How To Set Up Author Tracking In WordPress Site Using MonsterInsights?

If you have multiple people writing for your site, you probably want to see how each of them performs. For this, you need to set up author tracking in the WordPress site. Tracking their content’s stats can tell you which writers stand out above the rest.

Unfortunately, Google Analytics’ standard configuration doesn’t allow you to track this information. However, adding MonsterInsights‘ plugin to your website will allow you to use Google Analytics to set up and install author tracking automatically.

Using MonsterInsights plugin, you can also track file downloads, see what keywords are driving traffic to your website, check site Google Analytics from WordPress dashboard, track if visitors are reading long posts,  enable enhanced e-commerce tracking, etc.

 

Why Should You Enable Author Tracking?

Author Tracking in Google Analytics can show you valuable information about each writer for your blog. You can use this feature to:

  • Review bounce rates to determine which authors’ posts keep your audience engaged most often
  • Find out which author on your blog is the most popular
  • Receive WordPress author statistics instantly that can be used to optimize your site’s content
  • Categorize page views by articles for each author on your site

 

How To Set Up Author Tracking In WordPress Site?

Google Analytics’ default settings don’t allow you to track your author statistics automatically. You’ll need to enable custom features to access this feature. The MonsterInsights plugin is one of the best ways to activate author tracking for your WordPress site.

After you’ve activated this feature, you’ll have access to information such as the most popular author on your blog, page views, bounce rates, and other relevant data. You can also add additional custom features to track author information for your website.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Install and activate the MonsterInsights PRO plugin (you will need to have at least MonsterInsights Pro plan purchased to access author tracking). There is also a free version of the plugin with limited options.

2. Connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics if you already didn’t.

3. Go to the Insights » Addons to install and activate Dimensions add-on. With this addon, you can track authors, categories, tags, searches, users, and more.

 

monsterinsights dimensions addon

 

4. Go into the plugin Insights menu. Choose the Settings option and then go into the License Key field. Paste the license key information for that plugin in that field and click on the “Verify Key” button (if you didn’t already activate your MonsterInsights license).

5. Now go to Settings > Conversions. Scroll down to the Custom Dimensions area.

 

add custom dimensions wordpress

 

6. Select the “Add New Custom Dimension” button to bring up a new drop-down menu. MonsterInsights allows you to choose from several custom dimension types. They are User ID, Logged in, Author, Post Type, Category, Tags, Published at, SEO Score, and Focus Keyword. Select “Author” as your custom dimension.

 

author tracking custom dimension

 

7. Save your settings by clicking on the “Save Changes” button. Now that you have set up the Custom Dimensions on your website, you will have to set it also in Google Analytics.

8. Log into your Google Analytics account and open your website data.

9. Open the Admin menu, which can be found on the left-hand side of your screen down below. Click on the Custom Dimensions option located under the Custom Definitions column.

 

google analytics website admin google analytics custom dimensions

 

10. Click on the New Custom Dimension button in the table. A new form to create a custom dimension will appear. Add “Author” in the Name field and click on the “Create” button. All other settings should be left alone.

 

set up custom dimensions wordpress

how to track site authors analytics

 

You will see “Example Codes for This Dimension,” but you don’t need it and click on the button “Done.”

11. The final step is to check that the index number in Google Analytics corresponds with the Custom Dimension ID in the MonsterInsights settings.

Match the Custom Dimension ID from your WordPress MonsterInsight settings with your Google Analytics index number. The index number for the Author can be found in the Google Analytics Index column.

12. Go back to your WordPress admin area. From the Insights menu, select the Settings > Conversions > Custom Dimensions.

 

Google Analytics index number
Google Analytics index number

 

Custom Dimension ID
Custom dimension ID in MonsterInsights.

 

If the index number from your Google Analytics account matches your Custom Dimension ID, you don’t need to do anything. However, if the numbers are different, just add the number that you found from the Index column in Google Analytics for the Author field. Press the “Save Changes” button when finished.

After saving changes, you can now track author performance using the MonsterInsights custom dimension report. Unlike in Google Analytics, you don’t have to create a manual report to search by the author with MonsterInsights.

MonsterInsights automatically tracks different authors on your site and displays a report right inside your WordPress dashboard. To view the report, go to Reports and then select Dimensions.

 

How To Access Author Tracking In Google Analytics?

If you would rather see author tracking from Google Analytics, you’ll have to create a custom report by navigating to Customization » Custom Reports.

Now you’re ready to add a custom report to track your author stats using your Google Analytics account. In Google Analytics, enter the Customization menu and click on the “Custom Reports” option from the left-hand menu.

You can define metric groups you want by using the Report Content fields. Add “Author” to the Dimension Drilldowns and save your changes.

 

create custom report google analytics

 

This will show you the traffic report for your Author dimension. You can see bounce rates, page views, and more. You can customize this information even further by going into your Google Analytics account and adding “Author” as a second dimension.

To do this, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Go to the Behavior menu. From there, select “Site Content” and then choose the “All Pages” tab.

2. Pick a primary dimension (such as Page Title, for example) and bring up the Secondary Dimension drop-down menu that appears underneath it.

3. Choose the Author option under the Custom Dimensions menu. This allows you to see your primary dimensions and custom reports. An author column will be added, and each blog title will have the respective author’s name next to it.

This allows you to view more customized reports for each author who writes for your blog.

 

How to Find Your Blog Author Stats in WordPress?

One of MonsterInsights’ best features is the ability to view your blog author analytics report from your WordPress dashboard.

The plugin’s Custom Dimension report lets you track each author’s performance as soon the plugin is installed. You can view the author report by clicking on “Reports” and then selecting the “Dimensions” option from your WordPress admin panel.

This report lets you know which authors’ content draws the most traffic to your blog site. You can use this information to promote specific authors’ posts and drive more traffic to your website every month.

MonsterInsights is a valuable resource for tracking different authors for your site at the same time.

WordPress blog site owners can use this tool to optimize their site content and marketing strategies and better understand what content, topics, and authors generate more interest in your site. You can use the information to optimize your website further.


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