Getting Started with Beehive

Quick Links

Use the links below to jump to the guidance you require.

Important Privacy Information

Certain Beehive features add cookies to a user’s browser, store personal information in the WordPress database and/or integrate with  third party applications. Site managers may need to disclose this information to visitors to avoid violating Google’s informed consent policies. For details, see Google's privacy policy guidance. 

Choosing a Connection Method

Before configuring the plugin, you should decide what type of connection you wish to create. There are three ways of connecting Beehive to Google Analytics:

API Project – Users can connect Beehive to a site by creating a Google API project using tools from the Google API Library. This method ensures the greatest possible reliability when configuring GA reports to display on sites, as noted below in To Share or Not to Share.

Connect with Google – This is a quick connection method that utilizes a shared API to display tracking statistics on site or network dashboards. It has limitations, but these may not be a concern to some users, as noted below in To Share or Not to Share.

Tracking ID only – Use this method only if you wish to use Beehive to send data to Google Analytics, but DO NOT wish to utilize Beehive’s primary function of displaying analytics reports on your site(s).

To Share or Not to Share

Google requires the use of an API to collect user data because APIs provide better protection for that data. Beehive users have the option to use a shared API or to create a custom API project specifically for their sites.

It must be said that the shared API method, typically, is very quick and easy to set up. However, it’s simple because it uses an existing, hard-coded API that is shared by multiple users. Google limits the maximum number of requests a single API can make per hour and per day. A shared API increases the chances of hitting this limit, resulting in sites displaying error messages in place of the desired charts. If you do not expect heavy traffic to your site(s), the shared API might be sufficient.

Creating a custom API project, on the other hand, creates an exclusive connection just for your site or network. It takes a few minutes to set up, but if having up to date and accurate data available at all times if important to you, then the time invested is worth it.

With a custom API project you can connect up to 50 domains using the same account. If you have more than 50 sites, or a multisite network with more than 50 domain-mapped subsites, you might indeed hit that limit, resulting in sites displaying error messages in place of the desired graphics. In short, as long as any one account connects to less than 50 domains or 50 network subsites, the custom API project will ensure that your data is up to date and displays properly at all times.

Pro Tip

Admins can work around the 50-domain/subsite limit by creating multiple accounts and connecting sites, accordingly. Alternatively, because Google Analytics applies the 50-domain/subsite limit on a per-user basis, you can create additional admin users on a single account and divide your sites among multiple users.

Once you’ve decided which of the connection methods you prefer, use the links below to proceed to the corresponding section of this guide.

• If you wish to use the shared API method, go to the Connect with Google section of this guide.

• If you wish to connect via API but are unsure which method to use (shared API or your own API Project), see the To Share or ot to Share section of this guide.

• If you wish to use the Tracking ID only, proceed to the section below.

Connect with Google

To connect Beehive to GA using the shared API, click Connect with Google in the Welcome to Beehive screen or in the Settings module in Beehive.

Choose the Google account with which you wish to connect Beehive to Google Analytics.

Click Allow to authorize Beehive to access your Google Analytics account.

Copy and paste the code that Google provides into the field provided and click Authorize.

Beehive is now connected to your Google Analytics account. You can configure the view (profile) you wish to use for this connection under the Google Analytics tab.

Connect with API Project

This section guides users through the process of creating a custom Google API project for Beehive.

Google API projects are created in the Google Developers Console and involve configuring a Google API, or multiple APIs, to service websites, mobile apps and other applications. In this project we’ll be combining three APIs from the Google API library into a single, robust data collection and reporting profile.

The APIs involved include:

The Google Analytics API allows those with established credentials to configure the data collection and reporting profile for a specific property (domain/site/nework).

The People API collects user profile and contact information for consenting users and shares that data with Google Analytics. This API can be enabled with a couple of clicks. No configuration is necessary.

The Google Analytics Reporting API allows authorized users to build custom dashboards in Google Analytics, automate complex reporting tasks and integrate with applications like Beehive. Like The People API, the Reporting API requries no configuration and is enabled with a couple of clicks.

Create the API project

Begin by signing into a Google or Workspace (formerly G-Suite) account associated with the site on which Beehive is being configured, then navigate to the Google Developer Console . If this is your first time accessing the console, agree to the Terms and Service to proceed.

