New Google Analytics

VictorRVictorR Registered Users Posts: 30 Big grins
in SmugMug Support

Google is warning that they are changing to a new Analytics package but the instructions are confusing when it comes to making links with a Smugmug site.
Any advice appreciated.

Victor
www.rakmilphotography.com
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Comments

  • AceCo55AceCo55 Registered Users Posts: 950 Major grins

    Fully agree ... following

    My opinion does not necessarily make it true. What you do with my opinion is entirely up to you.
    www.acecootephotography.com
  • AceCo55AceCo55 Registered Users Posts: 950 Major grins

    Anyone?

    My opinion does not necessarily make it true. What you do with my opinion is entirely up to you.
    www.acecootephotography.com
  • TeachTeach Registered Users Posts: 321 Major grins

    What steps you are having trouble with on the setup that are keeping you from getting it to work with SmugMug?

    Heather
    SmugMug Support Hero
  • AceCo55AceCo55 Registered Users Posts: 950 Major grins

    Everything!
    I don't understand their instructions/terminology or where to put their code.
    It's like they are speaking a foreign language.

    My opinion does not necessarily make it true. What you do with my opinion is entirely up to you.
    www.acecootephotography.com
  • Hikin' MikeHikin' Mike Registered Users Posts: 5,467 Major grins

    All you need to do is change the Universal Analytic (UA) code to the Google Analytic 4 (GA4) code in your SmugMug settings.

    - Mike
    Images in the Backcountry

    My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
  • jcharmonjcharmon Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins
    edited June 20, 2022

    I'm having the same problem applying Google's instructions for my Smugmug site. It's been a long time since I set up my site for Google Analytics, which may be part of the issue. Google did not use my existing tagging but provided this information:

    If the setup wizard did not use your existing tagging
If you tagged your site with analytics.js (instead of gtag.js) or if you use a website builder/CMS that tags your pages with analytics.js, then the GA4 Setup Wizard was not able to reuse your existing tagging.

If you're not using a website builder/CMS, you or your web developer can use whatever page editor you like to add the GA4 gtag.js tag directly to your pages. Leave the analytics.js tag in place so that Analytics still sends data to your Universal Analytics property.

If you're using a website builder/CMS that tags your pages with analytics.js, you can use the custom-HTML feature to add the GA4 gtag.js tag to your pages. Leave the analytics.js tag in place so that Analytics still sends data to your Universal Analytics property.

    How do I add the GA4 gtag.js directly to my pages? I did find the Google Analytics section in Smugmug/Account Settings/Google Analytics, but it apparently only allows one Google Property ID, whereas Google's GA4 Help says I need to have both the 'old' GA3 and 'new' GA4 settings. Is there some way to have both?

    Thanks in advance for any assistance.

    jcharmon.smugmug.com

  • Djm3006Djm3006 Registered Users Posts: 226 Major grins

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  • jcharmonjcharmon Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins

    Smugmug support has just confirmed to me that only one Google Property can currently be entered in Account Settings/Google Analytics at a time. They've added a feature request for the product team to allow entry of multiple tags at a time.

    jcharmon.smugmug.com

  • jcday44jcday44 Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins
    edited September 26, 2022

    It's clear as mud. SMH. Any progress in two months?
    I'm about ready to kick this site to the curb if something isn't done. Google analytics has NEVER matched the hundreds of views SmugMugs says I have, and I'm tired of issues not getting resolved.

  • BraneBrane Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
    Hi, did someone solve this GA4 problem? I've changed Web Property ID to new, GA4 ID, but I don't know how to add/change gtag.js. Google will stop processing data with old ID on July, 1, 2023 .
  • BraneBrane Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
    Not detected
  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins
    Hi
    Can you please tell me if we just need to paste the property ID?
    Or do we need to place the letters in front of the property ID in the Google Analytics part of our settings
  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins
    OK I think it’s just the property ID if anybody wants to take the time to let me know. Thanks a lot I appreciate it.
  • feelgood13feelgood13 Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    It's been over a week since I've updated my GA4 ID on smug mug and still no dataflow...

  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins
    > @feelgood13 said:
    > It's been over a week since I've updated my GA4 ID on smug mug and still no dataflow...

