What is MonsterInsights: Features, Addons, Pricing
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What is MonsterInsights- Google Analytics plugin for WordPress
When you start a blog or a website, it is recommended that you install Google Analytics from the beginning so that you don’t miss out on data.
And this can be done in 2 ways
- Using plugins
- Manually
If you are a beginner then you can use a plugin to help you out with the process and more experienced webmasters can choose the manual route.
Now, in case you have just started out and have not yet installed Google Analytics then you can follow our guide on How to add Google Analytics to WordPress.
And after 24 hours of installation, Google Analytics will start showing you reports.
Google Analytics is a must for every site and with the help of these reports you can get answers to all your questions such as.
- How many visits do you get over a period of time
- Which page is receiving most traffic
- Which sources are generating most traffic
- What is the location of the visitors
- How much time is being spent by visitors on your site
And more.
For most of us, getting information and data to these questions is sufficient and most of us do not go beyond this point even if we want to because
- Data can be overwhelming
- An increase in traffic is a sign of growth
Yes, data can be overwhelming and an increase in traffic does mean that the site’s growing. However, to stay ahead of the curve and get better results you need to understand the journey of a visitor from start to the end.
And this includes tracking categories, tags, authors, clicks on internal, external and affiliate links, form submissions, downloads, e-commerce conversion rate and more.
Before we move forward it is important to know, by default Google Analytics do not track any of the above listed elements and events.
And to track these you either have to set up goals, connect Google Analytics with search console or you will need the help of Google Tag Manager which makes the process complicated if you are starting out.
If you are thinking of hiring a developer or an analytics expert for this purpose then be ready to pay a hefty sum.
Having said that,
An easy solution to this problem is MonsterInsights plugin using which you can process the Google Analytics data easily and at the same time it wouldn’t cost you a fortune.
What is MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights in the best Google Analytics WordPress plugin that will simplify the most Advanced Google Analytics features for you with just a few clicks.
And the best part is you can see all the insights in your WordPress dashboard. This means you don’t have to login to Google Analytics for viewing these reports.
Did you know, MonsterInsights was previously known as Google Analytics for WordPress by Yoast and it was the first major WordPress plugin created by Joost de Valk, founder of Yoast SEO.
In 2016, this plugin was acquired by Syed Balkhi who is the founder of WpBeginner and creator of amazing WordPress products like OptinMonster and WPForms.
And the name of the plugin was changed from Google Analytics for WordPress to MonsterInsights.
It is important to note here, all of the 3 plugins, OptinMonster, WPForms and MonsterInsights perfectly compliment each other as
- WPForms lets you create beautiful forms that convert
- Using OptinMonster you can convert traffic into subscribers and then paying customers.
- With the help of MonsterInsights you can get access to data will help you take important decisions in improving your site’s conversion rate.
Having said that,
Currently MonsterInsights have over 2 million active installations and 1500+ five star reviews, which is huge.
This screenshot was taken on June 1st 2020 and currently the plugin has over 1800 reviews with 1500+ five star reviews.
Now that we know what is MonsterInsights, the next topic we are going to discuss is
Who can use MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights can be used by anyone, be it you are a Blogger, an E-commerce store or an Agency
But before we move forward, it is important to know MonsterInsights is not for you if you have a blog on WordPress.com because you cannot install plugins in lower-tier WordPress.com plans.
And to get access to these basic features you will have to upgrade and it is fairly expensive.
On the contrary, MonsterInsights is for sites that are running on WordPress.org or in other words self hosted. And we recommend switching to this if you are currently using WordPress.com as it will you access to more features and you will have full control.
How can a business benefit from using MonsterInsights
If you are running a blog then using data from MonsterInsights will help you
- Increase traffic
- Grow your revenue
- Improve quality of content
- Get more email subscribers
In case you own an E-commerce store then with the help of MonsterInsights you can
- Reduce cart abandonment
- Increase sales
- Improve conversion rate
If you are an owner of a business website then insights from this plugin will help you
- See stats that matter
- Identify performing and non performing pages
- Saves time and hard work
- Create amazing content
For an agency, MonsterInsights can help
- Save time on setup
- Reduces mistakes and errors
- Clients can see reports in dashboard
This plugin is for every type of business regardless of what you do. If you are looking to purchase MonsterInsights then using our special link you can get Flat 50% off.
Features of MonsterInsights
Frequently, I have seen MonsterInsights being only associated with adding Google Analytics in WordPress.
Yes, this is a feature that this plugin offers. However, there is a lot more to MonsterInsights plugin than just this. Below I have mentioned a few features of the plugin.
Universal Analytics
I’m sure some of you might already know that when a user visits and engages with your website using different devices, a new session is recorded every time.
Even if an action has taken place on your site, you won’t be able to relate the data collected and on top of that you will have inflated reports.
And this is common problem that you will encounter when using some Analytics plugins and also in Google Analytics default view.
However, MonsterInsights has a solution to this problem as it uses universal tracking that aggregates all engagements and visits from a user under a unique ID. And due to this reports are more accurate.
Google Analytics reports in dashboard
After installing Google Analytics in WordPress, if you want to check the reports you need to login to your Google Analytics dashboard. If you are using it for the first time, you can have a hard time finding your way.
And this is where MonsterInsights comes to your rescue.