This is the Google API project dashboard, where API projects are created and managed. Click Create to initiate a new project.

If you don’t see the Create button, it may be that an API project was created with this account at some point in the past, possibly unrelated to Beehive. In this case, click the Select a Project drop-down and then click New Project. Remember this screen and remember that drop-down menu, because this is where you will come if you ever wish to modify your Beehive API project or any other Google API projects you may initiate.

Give the project a name. If you are using a G-Suite account, select the organization and location you want to associate with it, then click Create. 

Enabling the APIs

Click Enable APIs and Services to access the Google library of APIs.

Enable the Google Analytics API

Use the search tool to locate the Google Analytics API or scroll to the bottom of the page where it’s located and click Google Analytics API.

Click Enable.

If you are prompted to create credentials, ignore the request and exit the prompt. Google requires OAuth 2.0 credentials for API connections, but it is better to add all the required APIs before creating those credentials.

Enable Google People API

In a similar way to how you enabled the Google Analytics API, click the Enable APIs & Services button to access the Google API Library.

Type “people” into the search tool to quickly locate Google People API, then select it and click Enable to add it to the project.

Click Enable.

Enable Google Analytics Reporting API

Finally, add the Google Analytics Reporting API in the same way. Click Enable APIs and Services to return to the API Library. Search for “reporting”, select and Enable the Google Analytics Reporting API.

Credentials and Consent Screen

Google requires informed user consent for most of its data collection APIs. In the case of Beehive, Google requires an OAuth 2.0 Client ID which, in turn, requires that users grant consent to the data collection via a consent screen. First, we will configure the constent screen, then the Client ID.

OAuth 2.0 and Google Verification

OAuth 2.0 is a protocol intended to ensure users whose data is being collected and handed off to a third-party have consented to that transaction. Google requires sites to identify the data collection app involved and to verify that data is being collected in accordance with Google policies before granting OAuth 2.0 credentials. Depending on the sensitivity of the data or the API involved, Google may require an application and its consent notification to submit to a verification process before providing those credentials. See the Scopes section of this guide for more information about that verification process.

There are many routes through the OAuth credential screens, but the following path is the most direct.

First, navigate to your Google API Project Dashboard by clicking Google APIs in the upper left corner. Once there, click the Credentials tab.

Then click Create Credentials and select OAuth client ID from the dropdown menu.

Configure the Consent Screen

Google requires users consent to having their data collected via a popup consent screen, and requires Admins to provide information that will appear on that screen.

These are the key components of the consent screen you will configure for Beehive:

Profile image/Logo – Optional image, typically a business or application logo.

App Name – The name of the app that is collecting users’ data.

Support email – An email address where users can submit questions regarding the data collection process.

Data description – A list of the data to be shared if consent is granted.

Privacy and TOS links – Links to pages detailing the Privacy Policy and Terms of Services for the site(s) collecting user data.

Click Configure Consent Screen to proceed

Depending on the user data being collected and its intended use, some Admins may be required to provide more information than others. Beehive Admins are required to identify the type of data being collected, the application’s name, an email address for support requests and an authorized domain.

The following guidance will help you complete the required consent screen fields.

User Type – If you choose the Internal mode, access will be limited to G Suite users within your organization and doesn’t require verification.

External is available to anyone with a Google Account.

Click Create once you have selected your User Type.

Application Type – Select Public, if you want to allow any Google account to connect to Beehive. You’d want this option to enable clients or subsite admins to connect with their Google accounts using this same API. Select Internal if you want to limit access to only users within your organization, or if you are using a GSuite account for this API.

Application Name – This name that will appear on consent screens indicating who is requesting users’ data. Google requires that the name accurately reflect your application and be consistent with the application name users see elsewhere. You can include your site or company name with the application name, but be careful not to use a name that suggests your application is from Google or any entity other than your own.

Support email – By default, the Google account you signed in with will appear as the support email. Later, you can create a user with an email address specifically for support requests.

Scopes for Google APIs – We do not recommend adding scopes to your Beehive API project. If you require additional scopes, see the Scopes and Verification section below before adding them. Otherwise, no action is needed in this section.

