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A new home for our Google Analytics plugins

Joost de Valk 14 April 2016 66

Today we’re announcing that our Analytics plugins are getting a new home on MonsterInsights.com. One of the “problems” of a quickly growing business is that you have to choose what to focus on. We’ve made that choice: we’ll focus on building best in class SEO products, from plugins to training programs. We’re very happy to be able to get our loyal Google Analytics for WordPress users a good new home at Monster Insights. 

Meet the new owner(s)

syed-balkhi-300x300

The MonsterInsights.com team is managed by Syed Balkhi. You might know Syed from plugins like OptinMonster, Envira Gallery and more. Syed also runs WPBeginner.com, and is a fantastic entrepreneur. His businesses focus on conversion and business growth, which made our suite of Google Analytics plugins a nice fit.

What does this acquisition mean for existing users?

As Syed says in his post too: aside from new ownership and the new name, it’s business as usual. You can continue to use the plugin that you love without any interruptions.

MonsterInsights logo
The new name and logo for Monster Insights

With the experience Syed and team have, they’ll be adding new features and improvements to what’s now called MonsterInsights in the near future. They’ll update the plugin and give it the love it deserves. I have no doubt in my mind that this will lead to a far better plugin, very quickly. 

A nostalgic moment

While I’m very happy about the decision to give this plugin a new home, I’m also feeling nostalgic. Google Analytics for WordPress was my first “major” plugin, even before WordPress SEO (now Yoast SEO) was a thing. It’s been “with me” for a very long time, but I trust Syed and team will take it to even greater heights.

I want to thank Syed for making this tough decision easier. Knowing that he’ll take care of the plugin and both our free and premium customers really made it easier to decide to do what’s right.

If you have questions, pose them in the comments and we’ll try to address them. Also, go ahead over to the new MonsterInsights site and read Syed’s welcome post.

Avatar of Joost de Valk
Joost de Valk

Joost is an internet entrepreneur and the founder of Yoast. He has a long history in WordPress and digital marketing. On our blog, he has written a lot about SEO in general, technical SEO and important topics related to SEO.

Discussion (66)

  1. Deleting the app. I can’t get it to work. I authenticate the Adwords and it doesn’t take. It keeps saying I have to authenticate. Says it authenticated but doesn’t stay and keeps telling me to authenticate. I manually put in the UA code and it didn’t keep this way either.

  • If I understood correctly’ve become Yoast SEO plugin on gene removed by Syd MonsterInsights.com? One of the leading (perhaps the best) plugins in the field of SEO and WordPress. Must be hard to give up this life’s work, right?

  • Seriously unhappy with this transition. Google analytics which worked fine before is still a sorry mess with unreadable menu, it doesn’t accept the login and as has been said I originally thought the site had been hacked by an unknown monster…

    A week into the change I would have expected any bugs to be fixed, but that is not the case. Can we get our money back on this and who from?

  • Finally found it. I thought my site was hacked.

    – I didn’t receive new login information
    – My translations are not working (er URL. / rror: “%s” / niet bijg)
    – I got an unwanted icon in my menu

    And according to reactions of Joost he’s not able to deal with criticism of his customers.

    I’m sorry Joost, your products are most of time ok, but now I hope you learn from this transition. Neither the transition went smooth, nor the communication.

  • .. and our previous posts are back… seriously?

  • Nice to see that a ‘negative’ post from a paying customer about the transition is being deleted by Team Yoast…

    Again: The plugin isn’t working on 4 of our sites, we have received no e-mail like many other customers. We’ve bought and used almost every premium plugin from Yoast, but this amateuristic transition is simply one bridge too far. With all respect of Syed (Optinmonster is really cool!), we’re going to move to the All-in-One seo plugin.

  • Customers aren’t happy with this move, and to be honoust: me neither. No e-mail, no login details, a very disturbing icon… hmmm, I think I have to re-consider the plugins before renewal… sorry guys!

  • If there was an email sent to users – it never made my inbox. I’ve trusted Yoast for years – and have backed that trust up with dollars invested in your plugins.

    As a long time subscriber, I find the way the way I was notified (a big warning box at the top of my dashboard wanting me to update a license to a plugin I never heard of) disturbing at best.