Once you have connected your Google Analytics account with MonsterInsights, all the important reports can be accessed inside your WordPress dashboard.
As you can see in the screenshot above, you can find publisher, search console, e-commerce, custom dimensions, forms and real time reports in your WordPress dashboard and these reports pretty much sums up all the data you need to take important decisions that will improve your site’s performance and conversion rate.
Page Level Insights
MonsterInsights has a Page Insights add-on using which you can see page level analytics for each page or post without having to leave your WordPress dashboard.
Once you have enabled the add-on, you can see the analytics button in front of every page and post you have published on your website or blog.
Clicking the analytics button will show you important metrics such as
- Bounce rate
- Page views
- Time on page
- Page speed
- Exists
- New users
Using this information you can see which posts are performing well and which needs improvement.
Affiliate link tracking
If you are into affiliate marketing and are looking to boost your revenue then this is the feature for you. Using MonsterInsights affiliate link tracking you can easily know
- Which sources of traffic are generating most revenue
- Which are the best converting pages
And all of this can be done with just a few clicks
After you are done setting up, the top performing affiliate links can be found in Publisher reports in your WordPress dashboard and using these reports you will be able to see which links are getting most clicks.
Also, it is important to know this plugin works seamlessly with popular affiliate link cloaking plugins like Pretty links and Thirsty Affiliate.
Keyword tracking
Did you know, by default Google Analytics does not track your keywords that drive traffic to your website and for that you need to connect Google Analytics with search console.
Once you are done connecting, MonsterInsights will show you all the keyword related data in the WordPress dashboard.
You will be able to see
- Which keywords you are ranking for
- How many clicks and impression each keyword is getting
- What is the CTR or Click through rate
All the keyword related data is found under the Search Console reports in MonsterInsights.
Form Tracking
As mentioned before, Google Analytics does not track forms. However, MonsterInsights has a Forms Add-on using which you can do this easily with just a few clicks.
Using this data you can have a clear idea on
- Which forms are performing as per your expectation
- Which one needs improvement
And using all this information, you can optimize forms for conversion rate.
You can see how many times a form is being viewed and the conversion rate. All of this data can be found under the Forms section in MonsterInsights.
Also, MonsterInsights works perfectly with popular form builder plugins like WPForms, Ninja forms and more.
Custom Dimensions
As we are aware of the fact that with Google Analytics you get access to only default reports and if you want to track custom data then you will have to configure Google Analytics which can be difficult if you are not an expert.
However, with MonsterInsights you can do it easily with the help of Custom Dimensions Add-on. Using this you can track the performance of categories, tags, authors, post types and more.
And the best part is all of this can be done with only few clicks and you can find this data in your WordPress dashboard under Custom Dimensions report.
MonsterInsights is packed with features and you can see the complete list on MonsterInsight’s official website.
How much does MonsterInsights cost
With this long list of features, some of you may be thinking, will it cost a fortune to get this plugin or is MonsterInsights free. In this section we have discussed MonsterInsights pricing and plans in detail with the list of features included in each
MonsterInsights is available is 2 versions
- Lite
- Paid
MonsterInsights Lite is available for free and can be downloaded from the WordPress plugin repository. And with the Lite version you get access to features such as
- Quick and Easy Google Analytics set up
- Universal tracking
- Google Analytics reports in WordPress dashboard
- Affiliate link tracking
- File download tracking
- Engagement and Demographic reports
- Enhanced link attribution
When it comes to MonsterInsights pro, you get 3 plans to choose from
MonsterInsights Plus
This plan is for small businesses and publishers. The actual price of the plan is $199/ year and using our link you can get it for $99.50 which is 50% off. And this plan covers 1 site
Features included
- Analytics Dashboard
- Dashboard Widget
- Email Summaries
- Page Insights
- Date Range History
- Real Time Report
- Publishers Report
- Search Console Report
- PDF Exports
- Universal Tracking
- Scroll Tracking
- EU Compliance
- Engagement Tracking
- File Downloads Tracking
- Enhanced Link Tracking
- Affiliate Links
MonsterInsights Pro
This plan is for E-commerce sites and businesses. The actual price of the plan is $399/ year and using our link you can get it for $199.50 which is a 50% discount. And this plan covers 5 site
Features included (Everything in plus)
- Ecommerce Report
- Form Conversions
- Custom Dimensions
- Author Tracking
- Category / Tags Tracking
- Google Optimize
- WooCommerce
- Easy Digital Downloads
- MemberPress
- LifterLMS
- Priority Support
MonsterInsights Agency
This plan is for marketing and web development agencies. The actual price of the plan is $799/ year and using our link you can get it for $399.50 which is a 50% discount. And this plan covers 25 site
Features included (Everything in pro)
- Premium Support
- WordPress Multisite Support
- Client Management
MonsterInsights Discount Coupon
Currently, MonsterInsights is offering a 50% discount on all its plans using the Promo Code INTRO 50. If you are looking to purchase then this is right time. All you have to do is just click the link and the discount code will be automatically applied.
Having said that,
MonsterInsights is packed with features and it is one of the must-have WordPress plugins if you are looking to gain in-depth insights on your websites performance without having to spend a fortune.
I hope you find this article helpful and now What is MonsterInsights and how can it help your online business. If you have any queries regarding this feel free to reach out via comment section or social media.
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