Authorized domains – Type your domain name into this field and hit return. Google requires that authorized domains be top-level domains only, such as example.edu, mysite.com, etc. Subdomains, such as analytics.example.com, cannot be an authorized domain; however, once an authorized domain is added, Admins can use any of its subdomains or pages elsewhere, as needed. Enter your domain into the field provided, and if it is accepted, the domain name will appear above the field.

When ready, click Save to preserve the information and exit the page.

Create Client ID

Go back to the Credentials tab in your Google APIs & Services dashboard and click the Create Credentials select OAuth client ID from the dropdown menu, as you did before.

Complete the Create OAuth Client ID form as instructed below and click Create.

Application type – Select Web application and a series of settings relevant to web applications will appear.

Name – Here you are actually naming the credentials associated with this project. The name can be anything that works for you.

Authorized Javascript origins – All the javascript required for Beehive to function is contained in the app, so Admins can ignore this field.

Authorized redirect URLs– You must add the URL of the site being connected twice, once with a slash (/) at the end and once without a slash (/) at the end.

When you are ready, click Create and Google will generate your credentials.

You can copy your Client ID and Client Secret key directly from this module or you can locate them at a later stage in your Credentials tab, as discussed below.

Locating Your Client Secret and Client ID

The Credentials screen contains a list of the Client IDs for all your Google API projects. Each Client ID will have an associated Client Secret, which can be viewed by clicking the name of the project or the Edit icon.

When you open the Client ID page, the Secret Key may not appear immediately. If not, simply refresh the page, and the key should appear beneath the Client ID.The Client ID for this project cannot be changed, but users can reset the Client Secret as necessary by clicking Reset Secret. 

Add Client ID to Beehive

Return to your site and copy/paste the Client ID and Client Secret into their respective fields in Beehive and click Authorize.

You will be asked to log in to the API project and grant permission for Google Analytics to collect data from this site. Log in with the Google account used to create the project.

Click Allow in the pop up to confirm the connection between Beehive and Google Analytics.

At this point, you have created an API project and given permission for Beehive to pass data to that project. Now, you must choose the profile within that project with which this site’s data to be a site is connected to Google Analytics with a robust data collection and reporting profile. It may take several minutes for data to begin appearing in your Dashboard. In the meantime, there are a few more steps required to complete the Beehive configuration.

Configuring Beehive Reports

Now that Beehive is connected, just a few housekeeping tasks and you’re done. First, you will establish which roles will able to view the Google Analytics data and reports that appear on your dashboard and in Beehive.

To connect Beehive to Google Analytics using a custom API project you created in the Google Developers Console, click Set up API project and enter the Client ID and Client Secret into the fields provided. Then click Authorize.

Note

If you have not yet created an API project or don’t have the required credentials, see the detailed instructions in the Set up API project section of this guide.

When you click Authorize, you will be asked to log in to the API project and grant permission for Google Analytics to collect data from this site. Log in with the Google account used to create the project.

Click Allow in the pop up to confirm the connection between Beehive and Google Analytics. 

At this point, you have created an API project and given permission for Beehive to pass data to that project. You can configure the view (profile) you wish to use for this connection under the Google Analytics tab.

Scopes and verification

We do not recommend adding scopes to your Beehive API project. OAuth 2.0 verification is sufficient for the three scopes employed by Beehive and results in essentially immediate approval of your application by Google.

• userinfo.profile – Collects publicly available personal information.

• userinfo.email – Collects users’ email addresses.

• analytics.readonly – Shares analytics data with a client service which in this case is Beehive.The data collected by Beehive requires three scopes:

Adding scopes to your Beehive API project can broaden the type of data collected, but doing so may also trigger a higher verification standard that prevents immediate creation of the required credentials or places limits on Beehive until the verification process is complete. The verification process for highly sensitive scopes can take weeks.

Connect the Tracking ID only

Tracking IDs are assigned to properties created within a Google Analytics account. If you have not yet created a property in Google Analytics for your site or network, you should do so before proceeding. See the Create a Property section of this guide if you need help creating a property.

If you have not yet created a property in Google Analytics for your site or network, you should do so before proceeding. See the Create a Property section of this guide if you need help creating a property. 

