On October 31, 2019, Google announced a new plugin for WordPress, “Site Kit by Google”.
This is exciting news for anyone who has a WordPress powered website. Before we dive into the features, we’ll cover some of the popular analytics plugins in the WordPress repository.
Most Popular Google Analytics Plugins
Here’s a list of plugins we typically use to configure Google Analytics (and other settings):
Google Analytics Dashboard for WP by ExactMetrics (formerly GADWP)
Google Analytics Dashboard Plugin for WordPress by MonsterInsights
The GADWP plugin, or Google Analytics Dashboard for WP, is a great plugin to connect your WordPress website to your Google Analytics profile. Once connected, the Analytics code is installed throughout your website, and you have a convenient widget on your WordPress dashboard to quickly preview your Analytics. This is especially convenient for business owners who are interested in seeing high-level information about their website visitors.
We also used the ever-popular MonsterInsights plugin, which is as simple as connecting it to your Google Analytics account. Once connected, you can see high-level statistics in the plugin dashboard. Although, it can be a bit overkill with the recommendation to upgrade, along with the alerts that appear at the top of the WordPress backend.
Google Site Kit Plugin Analysis
We uninstalled either MonsterInsights or GADWP, and decided to give the new Google Site Kit plugin a go. Overall, installation and configuration was a breeze. Once installed, all you have to do is connect the plugin to your Google account associated with Google Search Console and/or Google Analytics. Once connected, the statistics will appear in your Site Kit Dashboard, and WordPress Dashboard. We also like the fact that you can see any goals/conversions created in Google Analytics, directly in Google Site Kit.
One of the most common questions I get from business owners are, “What keywords do people search for to find my business?”
In the past, you had to login to Google Search Console to reveal the search queries for your website. Not anymore; All of this data appears in your Dashboard, along with the most popular content on your website. All of this data is quite useful for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and overall insights about your website. This is very useful information for a business owner, especially those who aren’t savvy in Google Analytics. Sometimes Google Analytics can be overkill.
Which Analytics Plugin Should I Use?
In comparing Google Site Kit to MonsterInsights & GADWP, we highly recommend Google Site Kit. The initial release has pretty much everything you need, it’s free, and it’s easy to interpret.
We’re excited to see this plugin evolve with more features in the near future. Did we mention it’s free?!
2 Responses
I am not sure if you have seen the madness surrounding Google Analytics Dashboard for Wp (gadwp)… Monster Insights did a real dirty by using a bait and switch cash grab. Just dive into the reviews to get caught up.
Luckily some devs reuploaded the plugin we all love, here is a link to my article and a link to the new (old classic) version of the plugin.
Article:
https://creativemonarchy.com/gadwp-replacement-plugin/
Plugin link:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/ga-in/
WOW! Looks like they were trying to capitalize on their over 1+ million installs with the bait-and-switch cash grab. That certainly has backfired considering they were close to a 5-star rated plugin, and now (as of today), they’re 2.5 stars.
Thanks for sharing!