Competing Analytics Solutions: A Comparison Between Google's New Site Kit WordPress Plugin and MonsterInsights for Optimal Website Tracking
In the world of WordPress plugins, the race for the leading Google Analytics integration tool is heating up. MonsterInsights, a popular choice in recent years, is set to face competition from Google's soon-to-be-released Site Kit.
Google Site Kit is currently taking signups for beta users and will be expanding their program in early 2019, as per their press release. The plugin is expected to compete with MonsterInsights, offering an integrated solution with Google Analytics, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights.
While Google Site Kit is not just a glorified Google Analytics, it currently does not track third-party search engines like DuckDuckGo out of the box. Instructions are available to edit the list of search engines in Google Analytics, but this is an extra step for users.
On the other hand, MonsterInsights offers a more user-friendly experience. It allows users to view basic site traffic metrics from within their WordPress backend. The plugin is also known for its extensive integrations, such as with WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, and WPForms.
MonsterInsights excels in active development, extensive usage, and robust e-commerce analytics integration. It offers advanced tracking capabilities, including eCommerce transaction monitoring, form conversion tracking, campaign tracking, affiliate link tracking, media engagement, and GDPR compliance. The plugin's optimized codebase ensures minimal performance impact and faster page load times.
MonsterInsights is praised for its beginner-friendly setup and comprehensive analytics reporting within the WordPress dashboard. It is regarded as the best Google Analytics solution for WordPress by credible sources like WPBeginner.
However, Google has promised to allow Site Kit to work well with other tools, such as MonsterInsights, so they can be used in tandem until Google's product is fully up to speed. Google Site Kit is expected to offer easy installation, more metrics viewable in the WordPress backend, and milestone alerts to push progress. It is also expected to allow one-click installation of AdSense, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights.
Despite these promises, it is uncertain if Google Site Kit will have integrations with e-commerce solutions like WooCommerce right away. This could be a deciding factor for many web developers, as MonsterInsights easily connects Google Analytics with WooCommerce for enhanced store data and improved decision making, providing detailed transaction and revenue reports not found in Site Kit.
In summary, while Google Site Kit is suitable for basic Google Analytics traffic overviews, MonsterInsights excels in active development, extensive usage, and robust e-commerce analytics integration, making it the recommended plugin for WordPress users seeking deeper analytics and enhanced e-commerce tracking. It is expected that MonsterInsights will see a decrease in installs within 18 months due to the rise of Google Site Kit.
[1]: MonsterInsights Review 2021: The Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress [2]: MonsterInsights vs Google Site Kit: Which is the Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress? [3]: MonsterInsights vs Google Tag Manager: Which is the Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress? [5]: MonsterInsights Review 2021: The Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress
Technology continues to evolve as Google Site Kit, a Google-developed plugin, expands its beta program and competes in the WordPress plugins market, particularly with MonsterInsights, a leading Google Analytics integration tool.
MonsterInsights, despite predicted declines in installs due to Google Site Kit, maintains its position as the top choice for WordPress users seeking advanced analytics and robust e-commerce tracking capabilities, offering extensive integrations with various plugins such as WooCommerce.
