How to Add WordPress Analytics Without Cookies (2 Easy Methods)

When I first started building WordPress websites, search visitant information conscionable meant installing Google Analytics and calling it a day.

But times person changed. With caller privateness regulations, utilizing cookies to cod individual accusation without personification consent tin lead to ineligible headaches and mislaid visitors.

I’ve helped respective WordPress tract owners modulation to cookie-free analytics solutions that still supply powerful insights. After testing galore options and implementing them crossed various types of websites, I’ve identified nan astir effective approaches.

In this guide, fto maine show you 2 ways to adhd analytics while respecting your visitors’ privacy. One uses a privacy-first setup for Google Analytics (which uses first-party cookies), and nan different is simply a cookieless option.

Do I Really Need Cookieless Analytics?

You’ve astir apt heard a batch astir cookies and privateness laws. But what does it each really mean for your WordPress website’s analytics? Let maine break it down.

Cookies are mini pieces of information that are stored connected a user’s browser erstwhile they sojourn a website.

Traditional analytics tools for illustration Google Analytics 4 (GA4) usage these cookies to way visitant behavior. This includes specifications for illustration which pages they visit, really agelong they stay, and what actions they take.

All this information helps tract owners amended understand their assemblage and amended their websites.

🚨 Here’s nan challenge: New privateness laws, for illustration nan GDPR, CCPA, and ePrivacy, require websites to inquire for definitive personification consent earlier search pinch cookies. Because of this, galore website owners deliberation they must move to cookie-free analytics to enactment compliant.

However, that’s not really true!

You tin still way important information while staying compliant pinch privateness laws. We’ll show you immoderate workarounds to group up cookieless analytics.

Why “Cookieless” Google Analytics 4 is nan Best Option

When it comes to website analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is still nan champion and astir powerful instrumentality disposable – and that’s existent for each types of websites. So, if you want meticulous insights into your visitors’ behavior, GA4 is nan measurement to go.

But earlier we start, let’s clear up a communal misunderstanding: GA4 does not trust connected third-party cookies. Instead, it uses first-party cookies, which are group by your ain website to cod information astir your visitors’ activity connected your WordPress site only.

In contrast, third-party cookies are group by outer services (like advertisement networks) and way users crossed aggregate websites. Because of their broader search scope, they raise much privateness concerns and are being phased retired by galore browsers.

Now, you mightiness beryllium wondering: “Since GA4 still uses cookies – moreover if they’re first-party – tin it beryllium utilized successful a measurement that complies pinch privateness laws?”

The reply is yes!

However, do statement that Google Analytics itself isn’t automatically compliant aliases non-compliant. It’s your responsibility to usage it successful a measurement that follows nan rules that use to you.

Plus, whether you request cooky consent for Google Analytics depends connected respective factors. They tin beryllium wherever you and your visitors are located, and really you grip their data.

Since cooky consent laws disagree by state (even wrong nan EU), immoderate websites must inquire users to consent to circumstantial cookies, while others request a banner for immoderate cooky use.

To thief pinch this, I’ll show you really to brace GA4 with:

✅ MonsterInsights pinch nan EU Compliance addon – This helps guarantee your information handling aligns pinch GDPR and different privateness regulations.

✅ WPConsent cooky banners – These thief you petition and negociate personification consent nan correct way.

With these devices successful place, you tin proceed utilizing GA4 successful a measurement that supports compliance pinch privateness laws. This helps you stitchery valuable insights while reducing nan consequence of ineligible issues.

How to Add WordPress Analytics Without Cookies

Now that I’ve covered what cookieless search is and whether you really request it, let’s talk astir really to group it up connected your WordPress site.

There are 2 coagulated options to do this:

1. GA4 + MonsterInsights EU Compliance addon – Track personification behaviour pinch GA4 while staying compliant pinch privateness laws for illustration GDPR. It uses first-party cookies and offers configurable settings for stronger privacy. Ideal for getting elaborate insights pinch easy website integration.
2. Burst Statistics – Let’s you group up analytics without cookies. It stores information connected your server and offers a hybrid mode pinch optional cookies.

I will screen some methods successful our tutorial, on pinch immoderate other tips and FAQs astir cookieless tracking.

Feel free to usage nan jump links beneath to spell to your preferred method:

Ready? Let’s break it down.

Method 1: How to Set Up WordPress Cookieless Analytics (Keep Using GA4 for nan Best Insights)

This method is for if you want entree to powerful analytics while still respecting personification privacy. I’ll beryllium utilizing MonsterInsights alongside WPConsent to group up cookieless tracking.

Step 1: Install MonsterInsights to Set Up Cookieless Analytics

MonsterInsights is nan astir popular Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, and for a bully reason: it makes viewing your Google Analytics information successful WordPress incredibly easy.

