As you publish new content, you may notice comments coming in and an increase in subscribers to your WordPress site. However, determining exactly who is following your site can be challenging.
Many WordPress users experience this common issue. The platform does not provide a centralized location for follower information, making it difficult to monitor your audience growth or connect with dedicated readers.
At Canada Create™, we have explored various methods to track WordPress followers, and we are eager to share the most effective strategies with you.
In this article, we will guide you through 4 simple and effective methods to identify who is following your WordPress site, utilizing tools you may already be familiar with. 🙌
💡Important Note:Since WordPress functions as a website rather than a social media platform, followers typically fall into three categories: website visitors, email subscribers, and social media followers. We will assist you in tracking all of these groups.
Why Is It Important to Know Who Follows Your WordPress Site?
Understanding who follows your WordPress site allows you to gain insights into your visitors and the audience that appreciates your content.
Here are a few insights you can gain from your website followers:
- The number of followers you have across various platforms
- The devices and web browsers they are using
- The most popular pages on your site
- Their geographical locations
This data will enable you to make better decisions for your website, enhance user experience, increase traffic, and boost sales.
In this guide, we will explore several methods to identify your subscribers. Use the quick links below to navigate directly to the method you prefer for discovering your followers:
- Method 1: Analyze Your Website Analytics in WordPress
- Method 2: Check Your Email List Subscribers
- Method 3: Review Your Social Media Followers in WordPress
- Method 4: Examine Your Web Push Notification Followers in WordPress
- Important Note About WordPress.com Followers
- Bonus Tip 💡: Host a Social Media Contest to Expand Your Audience
- Frequently Asked Questions: How to Identify Who is Following Your WordPress Site
- Additional Analytics Guides to Enhance Your WordPress Website
Let’s get started!
Method 1: Analyze Your Website Analytics in WordPress
Your website’s analytics provide valuable insights into the audience visiting your site. Although this data is anonymous and does not reveal specific names, it helps you understand the demographics and interests of your followers.
The simplest way to access this data is by using Google Analytics.
Google Analytics reveals the sources of your visitors and provides overall demographic information about them. However, properly setting up Google Analytics can be challenging for beginners.
That’s why we recommend MonsterInsights, the top analytics solution for WordPress. It allows you to integrate analytics into your website with just a few clicks.
At Canada Create™, we also use MonsterInsights to track various elements, including referral links, buttons, forms, marketing campaigns, and more. Check out our comprehensive MonsterInsights review to learn more about this powerful tool.
If you need assistance with setup, refer to our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress for detailed instructions.
💡Note:It may take some time for data to start accumulating before it appears on your dashboard.
Once you activate and configure the plugin, you can access your Google Analytics statistics directly from your WordPress dashboard.
For a comprehensive overview of your visitors, simply navigate to Insights » Reports.
This will take you to a screen where you can explore all your website analytics data in detail. Initially, you’ll see a summary of your traffic levels and engagement metrics.
As you scroll down, additional reports will be available.
For example, you can find out what devices your visitors use to access your site, their countries of origin, and which sources drive the most traffic to you.
You can also analyze which pages on your website generate the most traffic, identify the top exit pages, scroll depth, and other insightful reports.
To discover which content resonates most with your audience, switch to the ‘Publishers’ tab at the top of the page (if included in your plan) or check the ‘Dimensions’ report.
All of this visitor information enables you to gain a deeper understanding of your audience and their interactions with your website.
Method 2: Analyze Your Email List Subscribers
Unlike website analytics, your email list provides the actual names and contact details of individuals following your WordPress site, making it an excellent opportunity for monetization.
If you haven’t begun building an email list, the first step is to choose a reliable email marketing service provider.
We suggest Constant Contact as it is one of the top email marketing solutions for small businesses.
With its professionally crafted email templates and advanced segmentation tools, Constant Contact simplifies the process of creating campaigns that resonate with your audience. We have thoroughly reviewed its features in our comprehensive Constant Contact review.
For more information on establishing your email list, refer to our guide on how to properly create an email newsletter.
After setting up your email list, you can access your subscriber information by logging into your Constant Contact account.
Next, select the ‘Contacts’ menu option and then click on the ‘Contacts’ tab. This will provide you with a detailed overview of your email list’s size and subscriber data.
Once you begin sending emails, you’ll receive insights into subscriber engagement. Engaged subscribers are those who frequently open, click, and respond to your emails.
The process is quite similar to that of other email marketing platforms such as HubSpot, Kit, Drip, and others.
Method 3: Check Your Social Media Followers in WordPress
It’s simple to check your social media followers. Most platforms provide direct access to your follower count and insights on their websites.
For instance, on Instagram, you can easily view your followers by navigating to your profile and clicking on the ‘followers’ link.
This action opens a popup displaying your list of followers.
You can browse through the list and click on individual profiles to discover more about them.
Other platforms, such as Facebook, offer page insights that give you a comprehensive overview of your followers’ demographics, including age, gender, location, and language.
To access this data, log into your Meta Business Suite account, click on the ‘Insights’ menu icon, and select ‘Audience.’
This will display all available audience statistics for your Facebook page, including follower counts, age distribution, gender breakdown, and the top cities and countries of your followers.
Although you can’t see a specific list of social media followers in your admin dashboard, you can showcase your feeds and total follower counts to enhance credibility with your website visitors.
By doing this, you create social proof that can motivate more people to follow you.
The simplest way to achieve this is by using Smash Balloon, the top social media plugin for WordPress.
