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How to Track File Downloads On WordPress

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If you have a WordPress site, then you likely offer downloadable resources such as printable, PDFs, eBooks, and white papers.

You’ll want to know how to track downloads of those files. It’s only by tracking them that you can see what is (and isn’t) working and change your strategy to get more downloads, traffic, and leads.

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MonsterInsights is a great way to track file downloads. Here’s how to use MonsterInsights to track file downloads on WordPress.

Why You Should Choose MonsterInsights

It’s all too easy to set up Google Analytics and track information if you’ve got the technical knowhow. If you don’t though then it could be very complicated.

MonsterInsights makes it super easy to track your file downloads through Google Analytics. Just spend a few minutes setting it up and everything else is handled automatically. That’s the main reason to choose this plugin; it’s so convenient.

How to Track File Downloads

  1. Install MonsterInsights and Activate It

The first step is to set up Google Analytics for WordPress with MonsterInsights;

  • Log into WordPress
  • Choose “Plugins” and then “Add New”
  • Type “MonsterInsights” into the search box to find the plug
  • You should see the plugin “Google Analytics by MonsterInsights”
  • Choose to install the plugin and activate it
  1. Connect Google Analytics

Once you activate MonsterInsights you have to connect Google Analytics to WordPress with the plugin.

  • Choose Insights > Settings on the sidebar
  • Click “Authenticate with your Google Account” to connect Google Analytics. This will allow Google to collect information about people who visit your website
  • You are taken to a Google login page where you can sign in to your account
  • Click on “Next” after logging in
  • Click “Allow” to let MonsterInsights access Google Analytics
  • Finally, add the profile or website that you want to track. Click on “Complete Authentication” when you’re done

Once you’ve activated Google Analytics with MonsterInsights it gets to work automatically tracking file downloads for you. These downloads are tracked as individual events.

  1. Add Other File Extensions for Tracking

Open up the WordPress dashboard and choose Insights > Settings > Tracking and choose “File Downloads”. You’ll see that file tracking has been enabled for you. There’s no need to make changes.

MonsterInsights automatically tracks downloads that have the file extensions doc, exe, pdf, ppt, js, tgz, Xls, and zip. If you want to track other kinds of file downloads then you can add the file extension to the list of “Extensions of files to track as downloads”.

Make sure to save any changes you make.

You’re now all set up to track user downloads using MonsterInsights!

Conclusion

You can see how simple it is to track file downloads on WordPress when you have the right tools.

MonsterInsights gets the job done with no need for any coding knowledge or experience.

If you want to track file downloads on WordPress, then this is a simple and effective tool that every WordPress user should consider using.

Get better insights on your downloads and adjust your offerings accordingly to boost website success.