If you need extra regulate over your WordPress website online’s analytics—and also you’re no longer comfy delivering your information to important tech firms—then you could wish to use Matomo.
Matomo is a formidable, privacy-focused analytics platform that gives the insights you wish to have to develop your online business whilst supplying you with complete possession of your information.
It’s a really perfect possibility if you happen to’re concerned with information privateness laws like GDPR or simply bored with sharing your guests’ information with 1/3 events. Plus, you’ll attach it together with your WordPress website online in only a few clicks.
On this information, we’ll display you the right way to simply arrange Matomo analytics to your WordPress website online.

However prior to we commence the academic, we’ll duvet the fundamentals so you understand precisely what you’re entering.
When you’re already assured about your determination to make use of Matomo analytics with WordPress, then be happy to make use of the bounce hyperlinks underneath to skip forward:
What Is Matomo Analytics?
Matomo is an open-source platform for monitoring website online visitors, person habits, and extra. It’s very similar to Google Analytics, nevertheless it prioritizes privateness for each website online homeowners and guests.
How does it do this?
The solution is inconspicuous – with Matomo, you personal your entire information, it lives on both your individual server or within the cloud, and also you get whole regulate.

So, what can Matomo permit you to monitor?
Listed below are one of the maximum crucial monitoring options:
- Marketing campaign Monitoring – Monitor the place your guests come from the use of UTM tags, which are ideal for measuring advertisements, social media posts, and e-mail campaigns.
- Consumer ID Monitoring – See how logged-in customers transfer throughout gadgets and periods, supplying you with a clearer view in their adventure.
- eCommerce Monitoring – Track gross sales, cart habits, and product perspectives to optimize your WooCommerce or on-line retailer.
- Shape Analytics – To find out the place guests fight with bureaucracy so you’ll fortify sign-ups and conversions.
- Heatmaps & Consultation Recording – See the place customers click on, scroll, and drop off with visible heatmaps and consultation replays.
Since Matomo permits you to do all of this whilst supplying you with the added bonus of information coverage, a lot of people are making the transfer from different analytics answers.
When you’re a kind of other people and also you’re pondering of switching from Google Analytics, stay studying to be informed the variations.
Matomo vs. Google Analytics
Relating to opting for between Matomo and Google Analytics, it’s all about which platform absolute best suits your wishes.
🔒 If holding your information non-public is a peak precedence, then Matomo is methods to cross. It’s an open-source platform that permits you to host information by yourself servers, supplying you with complete regulate and serving to with privateness compliance.
At the turn aspect, Google Analytics shops your information on Google’s servers, which could be a priority if you happen to’re apprehensive about information privateness.
📊 Relating to analytics options, each Matomo and Google Analytics be offering a variety of gear, together with real-time information and customer monitoring.
Matomo supplies extras like heatmaps and consultation recordings, despite the fact that those require a top class plan.

Google Analytics, however, integrates seamlessly with different Google products and services, like Google Advertisements, Google Seek Console, and Google Tag Supervisor. This may also be tremendous useful if you happen to’re already the use of those products and services.
It’s additionally a better choice for complicated analytics and reporting, together with customized funnels and predictive analytics. Plus, since Google Analytics is so fashionable, there’s a huge group of customers and documentation if you happen to run into any issues.
💸 Relating to prices, Google Analytics gives a loose model full of options. In the meantime, its top class counterpart, Google Analytics 360, has a better ticket.
Matomo gives flexibility with a loose, on-premise model and a paid cloud-hosted possibility. This manner, you’ll make a selection what fits your funds and web hosting personal tastes.
Word: When you’re nonetheless unsure whether or not Matomo is best for you, we for my part suggest Google Analytics. We use it throughout our personal industry as it comes with extremely detailed reviews that lend a hand us fortify our advertising and marketing methods.
For the reason that Google Analytics interface may also be tough to navigate, we recommend putting in MonsterInsights. This beginner-friendly WordPress plugin turns your Google Analytics information into easy-to-understand reviews and charts proper within your WordPress dashboard.
For main points on the right way to get began, simply take a look at our information on the right way to set up Google Analytics in WordPress.
Methods to Set Up Matomo Analytics in WordPress
Able to arrange Matomo? Let’s do a handy guide a rough machine test first!
Your WordPress website online must be operating WordPress model 4.8 or upper, at the side of PHP 7.2 or above. Plus, you’ll need MySQL 5.5 or larger, and we advise having no less than 128MB of reminiscence to be had.
As you browse the WordPress plugin repository, you’ll understand a whole lot of Matomo plugins.
For this information, we’re going to make use of Matomo for WordPress. It’s an all-in-one answer that runs at once to your WordPress website. This manner, you received’t want to create an exterior account or organize separate servers.

