Overview
Real-Time Visitor Tracking shows who is visiting your site right now with live updates. See active visitors, their current pages, devices, and locations — all updating in real time. This feature is part of the Core Analytics category and is available in the free version.
Feature Details
| Category | Core Analytics |
| Type | Live Tracking |
| Plan | Free |
| Configurable Settings | No |
Prerequisites
- Page Visit Counter Analytics plugin must be installed and activated.
- Tracking must be enabled in the plugin settings.
How to Access
- Go to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Navigate to Analytics from the left sidebar menu.
- The real-time visitor stream is displayed on the main dashboard with live updates and pagination.
How It Works
The real-time tracking system uses a REST API endpoint to fetch the latest visitor data. As visitors land on your site, their sessions are recorded and displayed in a live stream showing the current active visitor count, the pages being viewed, and session metadata.
Sessions are tracked using a 30-minute rolling window. When a visitor is inactive for 30 minutes, their session expires automatically. All tracking is anonymous — IP addresses are hashed using SHA-256 with your site’s NONCE_SALT, and no cookies are used.
Benefits
- See exactly who is on your site right now without leaving WordPress.
- Monitor traffic spikes in real time during campaigns or launches.
- Privacy-first approach — no cookies, no PII stored.
- Lightweight implementation with minimal performance impact.
- No reliance on third-party services like Google Analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does real-time tracking work without cookies?
The plugin uses session-based tracking with hashed IP addresses and user agents. A unique session ID is generated from the visitor’s IP hash, user agent hash, and a time block — no cookies are stored on the visitor’s browser.
Does real-time tracking slow down my site?
No. The tracking script is lightweight and sends data asynchronously via a REST API endpoint. It has minimal impact on page load times.
Can I see which specific user is visiting?
No. The plugin is privacy-first and does not store or display any personally identifiable information. All visitor data is anonymized.