# Google Analytics (gtag.js) – traffic analysis

Google Analytics is the well-known web analytics service from Google. The product is aimed more at marketers than webmasters or technologists, supporting integration with AdWords and other e-commence features. The global site tag (gtag.js) is a JavaScript tagging framework and API that allows you to send event data to Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Marketing Platform.

## Installation

To start using the Google Analytics integration, you must have installed the django-analytical package and have added the `analytical` application to `INSTALLED_APPS` in your project `settings.py` file. See Installation and configuration for details.

Next you need to add the Google Analytics template tag to your templates. This step is only needed if you are not using the generic `analytical.*` tags. If you are, skip to Configuration.

The Google Analytics tracking code is inserted into templates using a template tag. Load the `google_analytics_gtag` template tag library and insert the `google_analytics_gtag` tag. Because every page that you want to track must have the tag, it is useful to add it to your base template. Insert the tag at the bottom of the HTML head:

    {% load google_analytics_gtag %}
    <html>
    <head>
    {% google_analytics_gtag %}
    ...
    </head>
    ...

## Configuration

Before you can use the Google Analytics integration, you must first set your website property ID. If you track multiple domains with the same code, you also need to set-up the domain. Finally, you can add custom segments for Google Analytics to track.

### Setting the property ID

Every website you track with Google Analytics gets its own property ID, and the `google_analytics_gtag` tag will include it in the rendered Javascript code. You can find the web property ID on the overview page of your account. Set `GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_GTAG_PROPERTY_ID` in the project `settings.py` file:

    GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_GTAG_PROPERTY_ID = 'UA-XXXXXX-X'

If you do not set a property ID, the tracking code will not be rendered.

Please note that the accepted Property IDs should be one of the following formats:

- ‘UA-XXXXXX-Y’

- ‘AW-XXXXXXXXXX’

- ‘G-XXXXXXXX’

- ‘DC-XXXXXXXX’

### Internal IP addresses

Usually you do not want to track clicks from your development or internal IP addresses. By default, if the tags detect that the client comes from any address in the `GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_INTERNAL_IPS` setting, the tracking code is commented out. It takes the value of `ANALYTICAL_INTERNAL_IPS` by default (which in turn is `INTERNAL_IPS` by default). See Identifying authenticated users for important information about detecting the visitor IP address.

### Identifying authenticated users

The username of an authenticated user is passed to Google Analytics automatically as the `user_id`. See Identifying authenticated users.

According to Google Analytics conditions you should avoid sending Personally Identifiable Information. Using `username` as `user_id` might not be the best option. To avoid that, you can change the identity by setting `google_analytics_gtag_identity` (or `analytical_identity` to affect all providers) context variable:

    context = RequestContext({'google_analytics_gtag_identity': user.uuid})
    return some_template.render(context)

or in the template:

    {% with google_analytics_gtag_identity=request.user.uuid|default:None %}
        {% analytical_head_top %}
    {% endwith %}