    Right now I feel less trust of the Yoast name and it even further makes be skeptical of the entire plugin ecosystem. I’m not sure what you made on this transition, but what you and the entire plugin community lost in trust from me is priceless.

    Excuse me while I go reevaluate every freaking plugin in our sites

  • Once we’ve updated the plugin, do we lose recorded traffic during the time the change was made before we updated it? Will we start to see the traffic that was lost during the time it wasn’t updated?

  • I just noticed a data discrepancy in our Google Analytics dashboard. Does this have to do with the plugin changing to Monster Insights? Is there something we should’ve done in the backend when this change was made?

  • My dashboard is still requesting for authentication authentication after I have authenticated it. What should I do?

  • well, i seem to have missed the e-mail about the change and my Google Analytics by MonsterInsights dashboard is a mess as well

    Almost unreadable and definitely unworkable. I updated to 5.4.9 with no effect. I am not worried this won’t be fixed. I am just not content with this change as it is now, and way of doing business with me. I paid for this plugin and don’t get what i paid for right now.

  • Hi Joost,
    Could you give some explanation about the financial consequences of this transition? Right now I have the benefits of the Yoast Premium Bundle. I think I’m losing those benefits when I extend my subscription next year.
    Kind Regards,
    Scholto
    Finler Media

  • Looks great man…..Hard working guy. Syed Rocks

  • Don’t know if it’s a co-incidence or not, by my Google Analytics seem to have stopped recording since this took place!

  • I was wondering what about the pro users will they be supported or we have to purchase a new license ?

    Now I get it what its all with the name change when we updated this plugin for WordPress

  • Just found this blog post, like many others probably will :) Saw the MonsterInsights, got freaked, googled “Yoast MonsterInsights”.

    Whew, great to see all is well. Syed is awesome, so now I’m not worried.

    Joost, don’t be sad, just know it came from a great home, and is going to a great home. Nothing to be sad about. Although I’ve let go of my “babies” before and actually got teary-eyed Lol So I know how you feel.

    All the best,
    Jaiden

  • The new dashboard icon is a gawdy mess. I come away with the feeling I’ve been highjacked and at best marketed to without being asked.

    Always liked the plugin, but annoying people enough with stunts like that and a deactivation seems like a good option.

  • The new icon the dashboard is a bit distracting and out of place (not very professional looking).

    Still love the plugin and appreciate all of your guys hard work.

  • Syed rocks, so I think the plugin will be in good hands.

  • I haven’t had a chance to try this yet! Will give it a test drive over the weekend :)

  • Hi,

    How’s the new team going to support translations? The plugin is currently hooked to Yoast’s GlotPress.

    All the best,
    Chris Trynkiewicz, Polish validator

  • Hi! that’s great however I almost delete it because There was no Yoast logo on the dashboard. Feeling a little paranoid this days with security issues.

  • Interesting News, Glad the 4.5 compatibility issue was resolved. I reported it to the Yoast support team last week :)

    Good luck with the new acquisition Syed :)

  • The MonsterInsights plugin appeared in the admin area of one of my sites and I deleted it believing it was malicious. The submenu didn’t seem to be correctly formed and listed;
    – ‘t up-to-da’
    – ‘ved.’
    – ‘s of files’.

    I wasn’t aware of the change from Yoast, so was busy performing Wordfence scans and trying to Google more info on the MonsterInsights plugin. I couldn’t even find this blog post at the time and only just saw it in the newsletter.

  • No longer working, how to fix?

  • Hi Joost,
    Just updated (to Google Analytics by MonsterInsights) and was happy to see that the AMP section in Yoast SEO plugin still works.
    “AMP Analytics
    Because your Google Analytics plugin by Yoast is active, your AMP pages will also be tracked.”
    Will the two plugins continue to work in the future?

  • Sounds like a good move. I’d love to see more customization options for reports.

  • There was a small issue after the update, but the new update fixed these issues. I was worried after seeing that the Google Analytics plugin had a new name. But now I see that it’s Syed’s now, so it’s in good hands..

    Yoast thanks for all the time you guys put in the past few years to deliver this product.

  • Will current subscribers of Google Analytics by Yoast Premium be converted to MonsterInsights Pro?

  • Well, this home was trustworthy. But, I’m also a user of Syed’s plugin so it will be fine as well!

  • It’s already broken, so far for the continous “great experience” …