How To Know If People Are Finding Your Substack On Google

And why it's helpful to know.

If you've ever wanted to know how your Substack is showing up on Google, you should definitely consider installing Google Analytics in your dashboard.

Not only is it fun to see how many views you're attracting, but it’s even more fun to find out what they searched that led to your Substack out of all the internet places they could’ve landed.

Here’s an example of Google search terms that brought total strangers to my primary publication, Wildhood Wanted:

Totally random, right? These are eyeballs outside of Substack that landed here because of stories I wrote. Every new lurker could become a subscriber, a referral, a share on someone else’s social media, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Here’s a screenshot of my monthly update, showing that Wildhood Wanted attracted over 16K impressions on Google in April.

Here’s how to set up Google Analytics on your Substack:

I am sending you away from this post for the step-by-step instructions because…

A) I haven’t done it since 2023 and plenty has changed since then.

B) There are quite a few steps and I’m not about to copy/paste someone else’s work.

The following link was published in March 2025 and is the most up-to-date and thorough content I could find.

Here’s why it’s helpful to know what people are searching:

I learned this lesson WAY back in the day as a travel blogger. I installed Analytics from day one, which helped immensely in planning future content.

When you know how people are finding you and what you wrote that attracted them, you can write more of it!

Every time you attract an outsider, it’s an opportunity.

If they land on one of your Substack posts, they may click through, read several more, and hopefully subscribe. ⬅️ This is what we’re here for, right?

I know you’re asking yourself why on earth I’d care if someone found me by searching for Jamaican cockroaches 😆😆 Trust me, it matters. I write plenty about my days of travelling and living in Jamaica, and if Googlers go deep enough down that rabbit hole, they may find out I also teach the craft of destination writing.

THAT is my big ticket item, and if a cockroach led them there, then so be it! 😁 Long live the cockroaches!

That’s it for this week. I hope you found this helpful. A big shout out to Mary Austin at

Stained Glass in the City

for nudging me toward this week’s tip. 😊

Will you be installing Analytics on your Substack? Have you already? If so, what have you learned?

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Oh, and if you’re interested in why I wrote about Jamaican cockroaches or being on House Hunters International, here you go:

➡️ We're All Brave Until We Realize The Cockroach Has Wings

➡️ What It's Like To Be Selected For House Hunters International

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