WordPress multisite analytics with PureMetrix

In a multisite network, each website's numbers should stay clearly separate. Set up each domain or subsite as its own PureMetrix site—unless you deliberately want to combine them somewhere else.

Recommended setup

Create one PureMetrix site for each public domain you care about. Connect the plugin separately on each subsite with the right credentials. Do not lump an entire network into one site if the clients are separate companies.

Activate network-wide or per site?

Activating the plugin for the whole network is convenient for agencies that own the entire network. Activating it per site fits networks shared by several clients where only some sites pay for analytics. Write down which option you chose.

Proxy and security

If you enable the same-origin /px proxy, check that its paths work on every subsite and that security plugins do not block them.

User roles

Exclude network admins and site admins from tracking. Super admins clicking through many sites are a classic source of distorted numbers.

Reporting

Use PureMetrix Cloud to switch between sites. A Shared Link per client site beats a mess of exported CSV files. Multisite does not remove the need for consistent UTM tags on campaigns.

WooCommerce on multisite

Check purchase events on each shop site. A network with several shops needs a check on every site, not a single quick test.

Separate keys per subsite, combined views

Each subsite whose numbers you want to see separately should use its own PureMetrix site key via Connect. Mixing the whole network into one site hides which location or brand actually brings conversions. Keep a spreadsheet of site IDs and excluded roles for the network.

Theme updates rolled out to all sites can remove tracking snippets—check a pageview on each major subsite after every release.

Who decides what

Central IT may want EU hosting and a single DPA; local marketing teams want Shared Links limited to their own site. That split is normal. Do not give every site admin full control of the Cloud account if your contract says otherwise.

Rolling out across the network

Start with two subsites: one content site and, if you have one, one shop. Confirm that Connect, exclusions, proxy, and goals work. Then repeat the same steps across the network. Separate keys per subsite stop a busy blog from watering down a shop's conversion rate.

Network-activated plugins that add scripts must still use the right key for each site—check this after network activation.

Reports for head office

Head office often wants combined numbers. If the built-in combined views are not enough, set up a simple regular export instead of merging keys into one mixed-up site. A mixed-up site makes every location look average and no one accountable.

Domain mapping

Mapped domains must match the domain set up for the site in PureMetrix. After changing a mapping, reconnect or update the settings and check a pageview on the public domain. Mixing www and non-www can accidentally split one site in two—pick one version first.

Network-wide plugin updates

Network updates can reset per-site Connect settings or conflict with them. After updating plugins network-wide, spot-check pageviews on three random subsites. Keep a note of PureMetrix plugin versions that are known to work on your network, so you can roll back if needed.

Tell site admins not to paste a second snippet into the theme when Connect already adds one.

Retiring subsites cleanly

When you shut down a subsite, disconnect it, revoke its Shared Links, and archive the PureMetrix site or mark it as inactive. Leaving tracking active on parked domains uses up your pageview limit and clutters your dashboards.

For brand sites with mapped domains, make sure the HTTPS certificate covers the domain the tracking uses—otherwise browsers silently drop the data.

Dashboards that accidentally use one key for several blogs produce data you can never separate again—catch this with a setup checklist.

Language subsites

Give each language site its own key if the brands differ. Mixing languages hides which translation brings conversions. You can still create a Shared Link per language for regional managers.

Do not allow snippets hard-coded across the whole network that bypass the per-site Connect keys.

Set up each subsite domain in PureMetrix exactly as visitors see it in the address bar, including whether it uses www or not—otherwise the numbers split awkwardly.