At WPBeginner, we usage it to way postulation sources, visitant demographics, and conversion rates connected our forms, buttons, referral links, and more. Check retired our complete MonsterInsights review for a deeper look astatine its features.

✏️ Quick note: In this tutorial, I’ll beryllium utilizing nan MonsterInsights Pro type because it comes pinch nan EU Compliance addon (we’ll request it successful measurement 3). But there’s besides a free MonsterInsights version that useful awesome if you conscionable request basal analytics reports.

So, let’s first instal and activate nan MonsterInsights plugin. For details, you tin spot this guideline connected how to instal a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Connect MonsterInsights to Google WordPress Analytics

Once you person MonsterInsights up and running, it’s clip to link it to your tract and your Google Analytics account.

You tin click nan ‘Insights’ tab successful nan left-hand paper of your WordPress dashboard.

Next, conscionable click nan ‘Launch nan Wizard’ fastener to commencement nan MonsterInsights setup process.

On nan adjacent screen, you’ll request to prime a class that champion describes your website.

This tin beryllium a WordPress blog, business site, aliases online store.

Just deed ‘Save and Continue’ aft you make your choice.

After that, you’ll request to link MonsterInsights to your website’s Google Analytics account.

Simply click nan ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ fastener to statesman nan process.

In nan adjacent steps, you’ll person to motion successful to your Google Analytics relationship and prime nan website you want to track.

MonsterInsights will past instal Google Analytics connected your tract – easy arsenic that!

For details, you tin spot this guideline connected how to instal Google Analytics successful WordPress.

Step 3: Install nan MonsterInsights EU Compliance Addon

Since GA4 still uses first-party cookies, you request to make judge that your search complies pinch GDPR. The MonsterInsights EU Compliance addon makes this easier by automating cardinal privateness settings successful GA4.

Some of its basal features include:

• Anonymizing IP addresses to forestall individual information storage.
• Disabling nan search of personification demographics, interests, and User IDs.

To instal nan addon, you tin navigate to Insights » Addons.

Here, spell up and click nan ‘Install & Activate’ fastener to instal nan EU Compliance addon.

After that, you tin move nan toggle to activate nan addon erstwhile it appears.

Upon activation, let’s spell to nan ‘Settings’ menu.

In nan ‘Engagement’ tab, simply toggle nan ‘Enable EU Compliance’ mounting to move it on.

We besides urge verifying nan settings straight successful GA4 to guarantee your GA4 setup aligns pinch your MonsterInsights privateness settings.

For example, to make judge your GA4 doesn’t way demographics, you tin navigate to your GA4 ‘Admin’ panel.​

Next up, you’ll want to find nan ‘Data postulation and modification’ setting.

Then, simply click nan ‘Data collection’ option.

Now, successful nan ‘Google signals information collection’ settings, you should make judge it’s disabled.

Why does this matter? Google Signals collects other personification data, including:

• Demographics & Interests – Age, gender, and hobbies.
• Location & Engagement – User locations (from Google accounts).
• Cross-Device Tracking – Identifies users arsenic they move betwixt devices.
• Cross-Platform Reports – How users interact crossed devices.
• Ad Personalization Data – Connects pinch Google Ads for remarketing.

If it’s already off, past you should spot nan action to ‘Turn On’ for illustration this:

You mightiness besides want to reappraisal your information retention settings.

Data retention controls really agelong GA4 stores user-level and event-level information earlier automatically deleting it. A shorter retention play tin thief pinch GDPR compliance and privateness regulations.

To do this, you tin spell to Data postulation and modification » Data retention from nan ‘Admin’ menu.

On nan adjacent screen, you’ll spot options to group nan arena and personification information retention period.

You tin click nan ‘Data retention’ dropdown menus for some arena and personification data. Then, for stricter compliance, simply take nan ‘2 months’ option.

Don’t hide to click ‘Save’ erstwhile you’re done adjusting.

To study much astir each things GA4, you tin cheque retired our beginner’s guideline connected really to usage Google Analytics 4.

Step 4: Set Up nan WPConsent Cookie Consent Plugin

Using Google Analytics 4 while complying pinch laws for illustration GDPR and CCPA intends you request to get personification consent earlier tracking. And that work falls connected you.

Whether consent is required depends connected wherever your business is based, wherever your users are located, what information you collect, and really it’s used. Plus, rules alteration wide crossed countries, moreover wrong nan EU, pinch immoderate requiring consent for circumstantial cookies and others for immoderate type.

Instead of handling this manually yourself, you tin usage WPConsent to simplify compliance.

This powerful plugin lets you show a cookie consent banner, log personification choices, and power erstwhile devices for illustration GA4 are allowed to tally — each wrong WordPress.

