You may think – I’ve got Google Analytics – I’m set. But just how reliable is the information in Google Analytics? Are you sure it is 100% accurate?
Even if you use Google Analytics, you may find it helpful, especially if you have a WordPress website, to have some extra plugins installed to help you track your statistics. Here are 5 WordPress plugins that you might consider:
1. StatCounter
Both a plugin and a website, Statcounter is a great tool, through which you can view all your statistics under your Dashboard once you log into the Admin panel of your website. An invisible web tracker, highly configurable hit counter and real-time detailed web stats. Insert a simple piece of our code on your web page or blog and you will be able to analyse and monitor all the visitors to your website in real-time.
2. WordPress.com Stats
Once it’s running it’ll begin collecting information about your pageviews, which posts and pages are the most popular, where your traffic is coming from, and what people click on when they leave. It’ll also add a link to your dashboard which allows you to see all your stats on a single page.
3. WP-Stats-Dashboard
Displays the WordPress.com stats graph, your traffic and social metrics monitoring on your dashboard. Display your blog’s stats graph plus your blog traffic, social engagement and social influence directly in your dashboard. See how you’re ranking on Alexa, check out your Technorati authority, monitor your ranking across multiple sites and much more.
4. Quick Stats
Quick Stats is a configurable and very easy to install statistics plugin for WordPress that shows live statistics about referrer data, content hit count and browser versions back to a configurable number of hits. Individual hits are also shown with IP address and hostname. Visitors can be tracked in near real-time using an RSS reader software.
5. Generic Stats
The “Generic Stats” plugin is a place for you to put all statistics tracking code that the various stats packages provide in one place. The benefit is that when swapping templates or adding (and removing) stats code, you don’t need to edit your theme.
Your Thoughts? Feel free to comment below.
Twitter: kathygriffiths
June 26, 2010 at 2:50 pm | Permalink
You’re right… you can’t always count on one system to give you all the data you need to keep track of your stats. Actually, I’m depending upon Google Analytics less and less for my information.
I also like Wass Up and Vstats. They work together and have found them to be very useful plugins.
Twitter: abnormalmarket
June 27, 2010 at 12:30 am | Permalink
@Kathryn Griffiths, Hi Kathy, Thanks for supporting my ideas on this. I started researching this after a response I had from @smallbizmuse on a similar topic. And also my Google statistics didn’t really look right.
Thanks for sharing Wass Up and Vstats. I’ll have to have a look at those too.
RT @abnormalmarket: 5 WordPress Plugins for Tracking Stats http://www.abnormalmarketing.com/2010/06… @jeanettecates #blog30
OHHH YEAH THIS ONE I do bookmark. I am just now getting around to watching stats to see what works. Thank you also for hyperlinking the images. That’s gotta be 15 points in the #blog30 challenge
Tony Denson´s last [type] ..I’ve Got This -
Twitter: abnormalmarket
June 27, 2010 at 2:22 pm | Permalink
@Tony Denson, Hi Tony, Thanks so much for the kind compliment. I hope your stats are what you are expecting? Thanks for the bonus points in the Blog Challenge
It’s been a long month 
Twitter: danalingga
August 4, 2010 at 4:05 am | Permalink
For me, I use wordpress.com stat and google analytics combination to get all information that I need.
Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog´s last [type] ..Sinta and Jojo- An Indonesian Story That Proved The Power of Internet
Twitter: abnormalmarket
August 5, 2010 at 8:33 am | Permalink
@Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog, Hi Dana, Thanks for letting us know you’re using 2 different stat trackers to get the info you need. Do you find the info on each of them matches?
Fiona Bosticky´s last [type] ..How to Transfer your Website to a New Host
Twitter: danalingga
August 5, 2010 at 2:04 pm | Permalink
@Fiona Bosticky,
The info is slightly different but it is okay for me.
Twitter: cannotbeunheard
August 4, 2010 at 6:24 am | Permalink
Excellent coverage. I’m using wordpress.com stats. Now if you can only cure me of the addiction I have of posting something new and then sitting there hitting…refresh….refresh….refresh….
….refresh.
That’d be helpful too.
Twitter: abnormalmarket
August 6, 2010 at 9:55 am | Permalink
@Ian, Hi Ian, Glad to hear you’re using and liking wordpress.com stats. I find myself using Google Analytics less and less, because they take so long to update. So I know what you mean, and if I stumble upon the cure, I’ll let you know
Fiona Bosticky´s last [type] ..How to Transfer your Website to a New Host
Twitter: benwaynet
August 4, 2010 at 3:50 pm | Permalink
WP-Stats-Dashboard looks sweet, I’m going to give it a try this weekend
benwaynet´s last [type] ..Serenity Prayer
Twitter: abnormalmarket
August 6, 2010 at 10:01 am | Permalink
@benwaynet, Hi Ben, Glad I could introduce you to some alternatives
Let me know what you think of it, after you’ve tried it…
Fiona Bosticky´s last [type] ..Simple Tips for Increasing Traffic to your Blog
Twitter: BasicBlogTips
August 15, 2010 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
Hey Fiona, I’ve been looking for an alternative to track stats. This is good timing. On my Blogger blog I see they added a new stats feature which is better than Google Analytics so maybe Google is finding some holes in GA too.
Ileane @ Basic Blog Tips´s last [type] ..Basic Blog Tips for New Bloggers
Twitter: abnormalmarket
August 16, 2010 at 9:22 am | Permalink
@Ileane @ Basic Blog Tips, Hi Ileane, Interesting that they have added a new stats feature to Blogger. I wonder when Google will look at fixing GA…. In the meantime, I really like these alternatives, I especially like Stat Counter – very helpful info.
Fiona Bosticky´s last [type] ..10 Amazing Social Media Icon Sets
You should check out Woopra. They also have an iPhone app for checking the stats of the sites you are responsible for. VERY COOL!
Twitter: abnormalmarket
September 5, 2010 at 11:58 am | Permalink
@George, Hi George, Thank you for suggesting Woopra – http://www.woopra.com. This is the first time I’ve seen a stat-tracking site with an iPhone app. Do you use the app yourself? Do you find the stats to be accurate?
Twitter: fmsseo
September 21, 2010 at 10:02 pm | Permalink
I’m a fan of Clicky Web Analytics (I’ve written about it before on my site) and the very talented Joost De Valk has made a decent WP plugin for it; great for real-time visitor tracking.
I’ve not come across Quick Stats before so I will have to give that the once over.
Thanks for sharing,
Karl
Karl Foxley´s last [type] ..So You Want to be a Famous Blogger
Twitter: abnormalmarket
September 22, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Permalink
@Karl Foxley, Hi Karl, I’ve not heard of Clicky, so I will definitely look into that one too. Which one is your all time favourite?
Twitter: seommotips
September 22, 2010 at 3:17 pm | Permalink
I used StatCounter though I do not display the hit counter. Its been too old to show hitcounter and frat on the number, isn’t it. But the pluggin is great to get some insight of the blog performance.
Suresh Khanal´s last [type] ..Google Penalty for Text Link Advertising
@Suresh Khanal, Hi Suresh, Glad to hear you use StatCounter. I use StatCounter as well, and I’m finding the results a lot more accurate than Google. Yes, I do not like the hit counter either, but the info embedded in the wordpress dashboard is cool.