Each time I publish a new post, I want to know two things. Has my post been indexed? Am I getting visitors to my blog post?
In my blog post, I show you an excellent free tool you can use to track visitors to your WordPress website blog posts. The tool tells you where visitors come from, what pages they visit, and how long they stay. You also know if they clicked on an affiliate link.
The free tool is Statcounter. Statcounter is simple to set up and gives essential data about visitors to your website.
Let’s begin.
Step One – S et Up A Statcounter Account
First, go to Statcounter.com. Click on the ‘Try it for FREE!’ link to sign up for an account.
Statcounter offers free and paid options. You can use the free account to track visitors.
Statcounter wants you to have full access for 30-days.
The signup process has only three steps. In step one, add personal details and accept their terms and conditions.
Step two, enter details about your website.
You also set the frequency of email reports about your website visitors.
Statcounter wants to add a visible stat counter to your site. You can select the style or disable this by selecting the ‘Invisible Tracking’ option.
There is also an option to share your data publicly through an URL.
Finally, hit the ‘Add Project’ link to create your project.
Step three, open another tab on your browser and go to your website admin page. From admin, install the Statcounter plugin.
Step Two – Install The Statcounter Plugin
To install the Statcounter plugin, go to your WordPress admin dashboard.
Hover your mouse over ‘Plugins’ on the left. In the popup, select ‘Add new’.
Type ‘Statcounter’ into the search box on the top-right.
The plugin is on the left. Select ‘Install Now’. Once installed, click on ‘Activate’.
Step Three -Input Project Codes
Once the plugin is activated, hover your mouse over ‘Settings’ on the left. Select ‘Statcounter’ from the menu.
On your Statcounter dashboard, enter your project ID and security code. Return to your Statcounter account tab on your browser and paste your details from that page.
Finally, click on ‘Update options’.
Step Four – Track Visitors To Your WordPress Website
Once completed, log into your account at Statcounter.com.
There are many data options on Statcounter. My favorite is ‘Visitor Paths’.
‘Visitor Paths’ tell you where your visitor came from, how long they stayed, and what they did when on your website.
To view more details about a visitor, click on the magnifying glass icon next to the flag.
This website had a visitor from Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the United States.
The visitor spent 1 minute and 2 seconds on the post about action cameras. The blue exit link indicates this visitor exited by clicking on an Amazon affiliate link.
How To Verify Statcounter Installation
To verify, log into your Statcounter account and select your project.
From the menu on the left, click on ‘Project Config’. Then, select ‘Reinstall Code’ from the options.
After a short delay, you come to the reinstall code page. Click on the ‘Continue’ link.
Ensure you have completed all the steps on the list.
Finally, scroll down to the bottom of this page and select ‘Verify Installation’.
After a short wait, Statcounter verifies with this message.
What To Do If You Can’t Verify Installation
Statcounter does offer support to free accounts. Should you have a problem installing Statcounter, click on the support link at the top of the page.
I once had to contact them when I had an issue with one of my sites. They solved the problem within a day.
How To Track Visitors To Your WordPress Website With Statcounter Video Tutorial
Conclusion
I love how easy Statcounter is to install and use. I used to have a website promoting products from Amazon. I had data about what links visitors were clicking.
As a new blogger, seeing data about what visitors are doing on your site is invaluable.
You can use this information to improve blog posts. Also, plan what content you should be writing for your website.
Another excellent tool I recommend to track visitors is Google Analytics. I have a guide on ‘How to use the MonsterInsights plugin to add Google Analytics code‘ to your website.
How do you track visitors to your WordPress website? How long have you been blogging? If you have any questions about my article, please leave your comment below. I check comments every day.
