Plausible is the analytics tool we use on the sites we build and host. It's privacy-first (no cookies, no personal data collected, no consent banner needed) and is designed to be simpler than tools like Google Analytics.
This article walks through what you'll see in the dashboard and how to use it.
Logging in
You'll receive an invite by email when we set up your account. Once you've accepted it, you can log in at plausible.io and select your site. If you don't have a login yet, get in touch and we'll set one up.
The top metrics
At the top of the dashboard you'll see six headline metrics, each with a small arrow showing how the number has changed compared to the previous period.
Unique Visitors. The number of individual people who came to your site.
Total Visits. The number of separate sessions. One person can make several visits.
Total Pageviews. The total number of pages viewed. One visit can include several pageviews.
Views Per Visit. The average number of pages someone looks at per visit.
Bounce Rate. The percentage of visits where someone landed and left without clicking through to another page.
Visit Duration. The average length of a visit.
The arrows compare the period you're viewing to the period before it. If you're looking at the last 28 days, the comparison is against the 28 days before that.
The visitor trend chart
Underneath the headline metrics, you'll see a chart showing visitor counts over the selected period. Hovering over the chart reveals the count for a specific day.
Top pages, entry and exit pages
Scroll down and you'll find a list of your top pages, ranked by visits. Clicking on any page filters the rest of the dashboard around just that page, showing how it performed, where its visitors came from, and how long they stayed.
The main page will show you the top ten pages. Click on the icon in the top right to expand the list to see the metrics for all pages.
You can also tab to the entry and exit pages to see the pages that visitors arrived and left the site on.
Top sources
Next to the page list is a panel showing your top sources, ranked by visits. Plausible groups these into categories like Google, Direct, Social, and Referral. Clicking on a source filters the rest of the dashboard around just those visitors.
Campaigns
If you are using UTM parameters (or newsletter software like Mailerlite or Mailchimp that does that for you), you can explore how those campaigns are performing in the campaign tab.
Date range filtering
The control in the top right lets you change the period you're looking at. Options include Last 28 days, This month, Last month, This year, Last 12 months, and a custom range. You can also compare the current period with previous periods.
Source and page filtering
Clicking on any source or page applies a filter to the whole dashboard. You'll see a chip near the top showing the active filter. Click the X on the chip to remove it.
Goals and events
If we've set up specific things to track on your site (form submissions, button clicks, outbound links, file downloads), you'll find these in the Goals section further down the dashboard.
Need help or access?
If you don't have a login yet, or you'd like a hand reading what your dashboard is showing you, get in touch.