If you have created a property but need help locating the Tracking ID, scroll down a bit to the Locating a Tracking ID section below.

Once that property has been created, and if you’re certain you don’t want tracking statistics to appear on the dashboard of your site or network, then click the Add Google Analytics tracking ID link at the bottom of the Welcome modal.

On the next screen, enter your Google Analytics Tracking ID into the field provided and click Save Code.

That’s it. Google Analytics will begin collecting and organizing your tracking data. Remember, those stats can only be viewed in Google Analytics.

Locating a Tracking ID

Tracking IDs are stored within the Property menu of a Google Analytics account, located on the Admin page.

Log in to your Google Analytics account and navigate to the Admin page.

In the Property column, locate and click Tracking Info. In the menu that appears, click Tracking Code, to reveal the Tracking ID.

Copy and save the ID in Beehive and you’re all set. Google Analytics will begin collecting and organizing your tracking data. Remember, those stats will only be available in Google Analytics.

Later, if you wish to re-configure Beehive to display analytics stats on your dashboards, see the Settings section of this guide.

Beehive: A comprehensive guide to the interface

This section discusses each Beehive screen and explains the settings and tools they contain.

Quick Setup

The Quick Setup modal appears the first time Beehive is activated, and we encourage novice users to follow it as it greatly simplifies the connection process.

The Dashboard

The Dashboard statistics become available after Beehive is connected to Google Analytics and consists of the Overview, the Statistics quick access panel, and the Google Tag Manager module. Admins, particularly those managing multiple sites, can use the Dashboard to get a quick big picture view of site activity over time.

Use the View Documentation button to access Beehive usage documentation (this document).

Overview

The Overview panel provides a snapshot of a site’s traffic stats for a specified period of time. Overview elements include:

Time frame filter – This is located next to the View Documentation button. Use the filter to display traffic and activity stats for a day, for years or any time frame in between, using the custom range option. The selected time frame will modify the stats displayed in both the Overview and Statistics panels.

Pageviews – Displays the number of unique page views during the selected time frame, along with the percentage change during that same period.

New Users – The number of new users during the selected time frame, along with the percentage change during that same period.

Top Page – The most visited page during the selected time frame.

Top Search Engine – The search engine that generated the most traffic for a site during the selected time frame.

Top Medium – The path that generated the most traffic (direct, organic search, referrals, paid, etc.) during the selected time frame.

Tutorials

The tutorials module gives you easy access to all the relevant tutorial blogs. Click read more to navigate to the specific article or click View all to jump to the main Beehive tutorial page. You can also click the x icon to remove the tutorials module – the tutorials will always be available in the Tutorials tab.

Statistics

This widget gives you a snapshot of your statistics and acts as a quick-access panel to view your full analytics report. Click the View Full Report button to learn more about all of your analytics.

Google Tag Manager

This widget simply displays the current status of the Google Tag Manager integration, and how many variables you may have set up. Click the gear icons for either to quickly access their settings.

Google Analytics

This is where you’ll manage your Google Analytics account once you’ve authenticated it for use with Beehive, either during the Quick Setup or on the Accounts screen.

Statistics (Analytics)

The statistics tab allows you to view all of your stats from one area.

Visitors

The Visitors panel displays traffic and activity data across multiple metrics, and using the available filters, will display comparative data over selected time frames.

The data for each metric during the currently selected time frame is displayed along the bottom of the panel. Click any metric to view a chart detailing that metric’s activity over time.

These metrics are defined as:

Sessions – The number of unique user sessions during the selected time frame. A session is defined as a group of user interactions with your website that takes place within a given time frame.

Users – The number of unique individual users who interacted with a site during the selected time frame.

Pageviews – The number of pages that were fully loaded into a browser at the request of users. A user who views five pages in one session will result in a single session and five pageviews.

Pages/Session – The average number of pages users viewed during a single session.

Average Time – The average amount of time users spent interacting with a site during a single session.

Bounce rate – A bounce occurs when a user leaves a site shortly after arriving without interacting with any elements on the page. The bounce rate is the number of these events as a percentage of all sessions during the selected time frame.

Time Frame Filter

Use the time frame filter to display data for a variety of periods, including custom data ranges.

