Click image to go to Google Analytics

Google Analytics allows you to monitor the traffic to your website(s) and/or blog(s). It helps you keep track of how many users have visited, the average number of page visits per user session, the average time a visitor stays on your site and much more. It’s a great tool, but it would be nice to not have to go outside of WordPress, and open another browser window, to go to Google Analytics to check your statistics.

That’s where Google Analytics Dashboard enters. It allows you to check your stats right from the WordPress Dashboard without ever leaving your blog. See the image below:

Not only can you check stats from your WordPress Dashboard, each page and post has it’s on analytics count. See the image below:

To get started, you must first sign up with Google Analytics and register your blog. Once you’ve gotten your unique code, include it in the source code of your blog. If you’re not absolutely sure where you’re suppose to include your code, and there are no explicit instructions you can use to figure it out, try the Ultimate Google Analytics plugin. It’s really simple.

Once you’ve included your Google Analytics code in your blog, download and install the Google Analytics Dashboard plugin.

Click on the WordPress Settings option and then find and click on Google Analytics Dashboard from the list. Enter your Google Analytics (not WordPress) username and password, and you will then be taken to another screen that will allow you to make choices to customize your preferences.

That’s it.

Go back to your WordPress Dashboard and find the Google Analytics Dashboard widget box. It’s probably going to be at the bottom of the page. If it’s not in the best location for you, don’t forget that you can reorder and organize your WordPress Dashboard to fit your needs. See WordPress Tip #3: Can I Change the Way My Dashboard Looks? for more information.

Happy stats, good people.

My Question of the Day: How does having/not having healthcare affect your life?

My 2 Cents: I’ve been on three sides of the healthcare issue—yes, three.

As a civilian, whenever I had a fulltime job, I had healthcare. When I got sick, needed dental care or glasses, I’d pay my copay, receive my services and go about my business.

As a soldier, healthcare was even more exceptional than when I was a civilian. If I got sick or injured, I’d go to the base medical facility, get fixed up and get whatever medicine I needed. The same was true for dental and vision. Everything was included in my benefits as a soldier. I didn’t have to worry about copays or prescription-drug costs. Forget buying anything over-the-counter. One doctor gave me a prescription for multivitamins, and one of the dentists I visited gave me a prescription for toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

As a self-employed individual, after leaving the Army and before becoming a part of another company’s payroll, I didn’t even think about getting insurance. I knew the rates would be astronomical, and I just prayed I’d stay healthy. For two years, that worked, but then I got so sick I had to go to an urgent care facility. I had a temperature of 102°. They made me pay $200 upfront since I wasn’t insured, and then when the doctor came to examine me, he told me the cost of everything before he did this or that. In the end, I left with some drug samples and they refunded my $100 because I refused all services I couldn’t afford. I’ll never forget that experience. It wasn’t cool.

Having healthcare is the net. Not having healthcare is walking a tightrope without the net.

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Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:

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PROTECTED TWEETER not having healthcare 1) can’t buy my meds..they are too expensive 2) can’t go to the doc, too expensive..etc

JoshDamage having healthcare affects my life positively…I know if I get sick I can get treatment

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The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

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3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.