HivePress Statistics

An advertiser who cannot see their visits assumes they have none

Whoever runs a paid directory tends to think the advertiser renews if the listing works. That is not quite it: they renew if they see that it works. A restaurant, a plumber or an estate agent paying to be on your site who receives no signal ends up assuming the worst, even when people look at their listing every day.

That is why the visit count is not a technical figure, it is the sales argument for the renewal. HivePress Statistics shows the owner of each listing how many views and unique visitors it has had, so they can measure how their traffic changes without having to ask you. And if you sell featured listings, it is what lets them check whether paying to be featured paid off.

What it counts and for how long

• Views and unique visitors for each listing, in total and per day.
• By day, by week and by month, to see the trend and not just a single figure.
• Up to thirty days back, which is the window it shows.
• Google Analytics data, the tracking service it integrates with.
• For the advertiser: the figures are shown to whoever publishes the listing, not to the visitor.

Views and unique visitors are not the same figure

It is worth explaining this to your advertisers before they ask. A view is counted each time the listing is opened; a unique visitor counts once, even if they come back three times. If someone compares both figures and sees they do not match, there is no error: they measure different things.

Here the figures come from Google Analytics, not from a counter of its own. A simple counter adds a view with every page reload, and the advertiser can inflate it by accident just by looking at their own listing. Google Analytics checks unique IPs and other details, so the unique visitor figure is harder to falsify.

Thirty days, for the advertiser only and without contacts

The window is thirty days. It is for seeing how the month is going, not for comparing one year with another.

The figures are not public. They are shown to the advertiser; a visit counter visible on the listing to everyone needs separate code.

Its figures are about traffic. They do not include calls, messages or bookings. For an advertiser, a hundred visits without a single call is a different conversation, and this extension does not solve it.

The Google app before the extension

It is a HivePress extension, so it needs the base plugin. It asks for WordPress 5.0 or higher and PHP 7.4 or higher, plus a Google Analytics property for your site.

1. Create an OAuth application in the Google API Console.
2. Enable the Google Analytics APIs on it.
3. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret and paste them into HivePress, under Settings, Integrations, along with the Analytics property ID.
4. Use the same Google account to create the app and to grant access: that way you do not need Google to verify the application.
5. Open the statistics tab of a test listing and check that the figures match Analytics.

Charge for featuring and then show the result

Statistics make more sense when the advertiser pays for something. HivePress Memberships charges for publishing with plans that limit the number of listings and with paid featured listings, which is exactly what these figures help renew.

And if your directory moves into selling, HivePress Marketplace turns listings into products with WooCommerce, with per-vendor commissions and payouts.

Window, Google Analytics and who sees the figures

How much history does it show?

Up to thirty days back, by day, week and month.

Does it need Google Analytics?

It integrates with Google Analytics and takes the data from there, with a Google OAuth application connected in the HivePress settings.

Do visitors see the visit count?

No. The figures are shown to the advertiser; a public counter needs separate code.

Why do views and unique visitors not match?

Because a view counts each opening of the listing and a unique visitor counts once, even if they come back.

Does it count calls or messages?

They are not among its figures: it has views and unique visitors.

Does it work without HivePress?

No, it is an extension of the HivePress plugin.