Do you want to know which Google Analytics dashboard reports you have access to when you use MonsterInsights, the most popular WordPress Google Analytics dashboard plugin?
Connecting your WordPress website to Google Analytics with MonsterInsights gives you access to a bunch of ready-made Google Analytics reports right in your WordPress dashboard. You can use these reports to see where your site visitors come from, and how they behave once they’re on your website.
In this article, we’ll show you what you get with each MonsterInsights dashboard report and how each one helps you make data-driven decisions to grow your following, increase your sales, and make your business a success.
Google Analytics WordPress Dashboard Widget
With MonsterInsights, you can see your Google Analytics data as soon as you log into your WordPress dashboard. The plugin has a dashboard widget that shows your site’s key metrics right on your WordPress dashboard, with no clicks required.
By default, it’ll show you a quick summary report that includes pageviews, top content, device breakdown, and new vs. returning visitors. If you’d like, you can add more metrics by clicking the gear icon. You can also choose to have your widget appear in full-width mode by clicking the arrows right next to the gear.
The Google Analytics Dashboard Widget for MonsterInsights makes it really easy and quick for you to view your website’s important data.
Immediately after signing in, you’ll be able to see any significant changes in your website traffic and take action if required.
Overview Report
To access your MonsterInsights dashboard reports in WordPress, go to Insights » Reports. There, you’ll immediately see the Overview Report, as well as the other Google Analytics dashboard reports MonsterInsights has available for you.
The first part of the Overview Reports gives you a visual look at the number of sessions and pageviews for your site.
Right underneath the traffic graph, you’ll see quick stats related to your site visitors’ behavior, including the number of sessions, the number of page views, the average session duration, and your site’s overall bounce rate.
You can use the date picker to show the past 7 days or past 30 days, or a few other default time periods. You can also change it to a custom date range if you need to see data for a certain time period.
You will also see a percentage of change as compared to the time period you have chosen for this report. For example, if you’ve chosen to see the number of sessions and pageviews for the past 30 days, you’ll see a comparison to the previous 30 days as well.
If you keep scrolling down in the Overview Report, you’ll see a simple graph of New vs. Returning Visitors and Device Breakdown.
This is a great way to see what percentage of people are returning to your website after having visited before. It also shows you which devices your visitors were on when they visited your site.
Next, you can check out which countries your visitors are from. You’ll also see which websites are referring people to your site the most.
You can click on the View Countries Report or View All Referral Sources buttons to get the full list. When you do this, you’ll be asked to sign into your Google Analytics account.
You’ll then be taken to the correct report in Google Analytics to get additional data.
For our example, we’ll look at the countries report:
Here, you’ll see a graph of site visitors and a table below of top countries. You can also get data like:
- Number of users
- New users
- Engaged Sessions
- Engagement Rate
- Average engagement time
- Any conversions you may have set up for your site
You can also define the date range and change the display to reflect goals you’ve set up for your website.
Lastly, the Overview Report shows you which posts and pages are the most popular on your site. This gives you insight into which content your site visitors like the most, so you can give them more of what they want.
Again, if you click the View Full Posts/Pages Report button you’ll see all your site’s posts and pages in Google Analytics and how they’re performing in comparison with the previous period.
Check out the number of views, users, average engagement time, conversions, and more.
Publishers Report
Click on the Publishers tab in MonsterInsights to see the following data:
- Landing Pages
- Outbound Links
- Affiliate Links
- Download Links
- Scroll Depth
- Demographics
- Interest Categories
There’s a lot of information here that can help bloggers who have websites that focus on blog content, or it can also help those with eCommerce shops make more money online too.
For instance, the MonsterInsights Publishers report is helpful for those who are trying to create effective landing pages for their website.
Whether your goal is to have people subscribe to your newsletter or make a purchase, knowing which landing pages are the most effective can help you make your business even better and ultimately build a bigger following.
Search Console Report
Click on the Search Console tab to find out your Top 50 Google Search Terms (make sure to connect Google Search Console first).
You’ll see the number of clicks, impressions, click-through-rate, and average position of each term.
