Easy way to track page views when I can't install anything?
November 19, 2014 9:26 PM Subscribe
I write freelance. I get paid based on page views. I want to track my views on articles independently, not just rely on the numbers fed to me by clients that host the articles I write. I know I can use tracking pixels for this. I have spent hours hunting for third-party services that host the little 1x1 devils and generate usable reports. I am shocked at the lack of alternatives out there.
All I really need to know are accurate view counts on each article I write. I can not install anything in Wordpress. I can't talk to anyone about installing anything. It must be within the article itself, unobtrusive.
My volume can be as high as 500,000 views per month spread over about 200 Wordpress articles. I would even entertain the thought of rolling my own solution: creating my own single-pixel images, hosting them somewhere, popping the URLs into articles. They're only 43 bytes in size. But I have to be able to get total view counts accurately and in real time, preferably in an online report format that I can refresh and keep up with by the minute. Having this information tells me what is working and what topics to focus on.
Ideas? Many thanks.
All I really need to know are accurate view counts on each article I write. I can not install anything in Wordpress. I can't talk to anyone about installing anything. It must be within the article itself, unobtrusive.
My volume can be as high as 500,000 views per month spread over about 200 Wordpress articles. I would even entertain the thought of rolling my own solution: creating my own single-pixel images, hosting them somewhere, popping the URLs into articles. They're only 43 bytes in size. But I have to be able to get total view counts accurately and in real time, preferably in an online report format that I can refresh and keep up with by the minute. Having this information tells me what is working and what topics to focus on.
Ideas? Many thanks.
Best answer: You can do this with a free Google Analytics account by creating a "beacon" - a 1px gif.
Here's a how to on Sitepoint: http://www.sitepoint.com/using-beacon-image-github-website-email-analytics/
posted by kaefer at 9:39 PM on November 19, 2014 [9 favorites]
Here's a how to on Sitepoint: http://www.sitepoint.com/using-beacon-image-github-website-email-analytics/
posted by kaefer at 9:39 PM on November 19, 2014 [9 favorites]
Yeah, unless you control the backend though this wouldn't fly. If I hired a writer (and I have) and they put an image beacon in there I'd be stripping it out for all kinds of reasons.
The ethical way to do this would be to negotiate analytics access. If they are using google they can export you the info about the page. They can even create a limited view only account for you to see.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:03 AM on November 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
The ethical way to do this would be to negotiate analytics access. If they are using google they can export you the info about the page. They can even create a limited view only account for you to see.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:03 AM on November 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Seconding that I'm not sure that sites with any sophistication won't just filter out external images.
All I really need to know are accurate view counts on each article I write
What does an accurate count consist of? Does someone clicking another link on the page but coming back to your article again count as one or two views? What about googlebot visiting? Is that a count or not?
Are you concerned with chasing whatever's trending right now or do you think that you're not being paid accurately and want to verify what you're being told?
I have to be able to get total view counts accurately and in real time, preferably in an online report format that I can refresh and keep up with by the minute. Having this information tells me what is working and what topics to focus on.
Are you sure you're not over-thinking this? If your articles get 10,000 views on the high end (the average for the figures you gave is 2,500), is minute by minute reporting on only things you've written going to provide better information than Twitter's or Google's trend information? A fluke could pump one of your article's views way up for reasons completely unrelated to the content and send you in the wrong direction.
posted by Candleman at 9:02 AM on November 20, 2014
All I really need to know are accurate view counts on each article I write
What does an accurate count consist of? Does someone clicking another link on the page but coming back to your article again count as one or two views? What about googlebot visiting? Is that a count or not?
Are you concerned with chasing whatever's trending right now or do you think that you're not being paid accurately and want to verify what you're being told?
I have to be able to get total view counts accurately and in real time, preferably in an online report format that I can refresh and keep up with by the minute. Having this information tells me what is working and what topics to focus on.
Are you sure you're not over-thinking this? If your articles get 10,000 views on the high end (the average for the figures you gave is 2,500), is minute by minute reporting on only things you've written going to provide better information than Twitter's or Google's trend information? A fluke could pump one of your article's views way up for reasons completely unrelated to the content and send you in the wrong direction.
posted by Candleman at 9:02 AM on November 20, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks for the input. The "beacon" approach is working. Obviously there are lots of snowflake details to these sorts of things that went into the decision. I appreciate the other angles to consider. Thanks to all.
posted by skypieces at 9:46 AM on November 20, 2014
posted by skypieces at 9:46 AM on November 20, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by destructive cactus at 9:33 PM on November 19, 2014