Google Analytics Setup Guide

Step 1: Create a Google Analytics Account

1. Go to Google Analytics
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Click “Start measuring”

Step 2: Create a Property

1. Account Setup:
   • Account name: “Sachin Kalsi Portfolio” (or your choice)
   • Click “Next”
2. Property Setup:
   • Property name: “Portfolio Website”
   • Reporting time zone: Select your timezone
   • Currency: USD (or your preference)
   • Click “Next”
3. Business Information:
   • Industry category: Select appropriate (e.g., “Technology”)
   • Business size: Select appropriate
   • How you intend to use Google Analytics: Select options
   • Click “Create”
4. Accept Terms:
   • Accept the terms and conditions

Step 3: Get Your Measurement ID

1. After creating the property, you’ll see “Data Streams”
2. Click “Add stream” → “Web”
3. Enter:
   • Website URL: https://sachinkalsi.github.io
   • Stream name: “Portfolio Website”
4. Click “Create stream”
5. You’ll see your Measurement ID (format: G-XXXXXXXXXX)
   • Copy this ID

Step 4: Add Measurement ID to Your Site

1. Open _config.yml in your project
2. Find the line: google_analytics: ""
3. Add your Measurement ID:

   google_analytics: "G-XXXXXXXXXX"  # Replace with your actual ID
   

4. Save the file
5. Commit and push to GitHub:

   git add _config.yml
   git commit -m "Add Google Analytics tracking"
   git push
   

Step 5: Verify It’s Working

1. Wait 1-2 minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild
2. Visit your website: https://sachinkalsi.github.io
3. Go to Google Analytics → Reports → Realtime
4. You should see yourself as a visitor within a few seconds!

What You Can Track

Overview Metrics

• Users: Total number of visitors
• Sessions: Total visits to your site
• Page views: Total pages viewed
• Average session duration: How long people stay
• Bounce rate: Percentage who leave after one page

Blog-Specific Tracking

• Most popular blog posts: See which posts get the most views
• Blog post performance: Track individual post views
• User flow: See how people navigate through your site
• Traffic sources: Where visitors come from (Google, social media, direct, etc.)

Detailed Reports Available

1. Realtime: See live visitors right now
2. Acquisition: Where your traffic comes from
3. Engagement: How people interact with your site
4. Demographics: Age, gender, location of visitors
5. Technology: Devices, browsers used
6. Events: Track specific actions (clicks, downloads, etc.)

Viewing Your Analytics

1. Go to Google Analytics
2. Select your property
3. Use the left sidebar to navigate:
   • Reports → See overview and detailed metrics
   • Realtime → See live visitors
   • Explore → Create custom reports

Privacy Note

Google Analytics is GDPR compliant when properly configured. The tracking code I added respects user privacy and doesn’t collect personal information.

Troubleshooting

Not seeing data?

• Wait 24-48 hours for data to appear (Realtime works immediately)
• Make sure you added the Measurement ID correctly in _config.yml
• Check that your site is live and the code is deployed
• Use browser developer tools to check if the GA script is loading

Want to test?

• Visit your site and check Google Analytics Realtime report
• You should see yourself as a visitor within seconds