Analytics have gone from being a niche tool to a practically essential aspect of optimizing your website. Google Analytics is often touted as a frontrunner in the field, but it’s not always the best solution for your needs.
Enter AFS Analytics. This all-in-one real-time analytics solution gives you the ability to analyze audience metrics and visitor behavior, and also includes some essential Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools to help increase your search engine ranking. What’s more, the dashboard offers real-time reporting, and customizations in the form of drag-and-drop widgets.
This post will initially look at the AFS Analytics plugin as a whole, along with its pricing. Then we’ll tackle a number of the plugin’s key elements, by looking at them one by one. By the end of the piece, you’ll have plenty of insight into how the plugin is a viable Google Analytics killer!
Introducing the AFS Analytics Plugin
AFS Analytics is a breeze to use, from installation onwards.
AFS Analytics is a comprehensive web analytics solution that can be integrated into your WordPress website via a dedicated plugin. You’ll receive real-time statistics on how your site is performing, along with a wealth of other features to improve your experience over other analytics platforms. For example, there are specific WordPress and WooCommerce features, which we’ll talk about later, and other elements (such as heatmaps) that are usually only possible through costly third-party applications.
For example, you can utilize the AutoTrack feature to keep tabs on the clicks associated with links and other page elements (such as iframes):
You can also create a secret access key, which lets you share your analytics reports without credentials. Think of it as a shortcut for faster access to your analytics reports.
Given the impact of the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you’ll likely want to consider how AFS Analytics fits in with your compliance strategy. Fortunately, there are a wealth of options at your disposal:
For instance, there’s an option to set cookies, anonymize IP addresses, and also setup user consent. The plugin can even display and manage consent for European users. Finally, for those in need of assistance, there’s also help documentation on hand, in case you need it.
Key Features
- Offers real-time analytics.
- Provides a customizable dashboard, using widgets.
- Ability to use heatmaps to see how visitors are using your website.
- Includes specific WordPress, WooCommerce, and e-commerce features.
Pricing: While the base plugin is free, the premium plans offer much more features and functionality. The Silver Plan is the best value in our opinion, starting at around $14.
How to Supercharge Your Analytics Using AFS Analytics
Let’s look a little deeper at some of the awesome features of AFS Analytics, courtesy of the Silver plan. This includes mostly everything the Gold plan offers, meaning it’s great value for money, not to mention powerful.
1. Take Advantage of WordPress- and WooCommerce-Specific Functionality
AFS Analytics includes dedicated functionality specific to WordPress and WooCommerce, meaning it could be a go-to solution for those using the platforms. For example, you can define a unique ‘tracker’ name for each post, article, page, or product:
You’re also able to track the profiles of any logged in WordPress or WooCommerce users via their username, role, email, and much more. As for WooCommerce, you can automatically monitor sales, revenue, and purchased products on a per site basis. As with your logged in users, you can also monitor customer profiles via their name, address, and email.
If you’re not a WooCommerce user, you’ll be pleased to know there’s also general tracking for e-commerce marketing campaigns, and some comprehensive reports to determine how efficient your campaign is.
Finally, you can record visitor referrals from advertising campaigns using Google’s Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters. Using this will measure the cost, Return On Investment (ROI), and the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
2. Access Detailed Visitor Logs, Profiles, and Heatmaps
AFS Analytics also includes a number of user and visitor specific features to help you ‘dig into’ your analytics further. For example, you have access to detailed user profiles complete with navigation and visiting history:
You’re also able to receive automated PDF reports based on your website’s users, which will be ideal for sharing with advertisers and other interested parties.
Heatmaps – a feature many pay a third-party service for – are also a part of AFS Analytics, and give you the opportunity to ‘visualize’ your website to see how they’re being browsed:
They’re great for getting a feel for where you most important page elements are from the point of view of the visitor, and helps you understand what they want and how they interact with your website.
3. Check Out the Other Awesome Features to Help Earn You SEO Success
You’re able to monitor keywords using both the English-language, and French version of the plugin!
Finally, there are a plethora of other features packed into AFS Analytics that you’ll likely want to consider using. For example, there are great little touches such as the zombie traffic and ad-blocker detectors. What’s more, you can track and monitor your search engine rankings, and take advantage of the built-in SEO tool, which helps you check and monitor your organic keywords ranking in Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Finally, there’s also a powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm that works with Google Search Console data to ‘fill in the gaps’ when presented with Not Provided keywords. This is arguably the icing on the cake, as these particular keywords are often a source of frustration for many analytics users. However, Not Provided keywords can now be a thing of the past!
Conclusion
Your choice of analytics software is important, especially if you rely heavily on the metrics it produces. As such, making the right selection could make or break your business. While many people opt for Google Analytics, it’s not the only (or right) option for you. The AFS Analytics plugin is an all-in-one web analytics solution, that can be used alongside Google Analytics without conflict, or as a standalone option.
This post has looked at why the AFS Analytics plugin is a stellar alternative to other analytics platforms. For starters, it offers real-time reporting, and a dashboard that can be tailored to your requirements. What’s more, the wealth of features not found in leading analytics applications (such as heatmaps and ad blocker detection) arguably put it a step in front of the rest.
Do you have a question about AFS Analytics? Let us know in the comments section below!
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