    Yes, same here
    No data flow
  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    I know I'm late to this game, but any progress? I hoped Smugmug would have a tutorial somewhere telling us how to make Google Analytics work again, but I can't find any?
    Much confusion over terminology: "Tracking ID" vs. "Property ID" vs. "GA4 ID" and where to find these codes within Google Analytics.

  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    @redcrown@mchsi.com said:
    I know I'm late to this game, but any progress? I hoped Smugmug would have a tutorial somewhere telling us how to make Google Analytics work again, but I can't find any?
    Much confusion over terminology: "Tracking ID" vs. "Property ID" vs. "GA4 ID" and where to find these codes within Google Analytics.

    Agreed a SmugMug tutorial would be extremely helpful at this point as many people are very confused as to what to do to get the data flowing. I have not been able to get any readouts. Can somebody please respond from Smugmug? Thank you so much.

  • Hikin' MikeHikin' Mike Registered Users Posts: 5,467 Major grins

    Mine has been working since I changed it over to the new version last year.

    - Mike
    Images in the Backcountry

    My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    Hi Mike, what did you enter into the Google Analytics box? Did you put the entire Google Analytics property code or just the digits?

  • Hikin' MikeHikin' Mike Registered Users Posts: 5,467 Major grins

    @wescandela said:
    Hi Mike, what did you enter into the Google Analytics box? Did you put the entire Google Analytics property code or just the digits?

    I used the "Measurement ID" from the 'Data Streams > Web stream details'.

    - Mike
    Images in the Backcountry

    My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    @Hikin' Mike said:

    @wescandela said:
    Hi Mike, what did you enter into the Google Analytics box? Did you put the entire Google Analytics property code or just the digits?

    I used the "Measurement ID" from the 'Data Streams > Web stream details'.

    Interesting...
    I have never read anywhere that that's what you're supposed to be putting into the SmugMug Google Analytics box but I will give it a shot. Thank you very much, Mike.

  • Hikin' MikeHikin' Mike Registered Users Posts: 5,467 Major grins
    edited August 2, 2023

    @wescandela said:

    @Hikin' Mike said:

    @wescandela said:
    Hi Mike, what did you enter into the Google Analytics box? Did you put the entire Google Analytics property code or just the digits?

    I used the "Measurement ID" from the 'Data Streams > Web stream details'.

    Interesting...
    I have never read anywhere that that's what you're supposed to be putting into the SmugMug Google Analytics box but I will give it a shot. Thank you very much, Mike.

    SM should update it, but for now just in your GA account click on 'Admin' on the bottom, find 'Data Stream' and click on that stream and you'll see your 'Web stream details' pop up and copy your 'Measure ID'. Should be good to go.

    - Mike
    Images in the Backcountry

    My SmugMug Customizations | Adding CSS to Your Site | SEO for the Photographer | Locate Your Page/Widget Number | SmugMug Help Desk
  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    @Hikin' Mike said:

    @wescandela said:

    @Hikin' Mike said:

    @wescandela said:
    Hi Mike, what did you enter into the Google Analytics box? Did you put the entire Google Analytics property code or just the digits?

    I used the "Measurement ID" from the 'Data Streams > Web stream details'.

    Interesting...
    I have never read anywhere that that's what you're supposed to be putting into the SmugMug Google Analytics box but I will give it a shot. Thank you very much, Mike.

    SM should update it, but for now just in your GA account click on 'Admin' on the bottom, find 'Data Stream' and click on that stream and you'll see your 'Web stream details' pop up and copy your 'Measure ID'. Should be good to go.

    I will crack it open in a little bit and give it a shot. Hope it works.
    Thanks for taking the time out to explain this

    Yes, Smugmug should be putting a little tutorial up. I’ll let you know if it works for me.

    Mike, thanks again

  • blakeirvineblakeirvine Registered Users Posts: 6 Big grins

    Hey all, I was also having a problem getting GA4 to work. In particular the "data stream" was not "flowing." Ends up I hadn't checked a box in the Admin > Account Settings section to agree to the Data Processing Terms for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). It seems you have to explicitly agree to this AND save the choice. Once I did this, data started flowing into Google Analytics. Makes sense (to me at least) but this is not very obvious. Maybe make sure you've accepted the terms if data isn't flowing for you?