Changing the time frame will refresh the data for every chart on the Statistics page, so all charts display data for the same period.

Compare to last period

Select the Compare to last period option, and then click a metric to see a comparison of the current data for that period and the data for the time frame preceding the current time frame.

For example, the lighter-colored line in the image below shows a site’s pageview data for the last month, while the bolder line shows the same metric for the month immediately preceding the last month.

Real-Time Visitors

View the real-time data of your site’s visitors, which is categorized by device. This panel displays the total number of current visitors, as well as a percentage breakdown by the following devices.

• Desktop

• Tablet

• Mobile

Mediums, Search Engines, and Top pages

Beehive displays key Search Engine Optimization data in three circle charts directly below the Visitors data.

These charts show traffic data in the following categories:

• Medium – The various sources for site traffic: organic, direct, referral, and so on.

• Social Networks – Traffic that was referred to a site from a social network.

• Search Engines – A ranking of search engines based on the amount of traffic derived from those sources.

Top Countries

The Top Countries chart uses color coding to show, geographically, where traffic is coming from to a site and the number of visitors from each country during the selected time frame.

Top Pages

A list of a site’s most visited pages and the number of visitors who viewed the pages during the selected time period, as well as the average amount of time users spent on that page and the percent change since the previous period.

The list contains links to the listed pages. Click any link to view that page.

Analytics Profile

Once you have authenticated your Google Analytics account on the Accounts screen, you’ll select the profile (view) you want to use in Beehive here. Simply click the dropdown menu and select the one you need for your site. Note that this only lists Universal Analytics (v3) properties. By default, new properties that are created will be v4 properties and therefore won’t show up in your list of profiles. However, if you want, you can still create a Universal Analytics property, as explained here.

If you have set up your own API project for this connection, check the Automatically detect Tracking ID checkbox to have Beehive automatically fetch that for you for the selected view, and add it where needed.

Tracking Statistics

If you need to use a different Tracking ID, or just want to send analytics data from your site to your Google Analytics account, be sure that box is unchecked. Then manually enter the tracking ID in the field below.

Analytics 4

If you’d like to integrate the new Google Analytics 4 with Beehive on your site, add your GA4 Measurement ID in the field provided here.

Google Analytics 4 is the new API from Google that is now the default for all new properties created in your Google Analytics account. But you can also create a new GA4 property from an existing Universal Analytics property and they will be nicely integrated.

To learn all about it and how to set it up if you haven’t already, see the following Google articles:

• Introducing the new Google Analytics

• Upgrade to a Google Analytics 4 property

Admin pages tracking

By default, only the activity on the frontend pages of your site is tracked. However, by enabling this Admin Page Tracking feature, activity in the wp-admin is also tracked.

IP Anonymization

Google does collect IP addresses in order to report geolocation data, but those addresses are never reported and are stored in an anonymous state. When enabled, IP Anonymization modifies collected IP addresses so they cannot be used by Google and allows you to ensure your audience that you are not leaving it up to Google to protect their data.

Multisite Super Admins have an additional option that, when selected, forces all subsites to anonymize IP addresses, as well.

Display Advertising

When enabled, this feature adds Google advertising cookies to your site or network so you can do things like:

• Create Remarketing Audiences based on specific behavior, demographic, and interest data, and share those lists with Google Ads.

• Use demographic and interest data in your Analytics reports.

• Create Segments based on demographic and interest data.

Keep in mind that you may need to update your privacy policy if you wish to enable this feature.

Exclude Roles from Tracking

If you don’t want certain users’ activity to be tracked and added to your analytics, you can exclude them by roles. Search for the user role and select it to ensure that when any users with that role are logged into the site, their activity will not be tracked. You can add multiple roles if you wish.

Statistics in post types

This allows you to display the statistics meta box on custom post types. By default, posts and pages are already included but you can remove these by clicking the x icon next to the name. Simply type in the name of the post type and select it from the dropdown.

Google Tag Manager

This section enables you to integrate Google Tag manager with Beehive. To activate the integration, start by clicking the Activate button.

Note that if you have already integrated Google Analytics with your Google Tag Manager account, you do not need to connect Analytics to Beehive; the Tag Manager container you connect will handle that for you.

