to connect Google Analytics to your Shopify store. 

Make sure you remove password protection from your Shopify store to allow Google Analytics to begin tracking events. You can do this from your Shopify admin by going to Online Store > Themes > Remove password. If you do not see, "Your online store is password protected," password protection has already been removed or was not set.

4. Link Google Analytics to your Google Ads account.

You can access more customer activity information by linking your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts.

Things to consider

It’s possible to have discrepancies between the data provided from your Shopify analytics and Google Analytics. This can happen for a number of reasons such as customers using browser extensions to block Google Analytics tracking, as well as whether or not customers have certain cookies enabled or the customers' internet connections. If you have knowledge of web design languages such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, or Liquid, you can add scripts to the checkout settings in your Shopify admin to track additional events in Google Analytics 4.

Learn more about e-commerce and digital marketing

If you’re interested in learning more about e-commerce and digital marketing, consider earning a Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Professional Certificate on Coursera. With this certificate, you can be job ready in less than six months for careers such as e-commerce associate or marketing coordinator. This course is designed to help you gain in-demand skills including search engine optimization, display advertising, email marketing, and more.