Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that records what people do on your website, so you can see which pages they land on, how they got there and what they do next.
In plain English
You add a small piece of tracking code to your site. From then on, every visit sends a quiet note back to Google: this page, this device, this country, this referrer.
The current version is called GA4, and it thinks in events rather than page views. A click, a scroll, a form submission and a page load are all just things that happened, which you can count.
Why it matters
Without it you are guessing. With it you find out that the post you were embarrassed by brings in half your traffic, and the one you spent a week on brings in nobody.
It is also how you find out whether a change worked. Redesign the landing page, wait two weeks, compare. That loop is the difference between improving and redecorating.
How it works
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You create a propertyOne property per website, which gives you a measurement ID.
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The tag goes on every pageThrough a plugin, through Google Tag Manager, or in your theme’s header settings.
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Events are collectedPage views by default, plus clicks, scrolls and anything else you choose to mark as important.
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You read the reportsAcquisition tells you where people came from, engagement tells you what held them.
Analytics needs consent in Europe
Under GDPR, tracking that identifies visitors needs their agreement first. Use a consent banner that actually holds the tag back until someone says yes, rather than one that just looks like it does.