Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Tracking PDF Downloads in WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide

Do you offer downloadable content on your WordPress website in the form of PDFs? If so, have you ever wondered how to track the number of times these PDFs are downloaded by your visitors? Knowing how many times your content is accessed can give you valuable insights into your audience's interests and needs.

In this article, we'll guide you through the process of tracking PDF downloads in WordPress using Google Analytics. Follow these simple steps and start monitoring your PDF downloads in no time!

Step 1: Enable File Downloads Tracking in Google Analytics

Before you can start tracking PDF downloads, you first need to enable file downloads tracking in your Google Analytics account. Here's how to do it:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account and select the website you want to track file downloads for.
2. Navigate to Admin > Property Settings.
3. Scroll down to the "Advanced Settings" section and switch the "Enable Enhanced Link Attribution" toggle to "On".
4. Under "Default URL Parameters", add the following parameter: ?download (without the quotes).
5. Click "Save" to apply the settings.

Step 2: Install and Activate the MonsterInsights Plugin

MonsterInsights is a popular WordPress plugin that allows you to connect your website to Google Analytics without needing any coding skills. Here's how to install and activate it:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New.
2. Search for "MonsterInsights" and click "Install Now".
3. Once the plugin is installed, click "Activate".

Step 3: Connect Your Site to Google Analytics

After installing and activating MonsterInsights, you need to connect your WordPress site to your Google Analytics account. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to Insights > Settings.
2. Click the "Authenticate with your Google account" button.
3. Follow the prompts to authorize MonsterInsights to access your Google account and select the Google Analytics account you want to use.

Step 4: Enable File Downloads Tracking in MonsterInsights

Now that you've connected your site to Google Analytics via MonsterInsights, you need to enable file downloads tracking in the plugin. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to Insights > Addons.
2. Find the "File Downloads" addon and click "Install".
3. Once the addon is installed, click the "Activate" button next to it.
4. Go to Insights > Settings > Conversions and switch the "File Downloads" toggle to "On".

Step 5: Verify Your PDF Downloads are Being Tracked

After enabling file downloads tracking in both Google Analytics and MonsterInsights, it's time to verify that your PDF downloads are being tracked properly. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to Google Analytics and navigate to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages.
2. Click the "Secondary dimension" dropdown and select "Page Title".
3. Add a filter with the "Page Title" set to "PDF Title" (replace "PDF Title" with the actual title of your PDF).
4. Check the "Unique Pageviews" column to see how many times your PDF has been downloaded.

Congratulations, you've successfully set up tracking for your PDF downloads in WordPress! Now you can use this data to gain a better understanding of your audience's behavior and improve your content strategy accordingly.