Plugins for Google Analytics dashboards in WordPress are very useful, because many people know Google Analytics and use this tool to track the traffic on the website. Are you not yet familiar with Google Analytics? Check out our previous post on Google Analytics here. We are often told that it is not clear how such a dashboard works and that you always have to go to google’s website. By using plugins for Google Analytics on WordPress, you create an environment that you can put together yourself.
To be clear which plugin works best for you, we have listed it for you. From a whole list we have chosen three plugins that make your website a lot clearer. If you still want to have extensive reports, check out our WordPress Reporting service.
Free plugins with Google Analytics dashboard
The popular plugins used today are Monster Insights – with over two million active users – and Exact Metrics with over one million active users. Google also has a free tool for WordPress, this tool is called Google Site Kit. These tools all have their own dashboard where different reports can be found.
Not all dashboards are fully filled in. Several plugins use pro and lite versions. The versions can then be supplemented with additional services. The tools we analyze are also for Google Analytics.
Google Site Kit
Let’s start with the company’s own WordPress plugin, Google Site Kit. The plugin is simple in its simplicity, because the plugin is easy to install and shows important data from the website. The plugin has several links with other Google related tools, see the table. Google Ads cannot be linked to this plugin, but you can link Ads with Analytics.
| Tool | Tool description | Clutch |
|---|---|---|
| Search Console | A tool to check indexing status and optimize the visibility of the website. | Yes |
| Analytics | A tool to collect and display data from a website. | Yes |
| PageSpeed Insights | A tool for the performance optimizations of a website. | Yes |
| Tag Manager | Create a Tagging Tool in the website. | Yes |
| Optimize | A Tool for creating free A/B testing. | Yes |
| Adsense Hotels | A tool for showing advertisements on the website. | Yes |
| Ads | A tool for creating and managing ads. | No |
Site Kit Dashboard
The dashboard is clear for everyone and does not use too much data. At the top of the dashboard is the total traffic that the website has found. Through the diagram on the left side it is immediately visible where the most ‘traffic’ comes from, namely via advertisements 😊.
What is useful is that the tool uses multiple sources for the data. By using the multiple sources, the ‘Search Funnel’ has the necessary data. It is possible to add ‘goals’.
Furthermore, the plugin keeps track of which pages are the most popular and how people found them. Do you want to get more information about the status of the website in addition to just data? Then the PageSpeed tool is a supplement. This tool shows how the website functions in terms of loading speed of the site, content and how stable the content is.
If we go to Analytics in the plugin, you end up with a little more statistics. The statistics that the plugin shows are: users, sessions, bounce rate and session duration.
The plugin does not have the most extensive dashboard. The dashboard consists of a few parts and can only be adjusted minimally. The coupling is made simple and so almost anyone can install it. What can be a disadvantage, for some people, is that the plugin is only in English. Every disadvantage also has an advantage and that is that the plugin is completely free.
MonsterInsights WordPress plugin
MonsterInsights’ plugin is popular on WordPress and has been used for more than two million websites. The average rating here stands at 4.5 stars out of 5 stars and scores high with that.
MonsterInsights Dashboard
The dashboard of the plugin is clear and easy to use. Like the previous plugin, this plugin is in English. An ‘Overview Report’ is available in the dashboard. In this report, the sessions and pageviews can be viewed over a period of time to be determined by yourself.
The possibilities are more extensive than with Site Kit, only Monster Insights works with a pro and a lite version. In the lite version, only the data from Google Analytics is possible. If you are going to expand to the pro version, you will get extra options.
Additional pro package features
MonsterInsights’ pro package includes tracking eCommerce related parts. The option of keeping track of eCommerce is not a superfluous luxury for webshops, among others. The eCommerce report shows important data such as: conversion rate, number of transactions, turnover, average order value and the top products. For entrepreneurs, this is important data that can be quickly seen through such a dashboard. The plugin can be used together with WooCommerce.
Where Search Console was free with Site Kit, MonsterInsights has to pay for this. MonsterInsight can display SEO score, keywords and custom dimensions in reports. The pro version offers extensive possibilities such as tracking, custom reports and the link with WooCommerce.
The pro version has more features and capabilities than the lite version. This also makes the dashboard a complicated one to make yourself. We advise if you want this possibility to coordinate this with an expert in WordPress. The pro version is available for $199.50 .
ExactMetrics WordPress plugin
The ExactMetrics plugin is used by more than one million websites. However, the plugin is not highly rated by the (ex) users. The average score of the plugin is a 2.5 where a 5 is the highest achievable. The plugin has both a lite and a pro version, for the pro version you have to pay.
ExactMetrics lite dashboard
The ExactMetrics dashboard starts clearly with sessions, page views, average session duration and bounce rate. The second block is the same as with MonsterInsights. Displays the sessions and page views for each period of time. The most visited pages/posted messages is also useful information for your dashboard. In addition, you can also view information from new and returning visitors. Finally, on the dashboard, you can see the percentage of which devices the visitors use.
Additional pro package features
The pro package has no added value compared to MonsterInsights. All the possibilities that MonsterInsights has, ExactMetrics also has. The components that ExactMetrics has are possibilities such as tracking, custom reports and the link with WooCommerce.
Conclusion
The most important question in the end is: “Which plugin is the best for you to install?”. That is actually a question that is different for everyone. It depends on what you want to do and what data you need or seem interesting. If you want to have additional options with regard to e-commerce and an online store, then you should look at a pro package. If you want to see statistics quickly and are curious about how your website is doing, then the Google Site Kit is enough for you.
Furthermore, a dashboard can be used to have a global overview of the data. If you want to dive further into the statistics, funnels and goals, it is useful to check out our other blogs. Analytics is ultimately also an important part of your online marketing. If you want to know more, check out our WordPress SEO service.
Contact us
Are you still curious which dashboard on WordPress is best for you to use, contact our WordPress specialists or send an e-mail. You can also reach us on 030 20 72 488.
Plugins on WordPress
Curious about where you can find the plugins in WordPress? For this we have listed them.
