Analytics Head
A lightweight Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. Paste your Measurement ID, choose head or footer — done.
Solid choice
Analytics Head is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 600+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (600+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Analytics Head stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| analytics | #37 |
| ga4 | #32 |
| gtag | #4 |
| lightweight | #56 |
| tracking | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Analytics Head
From the official readme · v1.7.0Description
Analytics Head is a deliberately simple WordPress plugin for Google Analytics. No dashboards, no Google account connection, no feature creep — just the tracking code, placed exactly where you want it.
Why use this plugin?
- Lightweight — a handful of options, minimal overhead, no external dependencies
- Easy — paste your GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX) and you are done
- Head placement by default — required for Google Search Console verification via Analytics
- Flexible — footer placement, role-based hiding, Consent Mode v2, optional Google Ads IDs
- Developer-friendly — filters and actions to customize output without forking the plugin
Unlike heavyweight analytics suites, this plugin does one job well: inject the standard gtag.js snippet into your site.
Features
- Google tag / GA4 Measurement ID support (GT-…, G-XXXXXXXXXX)
- Additional tracking IDs for separate destinations (e.g. Google Ads AW-)
- Legacy UA- ID acceptance (with admin notice to migrate)
- Code in
<head>by default (optional footer placement) - Tracking never injected in wp-admin
- Hide tracking for administrators on the front end
- Hide tracking per user role
- Google Consent Mode v2 defaults (for GDPR / cookie plugins)
- Keep settings on uninstall (optional)
- Developer hooks and filters
External services
This plugin connects to Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager / gtag.js) to provide website analytics.
- When: on public front-end page views only (never in the WordPress admin area), unless tracking is hidden for the current visitor by plugin settings
- What is sent: standard Google Analytics measurement data (for example page URL, referrer, browser/device information, and IP-derived location), processed by Google
- Who receives it: Google LLC / Google Analytics
- Terms of Service: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/
- Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
You are responsible for informing visitors (for example in your privacy policy) and, where required, obtaining consent. Suggested privacy policy text is also offered under Settings → Privacy when the plugin is active.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.3 or later (compatible with WordPress 7+)
- PHP 7.4 or later
Examples
Filter tracking IDs
add_filter( 'pp_google_analytics_head_tracking_ids', function( $ids ) {
// Add a separate destination only — not a second ID for the same Google tag.
$ids[] = 'AW-123456789';
return $ids;
} );
Change Consent Mode defaults (PHP)
add_filter( 'pp_google_analytics_head_consent_defaults', function( $defaults ) {
$defaults['wait_for_update'] = 2000;
$defaults['region'] = [ 'PL', 'DE', 'US-CA' ];
return $defaults;
} );
Grant consent after the user accepts cookies (JavaScript)
Call this from your consent plugin callback or custom banner “Accept” handler. Update all four types that this plugin sets to denied by default:
gtag('consent', 'update', {
analytics_storage: 'granted',
ad_storage: 'granted',
ad_user_data: 'granted',
ad_personalization: 'granted'
});
If you only want basic analytics (not ads), grant analytics and keep ads denied:
gtag('consent', 'update', {
analytics_storage: 'granted',
ad_storage: 'denied',
ad_user_data: 'denied',
ad_personalization: 'denied'
});
Modify the inline gtag config
add_filter( 'pp_google_analytics_head_inline_script', function( $script, $ids ) {
$script .= "gtag('event','page_view');";
return $script;
}, 10, 2 );
Installation
- Upload the
analytics-headdirectory to/wp-content/plugins/ - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress
- Go to Settings → Analytics Head
- Enter your GA4 Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX)
- Save — tracking starts immediately
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Measurement ID?
Sign in to Google Analytics, create a GA4 property for your site, and copy the Measurement ID (format G-XXXXXXXXXX) or Google tag ID (GT-…) from Admin → Data Streams. Use only one ID per Google tag — do not enter both the GT- and G- IDs that belong to the same tag.
Why place the code in the head section?
Google Search Console can verify site ownership via your Analytics tag, but only when the tag is in the . You can move it to the footer anytime in plugin settings.
