Setting Up Site Search In Google Analytics

If you have a blog or an ecommerce website or a search box within your website, it’s important to know what users are searching on your website. With the help of site search option in Google Analytics, you can view the search terms used by users on your website. 

This option is available in Google analytics, but when you view the option, you won’t be able to see any data/search terms in the report, refer below screen. Site Search in Google Analytics

So How to Set Up Site Search in Google Analytics?

Let’s understand step by step by taking an example. I am taking an example of my blog to show you how site search can be implemented through Google analytics.

Step 1

Login to your Google analytics account – Login

Step 2

Click on the admin section on the bottom left of your analytics account of your property, refer below

Google Analytics Admin

Step 3

Now click on view settings and then switch on site search tracking as below.

Now the site search tracking is on, but we need to capture the exact search term which the user used while searching. So let’s do a search on my blog with a search term as programmatic advertising as below. 

Site Search Terms

Now I get the search results page, with the URL as below. The URL is ?s=programmatic+advertising, where in the search term is added to the URL.

Site Search Set Up

Now, add s after switching on the site search tracking option on the analytics dashboard, as below.

How To Set Up Site Search in Analytics

Now say save and your site search tracking setup is done. The search terms will start reflecting on your analytics dashboard after few hours. 

Here is the site search view of my analytics dashboard after few hours, where I can see different search terms searched by users on my blog which also includes programmatic advertising search term which we used above as an example. 

Site Search Term Report in Analytics

Conclusion

You should set up site search in analytics as it allows you to understand the search terms used by users on your site, which also helps to build more content about those specific topics which users are searching on your blog or site. Implement site search tracking today in Google analytics and start building content around search terms today!