If you have not connected Analytics to Tag Manager yet and wish to do so, below are Google’s guides to help you get that done.

For older Universal Analytics accounts, see: Deploy Universal Analytics with Tag Manager For newer Google Analytics 4 accounts, see: Google Analytics 4 tags

Account (Tag Manager)

Add your Google Tag Manager container ID (GTM ID) in the field provided and click Save Changes. If you’re not sure where to find your GTM ID, see this Google help doc.

Pro Tip

If you are testing things on a staging site, you can create and use different Container IDs for your live and staging sites so your live GTM data doesn’t get “polluted” with staging data.

Settings (Tag Manager)

In the Settings section are several built-in variables that you can enable, and you can define your own custom ones as well if needed.

You can use the data in your Google Tag Manager account as you see fit. If you need help with that, see this Google doc: https://support.google.com/tagmanager/answer/6164391

Default

Under the Default tab, you’ll find a number of post-related variables are built-in. Enable the ones you need by clicking the toggle on the left.

Visitors

Under the Visitors tab, you’ll find several variables related to the current visitor’s status. Enable the ones you need by clicking the toggle on the left.

Integrations

Under the Integrations tab, you’ll find variables related to currently supported plugins or services. At this time, WPMU DEV’s Forminator and Hustle plugins are supported. Note that if any plugin is not active, their options will appear greyed out here.

When any of the integration options are enabled for Forminator, and a form/poll/quiz is submitted successfully, Beehive will send a Data Layer event with form/quiz/poll data to GTM. The event names are:

• beehive.forminatorFormSubmit (for Form)

• beehive.forminatorPollSubmit (for Poll)

• beehive.forminatorQuizSubmit (for Quiz)

When integration is enabled for Hustle Leads, and an optin module is successfully submitted, Beehive will send a Data Layer event with module data to GTM. The event name is:

• beehive.hustleModuleSubmit (for all modules)

Custom

Under the Custom tab, you can define your own custom variables if needed. To add a variable, click the Add Variable button, then enter the Name and Value, and click Save Changes.

Accounts

This is where you manage your authentication to different analytics services. However, currently only Google Analytics is supported.

Google Account

To display your Google Analytics statistics in your site admin, you will need to connect with one of the two API methods:

• Connect with Google – A shared API with multiple users.

• Set up API project (Recommended) – Creates a custom API connection for a specific site or network of sites.

If you are unfamiliar with Google APIs, we recommend reviewing the To Share or Not to Share section before proceeding.

Regardless of the option selected to connect to Google Analytics, you can reset the connection by clicking the gear icon once connected, then clicking the Logout option. You can then connect to a different account. Or if you connect once again to the same account, the same data will appear as before.

Settings

The Settings area is where site admins can modify Beehive’s configuration to manage plugin data, enable various users and/or user roles to view statistics and adjust plugin settings.

General

Manage your general Beehive settings here.

Statistics Tab

If this is enabled, a top-level statistics tab will appear in the WP Admin sidebar which displays your Google Analytics. Click the toggle to enable/disable this feature and replace the name in the available field to rename the tab that will appear in the sidebar.

Data & Settings

Manage your plugin data settings by configuring the Uninstallation and Reste Settings modules.

Uninstallation

When Beehive is uninstalled, the settings that you have made within the plugin can either be kept by selecting Preserve or be discarded by choosing the Reset option.

Reset Settings

If you are wanting to start on a clean slate, you can click on the Reset button to instantly revert all the settings back to their default state. Just keep in mind that this will also remove your Google authentication and your statistics report.

Permissions

Here you can determine who can see the data and reports compiled by your analytics account.

Statistics

Select either the user roles or the capability required to view your statistics in the WordPress Dashboard area.

User Roles

To adjust this per user role, click on the Roles tab, then toggle on the ones who you want to be able to view the stats.

• On single sites, the Administrator role will appear at the top, and is enabled by default.

• On multisite networks, the Network Administrator role will appear at the top, and is enabled by default.

• On multisite networks, the roles enabled will apply to every site in the network unless the Allow site admins to overwrite this setting box is checked.

You can fine-tune exactly what you wish selected user roles to be able to view by clicking on the role once toggled, and drilling into the dropdowns to select the specific elements you want.

