Adding Google Analytics to a Jekyll Blog on GitHub Pages

I wanted to add some basic analytics to this blog to see which posts were getting traffic. If you’re using Jekyll with the Hydeout theme (or most other themes), it’s surprisingly straightforward.

Create a Google Analytics Property

First, you need a Google Analytics account and property:

1. Go to analytics.google.com and sign in
2. Click Admin (gear icon, bottom left)
3. Click Create → Account
4. Give it a name (e.g. “My Blog”)
5. Click through the setup, entering a property name and your preferences
6. Accept the terms and create the property

Set Up a Data Stream

Once your property is created:

1. Select Web as the platform
2. Enter your website URL (e.g. https://yourdomain.com)
3. Give the stream a name
4. Click Create stream

You’ll now see your Measurement ID — it looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX. Copy this.

Add It to Your Jekyll Site

The Hydeout theme (and many others) have built-in Google Analytics support. You just need to add one line to your _config.yml:

google_analytics: G-XXXXXXXXXX

Replace G-XXXXXXXXXX with your actual Measurement ID.

That’s it. The theme handles injecting the tracking script automatically.

Deploy and Verify

Commit and push your changes:

git add _config.yml
git commit -m "Add Google Analytics"
git push

Wait a few minutes for GitHub Pages to rebuild, then:

1. Visit your site
2. Go to Google Analytics → Reports → Realtime
3. You should see yourself as an active user

A Note on Data

Google Analytics 4 can take 24-48 hours before historical data appears in the standard reports. The Realtime view works immediately though, so use that to verify everything is working.

If Your Theme Doesn’t Support It

If your theme doesn’t have built-in Google Analytics support, you can add the tracking code manually. Create or edit _includes/custom-head.html and add:

<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-5MYC3DL2XD"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-5MYC3DL2XD');
</script>

Then add google_analytics: G-XXXXXXXXXX to your _config.yml as before.