This article describes how to link your Optimize container with a Universal Analytics property. For information about linking to a Google Analytics 4 property, see this article instead.
Google Analytics is the measurement platform for Optimize inferences so you must link your Optimize container to an Analytics property to use Google Optimize.
Once you link your Optimize container to an Analytics property, you can start to create experiences and use Analytics metrics as experiment objectives. Linking to an Analytics property also lets you segment your experiment data and combine your data with other Analytics data.
Prerequisites
To link an Optimize container to a Google Analytics property, you must have:
- A Universal Analytics account and property
- An Optimize account and container
The minimum permissions to link Optimize to Analytics are:
- Publish (or higher) permission to the Optimize container
- Edit (or higher) permission to the Analytics property
If you do not have Edit (or higher) permissions to the Analytics property, the property will not show as available for linking.
Benefits of linking
Linking Optimize and Analytics allows you to run experiments in Optimize and access data about running experiments in Analytics. Once you've linked your Optimize container to an Analytics property, you'll be able to start experiments, target experiments to Analytics audiences (Optimize 360 customers only), and use Analytics goals and metrics as experiment objectives.
When you link Optimize and Analytics:
- Optimize can calculate experiment results based on the traffic in the view.
- Optimize can access Analytics goals and data.
- Optimize 360 customers can target experiments to Analytics audiences.
Keep in mind that changes made to Analytics Audiences and views will affect Optimize experiments that target them.
Access to Analytics data
While Optimize includes the ability to link to Analytics properties and views and includes a robust role and permission model, Analytics data is governed by Analytics permissions. For example, for any users who don’t have Read (or higher) permissions to the view in Analytics, they’ll only see Optimize data but not Analytics data.
- Learn more about Optimize roles and permissions.
- Learn more about Analytics user permissions.
Google Marketing Platform customers
While Optimize containers and Analytics properties can be linked regardless of the organizations they belong to, Optimize 360 features are only available when the container and its linked Optimize 360-enabled property belong to the same organization.
Learn more about Optimize 360 enablement.
Link to an Analytics property
To link your Optimize container to an Analytics property:
- Navigate to your Optimize Accounts page.
- Select a container.
- Click LINK PROPERTY in the Container information panel.
- Select a Google Analytics property from the drop-down list that corresponds to the web domain where you’ll be running experiments. For example, if you created an Optimize container for example.com, select your example.com Analytics property. Properties that you don’t have Edit (or higher) permission to and properties that are linked to a different Google Marketing Platform Organization will appear grayed out.
- Select one or more Analytics views, including at least one with few or no filters. Every Optimize experiment sends data to one Analytics view, and it will use that view's goals/metrics for its experiment objectives. The view(s) selected here will be available when you set up your experiments in Optimize.
- Click LINK.
Troubleshoot linking
Accounts
Make sure that you’re logged into the correct Google Account. Click your avatar on the right side of the Optimize or Google Marketing Platform header to check which Google Account that you’re logged into. You can also check which Google Account you’re logged into at: https://myaccount.google.com/. Learn more about the types of accounts used with Optimize.
Permissions
Linking an Optimize container to an Analytics property requires Publish (or higher) permission to the Optimize container and Edit (or higher) to the Analytics property. Learn more about permissions required to link.
Google Marketing Platform customers
The Optimize and Analytics accounts must be linked and verified to the same organization in Google Marketing Platform Home (or not linked to any Google Marketing Platform organization) before you can link an Optimize container to an Analytics property in Optimize. An Optimize container and Analytics property cannot be linked together in the Optimize interface if they’re linked to different organizations in Google Marketing Platform.
Unlinking a property
If you unlink a property from an Optimize container, past experiment reporting data will be removed from Optimize, but will still be available in Analytics. If you relink to the exact same property and view(s), the data will again be available in Optimize. If you relink the same property to the container but do not select the same views, experiment data will not be reported in Optimize but will still be available in Analytics.
How many properties can be linked to an Optimize container?
Only one Analytics property can be linked to an Optimize container, however multiple views can be included. Only one view can be selected as the associated view for each experiment, and only the view associated with an experiment will receive data from that experiment.
How many Optimize containers can a Universal Analytics property be linked to?
You can link a Universal Analytics property to up to 10 Optimize containers.
Next steps
Now that your Optimize container and Analytics property are linked, you’re ready to install the Optimize snippet.
Related resources
- Manage roles and permissions
- Set up Optimize
- User permissions – Analytics help center
- About Analytics properties – Analytics help center