Exclude admin traffic from WordPress analytics

Logged-in staff inflate pageviews, distort the bounce rate, and create fake conversions. With role exclusions, PureMetrix does not load its tracking script for the WordPress user roles you choose.

Why it matters

Editors previewing posts, shop managers checking products, and agencies testing the checkout are not customers. If you count them, your weekly reports are wrong.

How to exclude in PureMetrix

In WordPress, open PureMetrix > Settings.
Scroll to the Privacy section and find “Don’t track these roles”.
Tick at least Administrator (ticked by default) and Editor.
Also tick Shop manager or your own custom roles if those users browse the site while logged in.
Click Save Changes and test: while logged in as an admin, no pageviews should be sent; in a private browser window, they should.

Test accounts

If tests should be measured, use a role that is not excluded and a clear UTM parameter such as utm_campaign=internal-qa, then filter that campaign out of client reports.

Caching note

Make sure the cached pages served to visitors who are not logged in still contain the tracking script. Exclusions only apply to logged-in users with the selected roles; they must not remove tracking for everyone.

Agencies

Make role exclusion part of your standard setup checklist for every client. Shared dashboard links then show cleaner numbers. Agency guide.

Agencies and multiple roles

Shop managers and authors who look at the public site can distort funnels too. Exclude more roles than Administrator if those users visit public pages every day. Test again after creating accounts for seasonal staff.

Who to exclude on real sites

Administrators, editors, shop managers, and agency staff often browse the site while logged in. On small sites with little traffic, that alone can create fake “engagement.” PureMetrix role exclusions work by WordPress role, so you do not have to maintain IP lists that break when someone works from home.

Test again after adding freelancers with new roles. New custom roles are not excluded until you tick them in the list. Keep one test user outside the excluded roles for checks in a private window.

What exclusions will not fix

Colleagues on the office Wi-Fi who are not logged in still count. Test sites should use their own PureMetrix site key so tests never mix with your live data. Exclusions are for staff visits—they do not replace bot filtering.

Agency and freelancer roles

Custom roles such as client_editor or seo_retainer appear in the role list but are not excluded automatically—only Administrator is ticked by default. Check custom roles when onboarding a new client. Keep one login that is not excluded so you can verify goals.

When staff need to see the site like a visitor, they should use a private window without logging in, or a separate test account that is not excluded on a test site.

IP filters vs roles

IP exclusions fail when people work from home or use a mobile hotspot, so prefer roles. PureMetrix also offers IP Shields in the site settings, but use them only for fixed office connections—rarely needed and easy to get wrong.

Editorial previews

Preview links and page builders create bursts of views from editors. Exclusions help when those users are logged in with excluded roles. Preview links that are shared and opened without logging in still count—use a test site for heavy design work.

Membership and customer logins

Do not exclude all logged-in users on membership sites—your members would disappear from the stats. Exclude staff roles only. Role exclusions are meant to remove visits from editors and shop admins, not the member traffic you care about.

Write the list of excluded roles into the client handbook so future membership plugins do not end up with blanket exclusions.

Editors with unusual logins

Contractors who log into WordPress via magic links or with unusual roles still inflate your stats if those roles are not excluded. Whenever you change who can log into the WordPress admin, check the role exclusions again, so you neither exclude too much nor leave editors counted as visitors.

When you create accounts for seasonal staff, check exclusions the same week—not after holiday traffic looks “amazing.”

Exclude accounts used by freelancers too; temporary Editor logins during a launch are a classic source of distorted numbers.