A successful website is not just about attractive design and good content. It’s also about understanding user behavior, traffic sources, and how well your business goals are being met. None of this is possible without proper web analytics.

The most commonly used tools for this purpose are Google Analytics and Yandex Metrica. In this article, you’ll learn how to connect one or both of them step-by-step to your site hosted on a VPS.

Why Use VPS for Analytics Integration?

Hosting your website on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) provides far more flexibility than traditional shared hosting. You get:

  • full system and log access;
  • the ability to automate event tracking;
  • support for third-party tracking proxies to enhance privacy;
  • better performance control so analytics won’t slow down your site.

With VPS, you can create custom subdomains for tracking, enable IP anonymization, and even run self-hosted analytics platforms like Matomo.

Step 1: Registering and Creating a Property in Google Analytics

  1. Go to analytics.google.com.
  2. Sign in with your Google account or create one.
  3. In the Admin panel, click “Create Account.”
  4. Enter account name, time zone, currency, resource type (web), and your site’s domain.
  5. After creating it, you’ll receive a measurement ID like G-XXXXXXX.

In Google Analytics 4, all data is collected as events. This modern approach allows for more flexible user interaction tracking.

Step 2: Adding Analytics Code to the Site

For websites without CMS:

  • Connect to your VPS via SFTP or SSH.
  • Open your HTML file (e.g., index.html) or template.
  • Paste the Analytics script before the closing <head> or <body> tag.

For CMS (e.g., WordPress):

  • Use a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers.
  • Paste the script into the designated field in plugin settings.

For framework-based sites (Laravel, Next.js, etc.):

  • Insert the script in the main layout file (app.blade.php, _app.tsx, etc.).

Note: Your site must be accessible via HTTPS, so don’t forget to install an SSL certificate.

Step 3: Connecting Yandex Metrica (Optional)

  1. Visit metrika.yandex.ru.
  2. Create a counter by entering your site’s name and domain.
  3. Enable features like Webvisor, Goals, Click Maps.
  4. Copy the JavaScript code and insert it the same way as Analytics.

Yandex Metrica is especially useful for websites targeting audiences in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, or other CIS countries where it’s still widely used.

Step 4: Verifying the Setup

To check that everything is working:

  • In Google Analytics, open the “Real-time” report and visit your website — you should see one active user.
  • In Metrica, check the “Sources” or “Webvisor” reports.
  • You can also use Chrome extensions like Tag Assistant or GA Debugger.

Also check your website code to avoid script duplication or JavaScript errors in the browser console.

Step 5: Setting Up Goals and Events

Once the base integration is complete, you can configure:

  • button click tracking;
  • scroll depth tracking;
  • form submission or order completion events.

In Google Analytics, you can do this via Google Tag Manager or manually using gtag(‘event’, …).

If you use a VPS from server.ua, you can implement server-side event tracking that works even when ad blockers or JavaScript restrictions are active.

Common Integration Mistakes

  1. Scripts placed in the wrong section of the page.
  2. Incorrect HTML wrapping around the code.
  3. Ignoring browser restrictions on third-party cookies.
  4. Missing or misconfigured SSL certificate.
  5. Pages not indexed properly due to analytics issues.

Any of these issues can result in incomplete or inaccurate tracking, making business decisions based on faulty data.

Conclusion

Analytics integration is a crucial step in launching a website. A properly configured setup lets you measure performance and adapt based on user behavior.

With a VPS from Server.ua, you get:

  • full file and log access;
  • the ability to install third-party tracking tools;
  • a secure and customizable analytics environment.

Tip: Consider creating a separate file or layout block for tracking scripts. It will simplify code management as your project scales.

If you’re ready for more control, performance, and data transparency — go for VPS hosting and let your server infrastructure power meaningful decisions.