It’s one of the best ways to get began, particularly if you happen to’re new to this. It’s maintained at once via the Matomo group, so that you’ll get top-notch improve and the most recent options.
Within the following sections, we’ll display you the right way to arrange Matomo in WordPress.
Step 1: Putting in the Matomo for WordPress Plugin
Step one is to put in and turn on the Matomo for WordPress plugin. Move to Plugins » Upload New Plugin on your WordPress dashboard.

At the subsequent display, you’ll use the quest characteristic to temporarily to find the plugin. Merely sort in ‘Matomo for WordPress’ and hit input.
After getting the end result, you’ll cross forward and click on the ‘Set up Now’ button.

Then, you’ll want to click on the ‘Turn on’ button.
For extra detailed directions, you’ll take a look at our information on the right way to set up a WordPress plugin.
Step 2: Enabling Matomo Monitoring on Your WordPress Website online
While you turn on Matomo, you’ll be redirected to the Matomo Analytics » Get Began web page.
From there, observe the setup wizard to configure the fundamental settings. You’ll want to whole 2 steps: updating your privateness coverage web page and enabling Matomo Analytics monitoring. The plugin will then save and follow your new settings.
Now, let’s undergo each and every step in my view.
Replace Your Privateness Coverage
Step one is to replace your Privateness Coverage web page.
Right here, Matomo asks you to ensure that your Privateness Coverage web page displays a dedication to person privateness and compliance with laws like GDPR and ePrivacy.
This implies together with an possibility for customers to choose out of monitoring, which you’ll upload the use of the [matomo_opt_out]
shortcode or the ‘Matomo opt-out’ block.

⚠️ So, if you happen to don’t have a ‘Privateness Coverage’ web page but, you then’ll want to create one.
Merely head over in your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings » Privateness.
Within the dropdown menu, WordPress will inform you if it already has a privateness coverage web page in position for you. You’ll merely click on at the ‘Use This Web page’ button to make it are living.

When you’d love to draft a brand new one, all it’s important to do is click on at the ‘Create’ button.
WordPress will then create a draft for you.
However, if you happen to already used this default and wish to make changes, simply click on at the ‘Edit’ button.

This may occasionally open your Privateness Coverage web page within the block editor, in a position so that you can edit.
For main points, see our information on the right way to upload a privateness coverage in WordPress.
Professional Tip: Having a look to fortify your website online’s privateness? WPConsent is a beginner-friendly WordPress plugin that is helping you simply arrange cookie banners, file person consent, and organize person privateness throughout your WordPress website online. You’ll additionally get began with the loose model of WPConsent.
Allow Matomo Monitoring
After updating your privateness coverage, you will have to be in a position to allow Matomo monitoring to your WordPress website.
At the ‘Get Began’ web page, cross forward and click on the ‘Allow monitoring now’ button to begin the method.

As soon as enabled, you’ll see a inexperienced checkmark at the side of a good fortune notification.
That mentioned, Matomo wishes a bit of time to begin amassing information.

So, don’t concern if you happen to don’t see analytics straight away – you’ll test again in a couple of hours to peer your first customer statistics.
⚠️ Word: When you’re the use of a caching answer (both via a caching plugin or your web hosting supplier), you then’ll want to transparent your cache for monitoring to paintings correctly. For main points, see our educational on the right way to transparent your cache in WordPress.
Step 3: Navigating In the course of the Analytics Dashboard
Now that you simply’ve arrange Matomo, let’s check out the dashboard. That is the place you’ll to find all of the essential information about your website online, together with who’s visiting, what they’re doing, and the way your website is acting.
On this segment, we’ll cross over 3 key spaces: Abstract, Reporting, and Tag Supervisor. Each and every one will provide you with other insights and gear that can assist you monitor your website’s job.
Abstract
The ‘Abstract’ segment gives a handy guide a rough evaluation of your website online’s efficiency at once inside of your WordPress admin space.
Merely cross to Matomo Analytics » Abstract to get admission to this record.

As soon as within the ‘Abstract’ web page, you’ll instantly monitor key customer metrics like visits, nations, person gadgets, and person movements.
You’ll additionally make a selection a time-frame that works right for you. It may be these days, this week, this month, this 12 months, and so forth.