At WPBeginner (and immoderate of our partner brands), we usage WPConsent, and it’s been a reliable solution for managing privateness settings. Explore each of its features successful our complete WPConsent review!

So, let’s commencement by installing nan WPConsent plugin. If you request help, past you tin spot this beginner’s guideline connected how to instal a WordPress plugin.

✏️ Quick note: You tin usage nan free WPConsent plugin to group up cooky banners. But for this article, I’ll usage nan WPConsent Pro type because it provides entree to cooky consent logs.

Upon plugin activation, let’s activate nan licence key.

To do this, you’ll request to spell to WPConsent » Settings. After that, simply transcript nan licence cardinal from your WPConsent relationship and paste it into nan ‘License Key’ field.

Then, spell up and click nan ‘Activate Key’ button.

With that done, let’s navigate to ‘Dashboard’ to spell done nan setup wizard.

Go up and click connected nan ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

On nan adjacent screen, WPConsent will tally a scan to see if your tract is utilizing cookies.

First, it will inquire you to cheque your site’s email address.

If everything looks bully already, past you tin click ‘Scan Your Website.’

This will trigger nan instrumentality to commencement nan cooky scan.

Once done, you’ll spot a ‘Scan completed’ notification on pinch a short study connected nan tool’s findings. For example, present it says that WPConsent recovered 4 services connected our tract that person set cookies.

Let’s click connected ‘OK’ to proceed nan process.

Next up, you’ll spot your WordPress site’s scan results successful much detail.

On my demo site, nan services that usage cookies are WordPress login (this mightiness beryllium because of nan ‘Remember Me‘ option), WordPress Comments, Google Analytics, and Matomo.

Make judge that you prime each nan services. Then, you should besides cheque nan container that says ‘Prevent known scripts from adding cookies earlier consent is given.’

With that done, spell up and click nan ‘Auto-Configure selected’ button.

After that, WPConsent will punctual you to group up your cooky banner.

The process is ace simple. You conscionable request to take a layout and prime a position.

Then, you tin scroll down nan page to preview your cooky consent banner.

If everything looks bully to you, it’s clip to click nan ‘Save & Complete Setup’ button.

And you’re done!

Now, if you sojourn your website, you’ll spot your cooky consent banner successful action.

👉 Expert Tip: Adding a nexus to your privateness argumentation page successful nan cooky banner helps build spot pinch your visitors and align pinch ineligible requirements. If you don’t person 1 yet, past cheque retired our tutorial connected how to adhd a privateness argumentation page successful WordPress.

After mounting it up, you tin embed nan nexus into your cooky banner from nan WPConsent editor.

Just navigate to WPConsent » Banner Design from your admin area. Then, you tin edit nan matter successful nan ‘Message’ section to see nan nexus to your Privacy Policy page.

Don’t hide to click nan ‘Save’ fastener truthful you don’t suffer your progress.

And here’s your cooky banner:

Step 5: Access Consent Logs to Verify Your Privacy Settings

WPConsent has a ‘Consent Logs’ conception that provides a elaborate grounds of really visitors interact pinch your site’s cooky consent popup.

To spot your logs, spell up and navigate to WPConsent » Consent Logs from your WordPress admin area.

Here, you’ll find a array pinch each your users’ consent details.

For example, I person a personification who accepted each cookies – essential, statistics, and marketing.

And that’s it – you’ve successfully group up Google Analytics pinch enhanced privateness settings while still utilizing cookies.

Method 2: How to Set Up WordPress Analytics Without Cookies (Free Option pinch Less Data Accuracy)

If you’re looking to way analytics without cookies, past Burst Statistics is simply a awesome option. This free plugin makes nan process beautiful simple.

Keep successful mind that Burst Statistics uses a method called fingerprinting. It’s a measurement to place a machine aliases instrumentality based connected its unsocial characteristics, for illustration nan browser, operating system, and installed fonts, moreover without utilizing cookies.

While it’s mostly considered little intrusive than cookies, it’s still a shape of tracking, truthful it’s bully to beryllium alert of it.

Now, let’s return a look astatine really you tin group it up connected your WordPress site.

Step 1: Install and Activate nan Burst Statistics Plugin connected WordPress

To get started, you request to instal and activate nan free Burst Statistics plugin. Simply navigate to Plugins » Add New Plugin from your admin area.

After that, you’ll want to usage nan hunt characteristic to quickly find nan plugin. Then, spell up and click nan ‘Install Now’ button.

✏️ Quick note: For this guide, I’ll usage nan free Burst Statistics plugin to group up analytics without cookies. However, upgrading to Burst Statistics Pro will unlock tons of different cool features, including information archiving, aggregate extremity tracking, and precocious filters.

Then, you should click erstwhile again connected nan ‘Activate’ fastener erstwhile it appears. If you request help, past you tin cheque retired this guideline on how to instal a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Configure Settings for Optimal Performance and Privacy

Upon plugin activation, you tin alteration analytics without cookies consecutive away.