This is great for:
- Making sure your keyword research is on point
- Seeing that organic traffic is coming to your site when they find you in search results
- Your SEO efforts are working for you, not against you
- Seeing what people are searching for when they find you, which can inspire new blog post ideas
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our step-by-step instructions on how to configure your WordPress site with Google Search Console.
eCommerce Report
Click on the eCommerce tab in MonsterInsights to get a comprehensive look at how your online store is doing (if you have the eCommerce Addon installed).
To start, you can see data such as your conversion rate, the number of transactions, how much revenue you’ve generated, and the average order value.
You can also see a list of your eCommerce store’s top products. That way you’ll see at-a-glance which products to continue promoting.
Plus, you can make sure you focus your pay-per-click advertisements, like Google Ads, on promoting your best-selling products.
Also, you can see how many total Add to Cart clicks occurred, and how many times products were removed from carts.
For help with boosting sales in your eCommerce shop, be sure to check out these 11 smart tactics for reducing shopping cart abandonment. And, if you need more data related to your online shop, check out 9 Top eCommerce Metrics & KPIs to Track in Google Analytics 4.
Custom Dimensions Report
Click on the Dimensions tab to track custom data you want showing in your MonsterInsights dashboard report.
For example, you can track data like:
- Which author’s posts generate the most traffic
- Focus keywords you’re using and which ones are doing well in search engines
- SEO score tracking to see which blog SEO scores are performing the best
- Which categories on your site are clicked the most
- Which custom post types are the most well-liked by site visitors
This is perfect for those that feel limited by the data that Google Analytics has when it comes to data tracking.
For a detailed look at how to use custom dimensions in Google Analytics, as well as in MonsterInsights, check out this helpful beginner’s guide to custom dimensions.
Forms Tracking Report
Click on the Forms tab to see how your WordPress forms are performing on your website.
MonsterInsights is proud to have integrated with multiple popular contact form plugins, including WPForms, so you can see the number of form views and conversions your WordPress forms are getting.
With the Forms addon, and the Forms Tracking Report, you can track things like:
- Number of form submissions
- Which forms trigger the most conversions
- How many impressions and conversions each form is getting
With this data, you can begin optimizing your WordPress forms to get more signups and sales.
For help using the Forms addon, check out How to Track Form Submissions in Google Analytics & WordPress.
Realtime Report
Click the Realtime tab to see your users’ activity on real-time.
The Realtime report allows you to monitor your users’ activity on your site at any given time. You can see the number of active users, pageviews per minute for the last 30 minutes, and more.
Moreover, you can see top pages, top countries, and top cities your visitors are from at the moment.
The Realtime reports let you see the user interaction on your site right as it’s occurring without having wait until the next day.
These realtime reports are especially useful if you’ve just launched a special marketing campaign and want to know how people are clicking on it. For example, you can track your email, social media, and other paid marketing campaigns’ performance right away.
For more details, read our complete guide on how to find and use realtime reports in Google Analytics.
Site Speed Report
Did you know that your website speed can make or break your business?
If your site loads within seconds and visitors don’t have to wait around, you’ll have a higher chance of getting more conversions.
With the MonsterInsights Site Speed report, you can check your website’s speed at any time, right inside your WordPress admin.
Need to speed up your site? Check out 17 Easy Hacks to Speed Up Your WordPress Site Performance.
View Stats for Individual Posts and Pages in WordPress
With MonsterInsights, you can also check stats for individual posts and pages on your WordPress site.
To view stats for your individual posts, you’ll need to visit ‘All Posts’ page by going to Posts » All Posts in WordPress. You can also find this data in Pages » All Pages.
MonsterInsights adds a small ‘Insights’ icon for each of your posts or pages.
Simply click the icon to see the stats for the post. Then, a popup window will appear with stats for the respective page or post.
For detailed instructions, read our complete guide on how to check stats for individual posts in WordPress.
And there you have it! You’ve now taken a tour of the MonsterInsights Google Analytics dashboard reports.
So, what are you waiting for? Get started with the best Google Analytics plugin today so you can see how your site is performing at a glance.
And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for more helpful Google Analytics tips.