Capabilities

To adjust this according to a minimum required capability, click on the Capabilities tab. Then enter the capability required to view stats in the admin area. Note there is no fine-tuning available as above for this option.  On multisite networks, the capability set here will apply to every site in the network unless the Allow site admins to overwrite this setting box is checked.

Settings

This section enables you to specify the user roles or users who can access and adjust the plugin settings.

User Roles

To adjust this per role, click the User Role tab, and select the roles you need.

• On single sites, the Administrator role will be enabled by default.

• On multisite networks, the Network Administrator role will also appear there and be enabled by default.

• On multisite networks, the roles enabled here will apply to every site in the network unless the Allow site admins to overwrite this setting box is checked.

Custom Users

To adjust this per user, click the Custom Users tab. Then select either Exclude or Include and click Add User to add the ones you want to exclude or include from the User Role settings.

Tutorials

This is where you can find quick-access links to the tutorial blogs for Beehive. Click on any blog or read more to open the article. You can also click the diagonal arrow icon in the top-right hand corner to open the main Beehive tutorial page. 

Here again, on multisite networks, the users included/excluded here will apply to every site in the network unless the Allow site admins to overwrite this setting box is checked.

Statistics

Once Beehive is connected using one of the two API connection methods, your Google Analytics statistics will be available in two locations:

• Statistics page – A customizable, detailed report of the site or network data over time found in your Google Analytics tab in the plugin. For more information on that statistics page, see the Statistics (Analytics) section of this documentation.

• Statistics widget – Beehive places a widget on the dashboard of each connected site to display a detailed summary of Google Analytics statistics.

Statistics are not displayed on sites or networks that are connected to Google Analytics using a Tracking ID only. If you wish to upgrade your connection to an API, see the To Share or Not to Share section of this guide for more information.

Statistics Widget

The Beehive Statistics widget provides access to site traffic statistics directly from the dashboard of any site with Beehive activated and connected to Google Analytics.

For sites that are not connected to Google Analytics, Beehive will display a notification to that effect. Click the link provided or go to the Accounts module to connect Beehive to Google Analytics. 

Widget Tools and Tabs

Use the tools and tabs at the top of the widget to access the desired statistical data or view.

The tools include:

• See all stats – Click to open the Statistics page where a detailed report of site traffic data can be found.

• Refresh data – Click to pull in fresh data from Google Analytics.

• Time frame filter – Click the drop-down menu to apply a custom time frame and display data for the selected period only. The selected time frame will apply to all metrics viewed until the time frame is changed.

The tabs include:

• General stats – Each panel within the General Stats tab can be clicked to see a more detailed display of that data.

• Audience – The Audience tab displays data related to users’ behavior while on a site: numbers of unique users, sessions, page views, and page per session.

• Top Pages and Views – A list of a site’s most visited pages, along with the number of visitors, the average time users spend on those pages, and whether the pages are trending up or down.

• Traffic – This tab displays the leading sources of a site’s traffic geographically, by search engine, medium, and social network.

Connecting a Multisite Network

Each subsite in a multisite network must be connected individually. However, if Beehive is installed, network activated, and connected in Network Admin using the Google Analytics API, we will use that custom connection for the entire network. This allows subsites to connect with the fast and easy Connect with Google method but still reap the benefits of a custom API connection.

The steps for connecting Beehive to Google Analytics for a multisite network are essentially the same as connecting a single site, although multisites have a couple of unique options after the connection is complete. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with them now, or return to this section when you are ready to configure these options.

When you’re ready, go to Quick Setup to begin configuring Beehive, and remember to configure the plugin from Network Admin before connecting any subsites.

Granting Permission Authority

After connecting Beehive to Google Analytics in your Network Admin, you can visit Beehive > Settings in your network admin and enable options to allow subsite admins to override your network settings and configure things on their own subsites.

You can allow them to override your permissions for either statistics or access to settings, or both. See the Permissions chapter above for information on that.

Connecting Network Subsites

If you followed our advice and connected the network using the Google Analytics API and did so from Network Admin, every subsite can now connect using the simple Connect with Google method.

When you visit Beehive > Accounts in any subsite admin, you’ll see a notification that Beehive is connected at the network level, but the subsite admin can connect to their own account should they wish to by using the simple Connect with Google method.