Do I need to connect my Google account?
No. This plugin only inserts the tracking snippet — no OAuth, no API keys, no Google login.
How does Consent Mode work?
Enable Consent Mode v2 under Privacy in the plugin settings. Before gtag.js loads, this plugin sets: analytics_storage → denied ad_storage → denied ad_user_data → denied ad_personalization → denied wait_for_update → 500 ms The tracking script still loads (that is how Consent Mode works). Until consent is granted, Google receives only limited, cookieless signals. When the visitor accepts cookies, your GDPR / cookie banner plugin (or custom JavaScript) should call gtag('consent', 'update', …) and grant the same four storage types (see Examples). Granting only analytics_storage and ad_storage…
Does this block the Analytics script until consent?
No. Consent Mode is not a hard block. The script is always injected; consent defaults start as denied and are updated later. If you need to delay or remove the script until opt-in, use a consent plugin that hard-blocks tags, or filter pp_google_analytics_head_tracking_ids to return an empty list until consent is given.
Which GDPR plugins work with this?
Any plugin that can run gtag('consent', 'update', …) after the user accepts — for example Complianz, CookieYes, Borlabs Cookie, Cookiebot (when Google Consent Mode is enabled in that plugin). There is no proprietary bridge to a single vendor; we stay lightweight and use the standard Google API.
What if I know PHP?
Available hooks and filters (see the Examples section for code): pp_google_analytics_head_before — action, before scripts are enqueued pp_google_analytics_head_after — action, after scripts are enqueued pp_google_analytics_head_inline_script — filter, modify the inline gtag config script ($script, $ids) pp_google_analytics_head_tracking_ids — filter, modify the list of Measurement / Ads IDs ($ids, $options) pp_google_analytics_head_consent_defaults — filter, modify Consent Mode defaults (analytics_storage, ad_storage, ad_user_data, ad_personalization, wait_for_update, optional region using…
Is it free?
Yes, GPLv2 or later. Donations are welcome but never required.
Changelog
Major update: GA4 support, Consent Mode, role-based hiding, lighter codebase. WordPress 6.3+ and PHP 7.4+ required. The legacy pp_google_analytics_head_output filter was removed — use the new filters. Replace UA- IDs with GA4 G- IDs.
1.7.0
- Release date: 2026-07-28
- Renamed display name to Analytics Head (WordPress.org naming guidelines)
- Google tag / GA4 ID support (GT-, G-) and Google Ads IDs (AW-)
- WordPress 6.3+ and PHP 7.4+ requirement; async script strategy; tested with WordPress 7+
- Translations via WordPress Polyglots (removed bundled language files)
- Output via wp_enqueue_script with real async strategy (inline gtag queued as before)
- Tracking IDs resolved once during wp_enqueue_scripts (late filters / conditional tags work)
- Consent Mode v2 defaults for GDPR / cookie plugin integration (including optional region)
- No wp-admin tracking; role-based front-end visibility via wp_roles()
- Optional keep settings on uninstall (batched multisite cleanup)
- External service documentation and privacy policy helper text
- Invalid IDs no longer wipe previously saved values; filter validation hardened
1.6.7
- Release date: 2018-11-21
- Set compatibility tag
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Analytics Head alternatives
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FAQ
Analytics Head: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026
Is Analytics Head free?
Yes. Analytics Head is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Analytics Head safe to use in 2026?
Analytics Head is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 600+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 months ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Analytics Head?
Analytics Head is active on 600+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 26,360 times since it launched in June 2011. It was downloaded 185 times in the last 30 days.
Does Analytics Head work with WordPress 7.1?
Analytics Head is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Analytics Head need?
Analytics Head requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Analytics Head last updated?
The latest version, 1.7.0, was released on July 28, 2026 (2 months ago).
Who makes Analytics Head?
Analytics Head is developed and maintained by Łukasz Nowicki.
What are the best alternatives to Analytics Head?
The most popular alternatives to Analytics Head are Site Kit by Google (5M+ installs), MonsterInsights (2M+ installs) and WP Statistics (600K+ installs).
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