How to install and configure Active Analytics for WordPress

Active Analytics — A WordPress Analytics Plugin

Let’s assume you purchased, downloaded and installed Active Analytics, either by uploading via (S)FTP or by using the Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin route.

There are some options that need to be manually set, and there are some sections that require further explanation.

Let’s activate the plugin, then head over to Settings → Active Analytics → General Settings.

Display Features

  • Display overview widget on Dashboard: This option, when checked, will show a summary widget on the WordPress Dashboard that gives a quick overview of website traffic. However, enabling it might slightly slow down the WordPress Dashboard due to the extra data being loaded. This depends on how your server’s MySQL database is set up. It shouldn’t be a problem in 9 out of 10 cases.
    DEFAULT IS ON.
  • Number of top referrers to show on Dashboard: This setting allows you to choose how many of the top referring websites or sources (like search engines or social media sites) will be shown on the Active Analytics Dashboard. The default is 10, but you can change it by entering a different number.
    DEFAULT IS 10.
  • Number of last hits to show on Dashboard: Here, you can specify how many of the most recent visits (or “hits”) to your website will be displayed on the Active Analytics Dashboard. The default is 100, but you can adjust this number to show more or fewer recent hits.
    DEFAULT IS 100.
  • Number of internal links to consider for Internal Link charts: This setting determines how many internal links (links between pages on your own website) should be considered when generating charts related to internal link activity. The default is set to 5.
    DEFAULT IS 5.

Analytics Features

  • Collect data about logged-in users: If this is checked, the plugin will track and include data about users who are logged into your website. This can be useful for sites with a membership system or where logged-in users are common.
    DEFAULT IS OFF.
  • Count pageviews as a custom post meta key: When this option is enabled, pageview data can be stored in a custom meta key within WordPress. This allows you to track pageviews in a way that’s integrated with WordPress’ internal data structure, making it possible to display this information in themes or plugins. On long-term, however, it becomes irrelevant, as the homepage will most likely have the most pageviews, and the landing pages will follow.
    DEFAULT IS OFF.

Pageview Count

  • Pageviews meta key: This is where you specify the name of the custom field (meta key) that will store pageview counts for each post. The default name is post_views_count, but you can change this to any other name if needed, especially if you are migrating from another system. Note that this setting depends on the option above being enabled.

Overview

  • Days in Overview Graph: This option lets you choose how many days’ worth of data will be shown in the Active Analytics Overview Graph, which gives a quick snapshot of your site’s traffic trends.
    DEFAULT IS 90.
  • Months in Overview Graph: Similar to the above, this setting determines how many months’ worth of data will be shown in the Active Analytics Overview Graph. Set it to 12 months if you want a general image of how your website is performing, or 24 months if you are looking for long-term improvements and evolution.
    DEFAULT IS 12 MONTHS.
  • Days in Traffic Graph: This controls how many days’ worth of data will be shown in the Active Analytics Traffic Graph.
    DEFAULT IS 365 (1 YEAR).

ChartJS Source

  • Load ChartJS library: This option controls how the plugin loads the ChartJS library, which is used to create charts and graphs on the Dashboard. You can set it to load from a CDN (Content Delivery Network) to ensure you have the latest version. A CDN is a network of servers that deliver content based on the user’s geographic location, which can improve loading speed and reliability. You can also set it to local, which may or may not have the latest version.
    DEFAULT IS CDN.

Data Retention

  • Automatically delete visits older than: This setting determines how long the plugin will keep visitor data. After the specified time period, older data will be automatically deleted. This helps in managing storage space and ensuring that only relevant, recent data is kept. Make sure you match this value with the Overview values above.
    DEFAULT IS 2 YEARS.

Automatic Background Updates

  • Enable automatic updates: When this option is checked, the plugin will automatically download and install updates. This includes bug fixes and security updates, ensuring the plugin stays up to date without manual intervention.
    DEFAULT IS ON.