Click Connect with Google, then follow the directions in the Connect with Google chapter above.

Get Google Analytics

If you don’t yet have an Analytics account and are perhaps not sure how things work there, here’s the short version:

Google Analytics, using javascript, tracks what users do on your site – what links they click, what pages they view and for how long, and many other data points as well.

Google can do this because users – that’s you – insert custom code into the code for every page they want to be tracked (Beehive makes that part easy). This code tells Google who owns the data collected from a given page – you – so it can be associated with the right account in Analytics. The data is then categorized based on a myriad of variables – many of which can be customized in Beehive – and displayed as reports on site dashboards that admins can use to plan and achieve site or network goals.

It may be helpful to also understand how a Google Analytics account is structured. There’s the Account, of course, and within each account there are Properties and within each property, there are Data Streams.

Here’s how Google defines each:

Account: Think of it as the top-level folder that you access using your login details. If you are managing a single website, then one account is sufficient. If you’re managing multiple websites that aren’t directly related, then these should be stored in separate accounts. Google allows users to create up to 100 Analytics accounts within the same Google account.

Property: A “property” is simply Google-speak for a website or network of sites that have been added to a Google Analytics account. When Beehive connects, it connects to a specific property. Each Analytics account can have up to 100 properties.

Data Stream: Data Streams tell Google Analytics what reports should be created for a given property. In simplest terms, each stream is a separate report and can, among other things, display data in realtime on the Realtime screen in your Analytics account. Users can create up to 50 Data Streams per property, each targeting a unique traffic factor or group of factors, as defined by you.

Sign up for GA

If you already have a Google Analytics account set up and want to use that one, you can skip down to the Creating a new Property section below.

If you don’t already have a Google Analytics account set up, go to the Google Analytics Setup page, and Sign In with the Google account you want to use to connect Beehive on your site.

Create Account, Property and Data Stream

Create your Analytics account by simply giving the account a Name and then choosing what, if any, of your collected Data you want to share. Click Next to proceed.

In the next step, give your Property a Name, and select your desired reporting Time Zone and Currency. 

Note that by default, new properties will be created as v4 properties. If you want to create a Universal Analytics property (v3), click on Show advanced options. If you want to create a v4 property, you can skip this step, click Next, and jump straight to filling in your Business information. 

This will reveal a module with extra settings options, which is where you can click the toggle to Create a Universal Analytics property. 

Click Next to proceed.

Then fill in your Business information, and click Create.

Finally, check the boxes to accept Google’s Terms, and click I Accept. 

Creating a new property

If you already have a Google Analytics account set up, or want to create a new property at any time after your account has been created, click the Admin button located in the bottom left corner of any Google Analytics screen.

If you have multiple accounts, ensure you’re in the correct one by selecting it from the dropdown in the left-hand column. Then click the Create Property button in the right-hand column, and follow the same steps as above when you created the account. 

Create a Data Stream

Data Streams in Google Analytics 4 are what replace Views in the old API. To create a Data Stream for your Analytics account, click on the Admin link in the bottom-left corner. Then in the Property column, be sure you’re viewing the Property you want, and click on Data Streams.

On the next screen, select the Web option, which would look like this if this is the first Data Stream you’re creating for this account: 

Pro Tip

You can create multiple Data Streams for each property (domain/site/network) in GA4. Multiple Streams allow you to create narrowly tailored reports.

If you already have one or more Data Streams created for this account, the above option would look like this instead: 

Then, on the Set Up screen that slides into view, ensure the correct protocol is selected (http/https) and enter your site’s domain name in the Website URL field, and enter a unique Stream Name for this stream. Enable the Enhanced Measurement option to get the most out of GA4, and click Create stream. 

Once your Data Stream has been created, you’ll see it appear there in the Data Streams section, although the message there will of course say it hasn’t received any data yet. 

Measurement ID

To locate the Measurement ID you need for your GA4 integration in Beehive, click on the Data Stream you want to use from your list.

Then, on the Web Stream Details screen that slides into view, you’ll see the Measurement ID at the top-right. Copy that and paste it in the corresponding field in your Beehive > Google Analytics > Account settings. 

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