This article features four WordPress plugins that enable you to integrate social media feeds from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and YouTube into your website. We tested all the functionalities, which you can explore in our detailed Smash Balloon review.
For comprehensive instructions, refer to our step-by-step guide on integrating social media feeds into your WordPress site.
Method 4: Check Your Web Push Notification Followers in WordPress
Another way for users to follow your WordPress site is by subscribing to push notifications. These notifications allow you to send messages to visitors on both mobile and desktop devices, even when they are not actively browsing your site.
Typically, around 70% of visitors who leave a website do not return. Implementing push notifications can help encourage these visitors to come back.
Here’s an illustration of how it appears:
With push notifications, you can instantly reach your followers without having to wait for them to check their email. This feature makes push notifications incredibly effective.
The simplest method to add push notifications to your WordPress site is by using PushEngage, the leading push notification software trusted by over 25,000 businesses.
This tool provides essential features such as cart abandonment alerts to help recover lost sales and automated welcome messages to increase revenue. For a comprehensive overview, read our full PushEngage review.
Once you activate and configure the plugin, you can access your push notification follower statistics. This will display the number of users who have subscribed to receive notifications, along with their locations, devices, and additional information.
To locate your push notification followers, visit your dashboard on the PushEngage website and navigate toAnalytics » Subscriber Statistics.
You can also access your subscriber list by clicking on the ‘Summary’ tab.
For further information, refer to our guide on adding web push notifications to your WordPress site.
Important Note About WordPress.com Followers
The methods mentioned above are effective for identifying followers of your WordPress blog. However, if you are using WordPress.com, you can directly view follower statistics in your WordPress dashboard.
To understand the differences between the two platforms, check out our comparison of WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
To see your followers, simply go to your admin dashboard, click on ‘Stats,’ and then select the ‘Insights’ tab.
As you scroll down the page, you will find the sections labeled ‘Follower Totals’ and ‘Followers’.
This section displays the total number of followers you have, along with the usernames of other WordPress.com users who are subscribed to your site.
If you’re considering transitioning your website to the self-hosted version of WordPress, check out our guide on migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
Bonus Tip 💡: Host a Social Media Contest to Expand Your Audience
While monitoring who follows your WordPress site is essential for understanding your audience, engaging with them is equally crucial.
A fantastic way to engage your audience is by organizing a social media contest.
In addition to increasing brand awareness, contests can motivate your social media followers to engage with your content. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Offer followers a gift card as a token of appreciation.
- Conduct a trivia contest where winners receive exclusive benefits or products.
- Launch a video or photo contest to encourage followers to share creative content related to your brand.
Linking contests to your WordPress site, such as asking participants to follow or subscribe, can enhance your follower count and engagement while deepening your connection with your audience.
The easiest way to host a social media giveaway is by using RafflePress. This leading WordPress giveaway plugin is compatible with all major social media platforms.
For more information, check out our comprehensive guide on organizing a social media contest to enhance your website’s growth.
Frequently Asked Questions: How to Identify Your WordPress Site Followers
Do you still have questions? Whether you’re curious about the technical aspects or how this can contribute to your site’s growth, we’re here to assist you.
Can users follow my WordPress site?
Absolutely. Users can follow your site through an email newsletter, push notifications, social media platforms, or even RSS feeds. You can utilize plugins to simplify the process for visitors to stay informed.
How can I view my followers on WordPress?
It varies based on how users are following you. You can check your email subscriber list for contact information, use MonsterInsights for insights on anonymous audience demographics, or review your follower statistics on the respective social media platforms.
If you’re using WordPress.com, simply click on ‘Stats’ and navigate to the ‘Insights’ tab to see your followers directly from your dashboard.
How can I monitor real-time visitors on my WordPress site?
To see who is currently visiting your site, you can utilize Google Analytics in conjunction with the MonsterInsights plugin.
Just go to Insights » ReportsAccess your WordPress admin panel, then navigate to the ‘Realtime’ tab on the following screen. This section provides real-time data on the number of visitors currently on your site and the specific pages they are viewing.
How can I find out who has visited my WordPress site?
To track visitors to your site, consider using analytics tools such as Google Analytics and MonsterInsights. These platforms offer insights into visitor origins, the pages they explore, and their duration of stay.
How can I see my WordPress subscribers?
If you use an email marketing platform like Constant Contact, log into your account and visit the ‘Contacts’ section. Here, you can view details about each subscriber, including their engagement levels.
How do I remove subscribers from my WordPress site?
To remove subscribers using an email service like Constant Contact, log in and navigate to your ‘Contacts’ list. You can easily edit or delete subscribers from this section whenever needed.
How can I find out who is hosting my WordPress site?
You can check your domain’s WHOIS information online, which typically reveals the hosting provider. Alternatively, log into your WordPress dashboard or consult your site administrator if someone else set it up.
How can I monitor user activity on my WordPress site?
Analytics tools such as MonsterInsights, OnePageGA, and HubSpot allow you to track user interactions on your site, including what they click on, what they read, and where they spend the most time.
Additional Analytics Resources to Enhance Your WordPress Website
We hope this article has helped you understand how to identify who is following your WordPress site.
Next, you may want to explore our guides on:
- Key Metrics to Track on Your WordPress Site
- How to Implement Google Analytics Event Tracking
- How to Easily Access Your Blog Post Statistics
- How to Analyze Search Data in WordPress
- How to Configure WordPress Form Tracking in Google Analytics
- How to Set Up Custom Email Alerts in Google Analytics
- How to Exclude Personally Identifiable Information from Google Analytics
- How to Add WordPress Analytics Without Using Cookies
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