Description

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 );

Screenshots

Settings page — paste your Measurement ID and choose placement.

Installation

Upload the analytics-head directory 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

FAQ

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 <head>. 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 would leave ad user data / personalization permanently denied.

Most modern consent plugins that support Google Consent Mode already do this for you. Enable Consent Mode here, then enable Google Consent Mode / Analytics support in your consent plugin.

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 ISO 3166-2 region codes)
pp_google_analytics_head_roles — filter, modify roles available in visibility settings

Note: The old pp_google_analytics_head_output HTML filter was removed in 1.7.0 (it was incompatible with wp_enqueue_script). Use pp_google_analytics_head_inline_script or pp_google_analytics_head_tracking_ids instead.

Is it free?

Yes, GPLv2 or later. Donations are welcome but never required.

Reviews

annavasconcellos February 16, 2019 1 reply

It took me one minute to make the verification! Thank you!

Read all 3 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Analytics Head” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Łukasz Nowicki

“Analytics Head” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Analytics Head” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

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

Description

Features

External services

Requirements

Examples

Filter tracking IDs

Change Consent Mode defaults (PHP)

Grant consent after the user accepts cookies (JavaScript)

Modify the inline gtag config

Screenshots

Installation

FAQ

How do I get a Measurement ID?

Why place the code in the head section?

Do I need to connect my Google account?

How does Consent Mode work?

Does this block the Analytics script until consent?

Which GDPR plugins work with this?

What if I know PHP?

Is it free?

Reviews

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

1.7.0

1.6.7

Meta

Ratings

Contributors

Support

Donate