  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    When I went to my Google Analytics "Admin" link, there was no "Data Streams" link anywhere. But then I discovered at the top of the "Property" column was my Smugmug URL the my old GA code in parens. To the right of that was a small down carat. Clicking on that down carat opened a "select property" window showing 2 lines with my Smugmug URL. One had the old GA code and one had a code beginning with "GA4".

    When I selected that "GA4" property, it opened up a whole new Property column, and there was "Data Streams"!!! Clicking that Data Streams opened a new window with my Smugmug URL plus a 10 digit code (unlabled) plus a right carat. Clicking the right carat opened yet another window and, lo-and-behold, there was the "Measurement ID".

    Copied that ID, went over to SMugmug and entered it as the Google Analytics code. All that for nothing. That was days ago and still no traffic shows in my Google Analytics. Meanshile 500+ hits in Statcounter.

  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    I've been in a 3 day email conversation with a SmugMug "Hero" where I received bad advice. Smugmug clearly still does not understand how the new "GA4" Google Analytics works. Two of their current help pages still say to use the "Web Property ID". Not true. You must use the "Measurement ID" as described by wescandela above. A GA4 help page shows the CSS code you need to add to a website, and it confirms it is the Measurement ID.

    Also, check your "Google Search Visibility" in your Smugmug Account Settings/Discovery/Search. Mine was turned off. I swear on a stack of anything I never touched that option. Didn't even know it was there until the Smugmug Hero pointed it out. Don't know how it got turned off.

    I ignored all the Google messages about the conversion and just let to default take charge. That apparently created a new GA4 property and left the old property in place with some kind of link to the new. I kept using my bookmarked link to Google Analytics, then discovered it linked to the old property. So I never saw any activity even after I set the Measurement ID inside Smugmug. Yeah, dumb, I know.

    But now that I'm looking at the new GA4 property and have the Measurement ID inside Smugmug, I'm seeing activity. But unfortunately it's not all activity. Google Analytics is only showing hits on Gallery pages. It's not showing hits on Lightbox pages. Don't know about you, but it's Lightbox hits I want to know about.

    A visitor shows a gallery, scans the thumbnails, and chooses some to view the full image in the Lightbox. Those are the images that got their attention. That's what I want to know.

  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    Magically, my Google Analytics started working today. It now shows hits on individual images from Smugmug Lightbox views. However,, GA does not show clickable links like the old version did. It shows only a partial URL and, strangely, you can't select and ctrl-c that text string. But you can select it, right click, and copy. Then paste it in a new window that already has the root URL of your Smugmug site and, volia, you can see the image page. So now you can tell what images in a gallery got the most hits. Progress, however slow.

  • wescandelawescandela Registered Users Posts: 9 Big grins

    @redcrown@mchsi.com said:
    Magically, my Google Analytics started working today. It now shows hits on individual images from Smugmug Lightbox views. However,, GA does not show clickable links like the old version did. It shows only a partial URL and, strangely, you can't select and ctrl-c that text string. But you can select it, right click, and copy. Then paste it in a new window that already has the root URL of your Smugmug site and, volia, you can see the image page. So now you can tell what images in a gallery got the most hits. Progress, however slow.

    Really??
    Ok let me know at mine This is good news.

    But this is getting silly.

    @SmugMugHeroPamela
    @smugmug
    Help us 🙏

  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    Spoke too soon, I guess. Shot an event last Sunday. Uploaded to a new Smugmug gallery, and published on Facebook. Statcounter shows 10+ visitors and well over 500 hits on the gallery. Google Analytics shows nothing! Can't make sense of it. Maybe a very long time lag?

  • redcrown@mchsi.comredcrown@mchsi.com Registered Users Posts: 74 Big grins

    This issues just keeps getting more weird. Sometimes an infrequent and random hit on a Smugmug Lightbox page shows up in Google Analytics, while hundreds of others do not appear. Yet all Gallery page hits continue to show in GA.

    In the past 2 days, somebody browsed a few of my galleries and viewed hundreds of individual Lightbox images. They exceeded the 500 item limit in my free Statcounter account. Below is a snipet of the Statcounter log.

    Now below is the Google Analytics log for the same period. Note that is shows only 2 Lightbox hits out of the hundreds that were made.

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