Using verified plugins when its really necessary is the key to effective website management. Any plugin you are using should provide an essential function or solve a specific problem. It should not indulge your desire for a “shiny new stuff” or vanity. This article will discuss a specific type of plugins that can be applied to many different websites.
We will focus on Google Analytics plugins. It is a type of plugins that we use often, no matter whether it’s necessary or not.
Firstly, ask yourself one important question: do you need Google Analytics code on your website? You can paste it yourself into your footer.php or header.php file without much effort. So no one truly needs a Google Analytics plugin. However, if you pick this way, it may have some potential issues:
- You have to remember to re-install the code on the new theme, if you ever decide to change it.
- You have to know how to alter the actual Analytics code, if you want to change the default settings or track custom variables. It can be tricky for WP beginners.
- If you screw up your footer or header file while you are not comfortable in editing PHP, you will not know how to fix it.
So Google Analytics plugin is definitely worth considering, if you think any of these issue could possibly happen in the future.
There is another question to ask: Does your theme provide a built-in option for Analytics code installation? Most people do not know that their theme comes with the place where footer and header scripts may be installed.
If it is available, you don’t have to touch the PHP code at all. Simply paste the Analytics code into this section. It will always be installed properly if you only change child themes, but not theme frameworks. If you decide to change theme frameworks, just don`t forget to re-install your Analytics code.
But what if you need to track page views using the Analytics code? Would a plugin be better to do it easily?
Yes, it would.
And once you`ve realized it, you will start looking for the right plugin.
There are a bunch of Google Analytics plugins available, since it is a popular traffic program. We have tried out a number of them to collect the very best features from other plugins.
So there are a number of reasons why we recommend BestWebSoft Google Analytics plugin. Here are the top five:
- The plugin allows to see data for different time periods in your reports as well as the group stats by day, month or year.
- You can enable Google Analytics logging on your blog.
- It allows to get Google Analytics stats using your Google Analytics account.
- Finally, BestWebSoft is among the most trusted plugin developers in the WordPress community.
Before using any plugin, ask these questions first:
- Does your theme provide a built-in way to install the Google Analytics code?
- Do you need a plugin to find a solution?
- Is the functionality you’re trying to add or the issue you trying to solve really necessary?
If the first answer is “No” and the next two are “Yes” so you should definitely use a plugin. You’ll confidently take the next step towards intelligently deploying really useful WordPress plugins.