As you scroll down, you’ll see extra record widgets.
Some focal point on person main points, just like the gadgets’ display answer, working machine, browser, access pages, and go out pages. Others are conversion-related, appearing information about objectives, visits in keeping with hour (in line with your website’s timezone), and outbound hyperlinks.
When you run an on-line retailer, then you’ll monitor its efficiency within the ‘Ecommerce Orders’ segment.
As an example, you’ll see your on-line retailer’s basic statistics, together with general orders, visits with conversions, and acquired merchandise. Plus, there are extra particular information issues like tax, delivery, and cut price calculations.

✋ Insider’s Tip: Are you a WooCommerce retailer proprietor? You may want to try our professional selections for the absolute best WooCommerce reporting and analytics plugins.
Reporting
When you’re on the lookout for deeper insights, the ‘Reporting’ segment is the place you’ll to find all of the main points you wish to have.
To get admission to it, cross in your WordPress admin space and navigate to Matomo Analytics » Reporting.

This may occasionally take you to the whole Matomo analytics interface, the place you’ll discover in-depth reviews for various portions of your website online, together with:
- Customer information – Get insights into who’s visiting your website and the place they’re coming from.
- Consumer habits – See how guests have interaction together with your posts and pages.
- eCommerce – Track gross sales efficiency, order monitoring, and buyer adventure.
- Advertising and marketing insights – Analyze acquisitions, conversion objectives, gross sales funnels, and shape monitoring.
- Media efficiency – Measure engagement with pictures, movies, and different media content material.
- A/B exams – Examine other web page variations to optimize efficiency.
- Heatmaps and consultation recordings – Visualize how customers navigate your website.
Each and every one has its personal devoted panel that you’ll discover.

As an example, within the symbol underneath, the submenus are underneath the ‘Guests’ segment on my own.
This web page has detailed talk over with logs with real-time flows and maps. It additionally will provide you with insights into person places, gadgets, device, IDs, and extra.

This detailed research assist you to make knowledgeable selections to spice up your website’s effectiveness.
Tag Supervisor
Matomo comes with its personal tag supervisor.
Very similar to Google Tag Supervisor, it simplifies the method of including and managing monitoring codes in your WordPress website online. It lets you arrange analytics scripts and advert pixels to your website with out touching a unmarried line of code.
However Matomo’s Tag Supervisor takes this a step additional via permitting you to setup and oversee a couple of analytics and advertising and marketing gear from a unmarried, centralized platform.
It additionally makes it smooth to embed each first- and third-party utility sources.
To get admission to the ‘Tag Supervisor’ reviews, merely cross to Matomo Analytics » Tag Supervisor on your WordPress admin space.

This may occasionally take you to the ‘Tag Supervisor’ tab on your Matomo dashboard.
As soon as within, you’ll transfer between boxes the use of the dropdown menu. Boxes are collections of tags, triggers, and variables that permit you to arrange and organize your monitoring setup successfully.

Matomo Possible choices: Most sensible Analytics Plugins for WordPress Customers
Matomo is usually a nice answer if privateness is your peak precedence. However if you happen to’re on the lookout for different analytics platforms, then listed below are a few of our suggestions for Matomo choices:
- MonsterInsights – The most efficient Google analytics plugin for WordPress. It makes a speciality of simplicity and is perfect for learners who need easy-to-read Google Analytics reviews at once of their WordPress dashboard. We use it ourselves to trace conversions, referrals, and extra. See our detailed MonsterInsights evaluation for extra information about our revel in.
- ExactMetrics – This plugin gives extra detailed Google Analytics reviews, catering to customers who want in-depth insights with out leaving WordPress. We’ve examined this software broadly for our whole ExactMetrics evaluation.
- OnePageGA – This beginner-friendly software turns your entire Google Analytics 4 information right into a one-page analytics dashboard. It’s supreme for customers preferring a easy setup with out intensive options. Be told extra in our complete OnePageGA evaluation.
- HubSpot – An all-in-one CRM platform with integrated analytics to trace website online visitors, person habits, and conversions. See our article on the right way to arrange HubSpot analytics in WordPress for extra main points.
For a extra intensive listing of analytics answers adapted for WordPress customers, it’s possible you’ll wish to see our listing of the absolute best analytics answers for WordPress customers.
You may additionally want to try our final WordPress safety information to offer protection to your website online and customer information. 🔒
We are hoping this newsletter has helped you put up Matomo to your WordPress website online. Subsequent up, you’ll head over to our information on the right way to see seek analytics in WordPress and our professional selections of the absolute best WordPress job log and monitoring plugins.
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The submit Methods to Setup Matomo Analytics in WordPress (The Simple Manner) first seemed on WPBeginner.
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