All you person to do is navigate to Statistics » Settings from your WordPress admin area. Then, let’s make judge you’re successful nan ‘General’ tab.

From here, simply move connected nan ‘Enable Cookieless tracking’ action for illustration this:

And that’s it – you’ve successfully group up WordPress analytics without cookies connected your website.

Step 3: Verify if Your Analytics Are Working Properly

Unlike nan much accepted approach, analytics without cookies avoids storing individual data, for illustration IP addresses aliases different personification identifiers. Instead, it provides anonymized, aggregated data.

That said, it’s important to statement that immoderate methods still impact information collection. This whitethorn transportation privateness implications depending connected really they’re implemented.

To spot if your analytics are moving properly, you request to spell to nan ‘Statistics’ menu. On nan adjacent screen, you’ll instantly find your visitors and pageviews chart for nan past 7 days.

To spot nan statistic successful detail, you tin scroll down this page.

Here, you mightiness announcement that your sessions are counted differently.

In accepted analytics, cookies way erstwhile a visitant starts and ends a session. If nan aforesaid personification comes backmost wrong a definite clip framework (usually 30 minutes), it’s counted arsenic nan aforesaid session.

In analytics without cookies, returning users cannot beryllium recognized wrong that window. Instead, each sojourn is treated arsenic a caller session, moreover if it occurs soon aft nan past one.

🤔 What does this mean for your reports? You whitethorn spot a higher number of sessions than accustomed because visitors who time off and return wrong a short play won’t beryllium grouped into a azygous session.

Further down nan page, Burst Statistics provides a dedicated ‘Pages’ study that shows really pageviews are distributed crossed your site.

For example, if your ‘Compare’ study shows 9 pageviews, past you tin spot that 3 views came from nan ‘Career’ page, 2 views from nan ‘Login’ page, and truthful on.

FAQs About Cookieless WordPress Analytics

Still person questions? Let’s clear up immoderate communal concerns astir search website information without cookies.

Why do websites request cookies?

Cookies shop mini amounts of information to retrieve personification preferences, way personification behavior, and amended nan personification experience. Many analytics devices usage cookies to place returning visitors and way interactions complete time.

How tin I adhd analytics to my WordPress site?

In short, you tin adhd analytics to your WordPress tract utilizing devices for illustration MonsterInsights, Matomo, aliases HubSpot.

I urge MonsterInsights because it makes installing Google Analytics successful WordPress easy. It gives you each your GA4 information successful easy-to-understand reports straight successful your WordPress dashboard.

For details, spot this guideline connected how to instal Google Analytics successful WordPress.

Do each websites pinch analytics request cooky warnings?

No. If your analytics solution doesn’t shop personally identifiable information (PII) aliases way users crossed sessions utilizing cookies, past you don’t request a cooky consent banner. This is why galore tract owners move to analytics without cookies.

For example, Burst Statistics is simply a privacy-focused analytics instrumentality that uses fingerprinting techniques. Instead of storing cookies, it analyzes non-personal browser and instrumentality information to differentiate visitors.

Keep successful mind that while this attack is technically cookieless, it is still a shape of information postulation that whitethorn person privateness considerations.

Will cookieless analytics impact information accuracy?

It depends connected nan instrumentality you use.

Cookieless search whitethorn not seizure personification journeys successful arsenic overmuch detail, but it still provides meticulous insights into wide traffic, page views, and engagement.

Many modern cookieless analytics devices usage fingerprinting techniques aliases server-side search to amended accuracy. While these methods minimize cooky usage, they still cod information successful different ways, which whitethorn raise concerns astir privacy.

Can I move backmost to accepted analytics if needed?

Yes, astir analytics solutions let you to move betwixt cookieless and accepted tracking. However, if you commencement utilizing cookies again, past you whitethorn request to add a cooky consent banner to comply pinch privateness laws.

Further Reading 📚: More WordPress Analytics Guides

I dream this article has helped you study really to adhd WordPress analytics without cookies.

Want to dive deeper into WordPress analytics? Check retired these guides to way and understand your website’s capacity much effectively:

• How to Set Up Google Analytics Goals
• How to See Search Analytics successful WordPress
• How to Easily See Your Blog Stats
• How to Track Video Analytics successful WordPress
• How to Set Up WordPress Form Tracking successful Google Analytics
• How to Set Up Email Newsletter Tracking successful Google Analytics
• How to Add Scroll Depth Tracking successful WordPress pinch Google Analytics
• MonsterInsights vs Site Kit (Head-to-Head Comparison)
• Google Analytics vs Jetpack Stats (In-Depth Comparison)
• Best Analytics Solutions for WordPress Users

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