This article will show you how to enable custom Google Analytics tracking, and it will also show you how to view the real-time visitors stats within the Google Analytics interface.
Before getting started, you'll first need to create a Google Analytics account. You can sign up for a free Google Analytics account here. We recommend that you create a new 'property' for use solely with StreamShark. This helps to prevent potential data pollution if you have any existing properties.
How do I enable the Google Analytics integration?
Live Streaming Event
- Browse to the live streaming event you want to add analytics to. Click settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of the advanced settings section and turn on the the 'Google Analytics' toggle.
- Enter your Google analytics UA code. Usually it has the format of UA-XXXXXXXXX-X
Video on Demand
- Browse to the video on demand you want to add analytics to. Click profile.
- Enter your Google analytics UA code. Usually it has the format of UA-XXXXXXXXX-X
Please be aware that if you have a profile set for the video, it will be removed if you add google analytics this way. If you want to keep the profile association, add google analytics through the profiles section.
Congratulations you've successfully added Google Analytics!
How do I view real-time visitor stats in Google Analytics?
Once you've got your Google Analytics UA number installed, you can now delve into the treasure trove of data collected by Google Analytics.
The most relevant feature for videos are the real-time visitor stats which can be found under the 'Real-Time' tab. The overview section gives you a good idea on what your viewers are doing.
It's important to note that the way Google Analytics works means that if users view your video or stream for more than 30mins (by default) without reloading the page, GA will automatically assume the user has left the page. So the actual number usually isn't 100% accurate, but gives you a good idea on how many viewers you have.
