Congratulations on installing MonsterInsights, and welcome to the family! We are thrilled to have you on board and are genuinely excited to help you uncover the powerful stories your website data can tell.
We know that “analytics” can sometimes feel like a daunting word, but our goal is to make it easy and, dare we say, fun! Forget overwhelming charts and confusing jargon. In the next five minutes, we’re going to get you set up, oriented, and on the path to making smarter, data-driven decisions for your website.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Before getting started…
- You have purchased a MonsterInsights Plus or higher license.
Minute 1: Connect with Confidence (The Setup Wizard)
The very first thing you’ll see is our 60-second Setup Wizard. This is where the magic begins! Think of this wizard as your personal guide that does all the heavy lifting of connecting your WordPress site to Google Analytics.
There’s no need to worry about code or complicated technical steps. Just follow the simple on-screen steps to securely connect your Google account. In about a minute, you’ll have successfully set up the most powerful analytics tracking on your site.
Minute 2-3: Your First “Aha!” Moment (The Dashboard Reports)
Once you’re connected, let’s head to the main event! In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Insights » Reports.
This is your new analytics command center, and it’s designed to give you the information you need at a glance. For the first time, you’ll see a clear, beautiful overview of your website traffic, right inside WordPress. Take a moment to explore a few key areas:
- Sessions & Pageviews: This is the heartbeat of your site! You can see how many visits you’re getting and how many pages are being viewed.
- New vs. Returning Visitors: Get an instant feel for your audience. Are you attracting new people, or is your loyal community coming back for more?
- Top Posts & Pages: This is one of the most exciting parts! Instantly see what content is resonating most with your audience. This is your first clue to what you should create more of!
I recommend that you check out our Ultimate guide to our Dashboard Reports once you feel comfortable!
Minute 4: Make Your Data Even Smarter (Exclude Your Own Visits)
Here’s a quick but important step that instantly makes your data more accurate. By default, analytics tools can track your own visits to your site while you’re logged in and working. This can skew your data, and we don’t want that!
MonsterInsights handles this for you. Let’s just confirm the setting:
- Navigate to Insights » Settings and click on the Advanced tab.
- Look for the setting that says Exclude These User Roles From Tracking.
- By default, “Administrator” and “Editor” are already selected. This is perfect for most sites! It ensures that when you’re working on your site, your activity isn’t counted as a “visitor,” giving you a true picture of your audience.
Minute 5: Celebrate & Look Ahead!
And just like that, your first five minutes are up! Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve already accomplished so much:
- You’ve successfully connected your site to Google Analytics.
- You’ve taken your first look at your key traffic stats.
- You’ve made your data smarter and more accurate.
This is just the beginning of your journey, and you’re off to a fantastic start. As you get more comfortable, you can explore other reports like the Publishers Report to see how people interact with your content or the eCommerce Report, if you’ve subscribed to MonsterInsights Pro and you run an online store.
We’re excited to be a part of your website’s growth story. If you ever have questions, remember that our helpful guides and dedicated support team are always here for you.
Welcome aboard!
Let’s get you compliant with data privacy, check out the next steps with this article: Getting Started with the EU Compliance Addon
Or you can check out our list of getting started guides that walk you through how to use other parts of MonsterInsights by following the steps in our Support Center,
