Google Analytics Alternative for WordPress

HitKeep can replace Google Analytics for WordPress sites that need pageviews, automatic events, goals, funnels, UTM and source reporting, Web Vitals, and privacy-conscious tracking. Keep GA4 if you depend on Google Ads attribution, BigQuery export, predictive audiences, app analytics, or GA4 Explorations.

The WordPress path is simple: install the first-party HitKeep Analytics plugin, choose EU Cloud, US Cloud, or your self-hosted HitKeep URL, then use the HitKeep dashboard outside WordPress for traffic, events, conversions, campaigns, and performance reports.

When HitKeep fits

Use HitKeep as a Google Analytics alternative for WordPress when you want:

WordPress analytics without editing a theme template
pageviews, referrers, landing pages, exit pages, devices, countries, browsers, and languages
automatic events for outbound links, file downloads, and form submissions
goals and funnels for conversion paths
UTM campaign reporting and optional Google Search Console aggregate import
opt-in Web Vitals analytics for LCP, INP, CLS, FCP, and TTFB
managed EU or US cloud, or a self-hosted analytics backend you control

Choose GA4 instead, or run both tools, when Google Ads attribution, app streams, BigQuery export, predictive audiences, or deep exploration reports are still required.

Install the WordPress plugin

Install the plugin through the normal WordPress admin flow:

Open Plugins -> Add New Plugin.
Search for HitKeep Analytics.
Install and activate the plugin.
Open Settings -> HitKeep.

WordPress plugin list showing HitKeep Analytics installed and active — HitKeep installs through the normal WordPress plugin workflow, so site owners do not need to edit a theme file or add a tag manager.

In Settings -> HitKeep, choose where WordPress should send analytics:

EU Cloud: https://cloud.hitkeep.eu
US Cloud: https://cloud.hitkeep.com
Self-hosted or custom domain: your public HitKeep URL

Do not paste /hk.js. The plugin appends the tracker path automatically.

HitKeep WordPress settings with cloud mode cards, privacy defaults, tracking toggles, and snippet preview — The WordPress settings screen keeps the HitKeep instance, privacy defaults, automatic event toggles, Web Vitals toggle, and generated snippet preview in one place.

What the plugin tracks

The plugin loads the normal HitKeep browser tracker for public WordPress pages:

WordPress page -> hk.js -> HitKeep /ingest and /ingest/event -> DuckDB

Tracking surface	WordPress behavior
Pageviews	Tracked by default for public visitors
SPA route changes	Tracked by default
Outbound links	Tracked as `outbound_click` by default
File downloads	Tracked as `file_download` by default
Form submissions	Tracked as `form_submit` by default
Web Vitals	Off by default, enabled from Settings -> HitKeep
Logged-in WordPress users	Not tracked by default

The plugin does not create WordPress analytics tables, set analytics cookies, or send traffic to a third-party analytics CDN. HitKeep remains the analytics backend.

Verify tracking

After saving the WordPress settings, open the site in HitKeep and confirm that recent visits arrive. The tracking verifier and site tracking views are the fastest way to check whether the WordPress domain, tracker URL, and ingest path are correct.

HitKeep tracking verifier showing site tracking status and recent tracker checks — The tracking verifier helps confirm that WordPress is loading `hk.js` and that HitKeep can receive browser events for the site.

What you see in the dashboard

The main dashboard gives a compact WordPress traffic report: visitors, pageviews, sources, pages, audience context, goals, and trends.

HitKeep dashboard overview showing traffic KPIs, top pages, referrers, countries, and goals — The overview dashboard answers the weekly WordPress questions first: which pages got traffic, where visitors came from, and whether they reached goals.

Automatic WordPress interactions appear in Events. Use it to inspect outbound links, downloads, forms, and custom events you add later.

HitKeep event analytics showing event totals, breakdowns, and audience context — Events turn WordPress interactions such as outbound clicks, downloads, and form submissions into reports without extra plugin code.

Use Goals for important WordPress outcomes such as a thank-you page, pricing visit, form submission, or signup event.

HitKeep goals dashboard showing conversion KPIs and goal trends — Goals let a WordPress owner measure real outcomes instead of stopping at pageviews.

Use Funnels when the site has a multi-step journey, such as landing page -> pricing page -> contact form -> thank-you page.

HitKeep funnels dashboard showing step completion and drop-off rates — Funnels show where visitors leave a WordPress conversion path.

Campaign links with UTM parameters appear in the UTM report. Use this for newsletters, paid links, partner links, and social posts.

HitKeep UTM analytics showing campaign traffic by source, medium, campaign, content, and term — UTM reporting keeps campaign source, medium, campaign, content, and term visible without adding a separate campaign plugin.

If you connect Google Search Console, HitKeep imports finalized aggregate rows for queries, pages, countries, and devices. It does not connect individual search queries to individual WordPress sessions.

HitKeep Search Console dashboard showing clicks, impressions, CTR, position, queries, pages, countries, and devices — Search Console imports add organic search context beside HitKeep traffic reports while staying authenticated-only.

When Web Vitals are enabled, HitKeep reports p75 LCP, INP, CLS, FCP, and TTFB by page.

HitKeep Web Vitals dashboard showing p75 metrics, rating distribution, trends, and page breakdowns — Web Vitals help WordPress owners find slow templates, heavy landing pages, or plugin changes that affect page experience.

Privacy defaults

HitKeep starts with conservative WordPress defaults:

Concern	HitKeep WordPress default
Analytics cookies	Not set by `hk.js`
Do Not Track	Respected by default
Logged-in WordPress users	Not tracked by default
Form field values	Not captured
Link text	Not captured
Query strings and hashes	Stripped from automatic event URLs
Web Vitals	Off until enabled

Cookie-free does not automatically mean consent-free in every jurisdiction. Review PECR and ePrivacy before deciding when to load the tracker.

Migrate from GA4

Run HitKeep beside GA4 for 2-4 weeks before removing the GA4 tag.

Use that period to check:

whether WordPress page, source, and campaign reports match expected traffic patterns
whether automatic events cover the interactions you used GA4 events for
whether goals and funnels answer the conversion questions the site owner needs
whether share links and email reports cover stakeholder reporting
whether open exports and takeout give you the portability you wanted from leaving GA4

Remove the GA4 tag only when the people who use the reports agree that HitKeep covers the WordPress site’s weekly decisions.