Plugin Analytics (Without Creeping People Out)

Welcome to the analytics zone — where we find out:

• Who’s using your plugin
• How they’re using it
• And whether anyone from Antarctica downloaded it (they haven’t, but we can dream ❄️)

This is how you go from guessing what users want to making smart moves like a plugin CEO.

“If you don’t track it, did it even install?”

🧠 Step 1: Know What’s Already Tracked

WordPress.org gives you:

• Active install count (rounded like your math in 9th grade)
• Ratings
• Downloads per day
• Support threads

But not much else. If you want details like PHP versions, themes, or which feature is most loved, you’ll need to DIY.

🛠️ Step 2: Build Basic Analytics Into Your Plugin

Wanna know when users activate, deactivate, rage uninstall?

You can log anonymous events like:

wp_remote_post('https://your-server.com/plugin-analytics', array(
    'body' => array(
        'event' => 'activated',
        'site_url' => home_url(),
        'php_version' => PHP_VERSION,
        'plugin_version' => MY_PLUGIN_VERSION,
    )
));

✅ Do:

• Make it optional
• Ask for consent (“Help us improve this plugin with anonymous stats?”)
• Document what you collect

🚫 Don’t:

• Collect emails or usernames
• Track button clicks without permission
• Sell the data to a sketchy NFT startup

🛡️ Rule of Thumb: If your plugin turns into spyware, you will get roasted alive on Reddit.

🔍 Step 3: What to Track (So You’re Not Just Hoarding Data)

Focus on helpful metrics like:

• Plugin install/activation/deactivation
• Most used features
• PHP/WordPress versions (so you can drop support for PHP 5.6 and sleep at night)
• Number of support requests per version (watch for chaos spikes)

Bonus:

• Which hosting providers your users love/hate
• How often users update the plugin

📊 Step 4: Show Cool Dashboards (and Feel Like Tony Stark)

Feed your data into tools like:

• Google Analytics 4 (for site stats, not plugin data)
• Metabase – Self-hosted analytics dashboard
• Panelbear – Privacy-focused and simple
• Your own custom-built /admin/nerd-mode

You can even send summary emails to yourself like:

“12,584 new installs this month. 32 people still using v1.0.0... send help.”

🧊 Bonus: Respect Privacy Like a Plugin Saint

• Always give users an opt-out in your plugin settings
• Follow GDPR, CCPA, and the unspoken law of “Don’t be creepy”

Slap a privacy statement in your plugin readme:

== Privacy ==
This plugin collects anonymized usage data with your permission to improve future updates. No personal info is collected. Ever.