Matomo is a powerful tool for tracking website analytics, and installing it for testing purposes is a great way to get started. You can download the Matomo software from the official website and extract it to a directory on your server.
To ensure a smooth test installation, you'll want to check the system requirements, which include a web server, PHP, and a database. Make sure your server meets these requirements before proceeding.
First, navigate to the Matomo directory and run the command to install the software using Composer. This will create the necessary database tables and configuration files.
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Getting Started
To start testing Matomo, you'll need a few things. First, you'll need a web server, shared hosting, or a dedicated server. If you don't have one, you can get a pre-installed Matomo in minutes through the Matomo Cloud service.
To access Matomo, you'll need to log in with the username and password you set up during the installation process. This will take you to a login page where you can enter your credentials.
You'll also need to make sure you have access to your web server, either through the shell or FTP. If you have a WordPress website, you can use the Matomo Analytics for WordPress plugin to make things easier.
To install Matomo, you can use one-click software like Softaculous or Installatron, or follow the steps to unzip the zip file and upload the Matomo files to your web server using an FTP client.
Here are the basic requirements for getting started with Matomo:
- Web server, shared hosting, or dedicated server
- Access to web server (via shell or FTP)
- FTP Client (for remote server installations)
- Username and password for Matomo login
Once you have all the necessary requirements, you can start using Matomo.
Installation Options
You can install Matomo in WordPress using two main methods: a plugin solution or a manual installation. The plugin solution is quicker and easier, requiring just a few clicks to get started, while the manual installation is more complex but offers benefits in terms of security and performance.
You'll need to decide whether to host Matomo separately from your WordPress site or combine the two, depending on your website's traffic and security needs. For high-traffic sites, it's recommended to host Matomo separately to improve performance.
Here are the basic requirements for installing Matomo: a web server, shared hosting or dedicated server, access to your web server, and a FTP client if you're installing on a remote server.
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Start on Elestio
If you want to start using Matomo fully managed on Elestio, you'll see a green dot next to your Matomo service once everything is ready. You can click on it to access the Elestio administration dashboard.
From there, you can get the link and credentials to access your freshly deployed Matomo instance.
Alternatively, you can start the Installation process using one-click software like Softaculous or Installatron, if your web host offers it.
If not, you can unzip the Matomo zip file to a folder on your hard drive, creating a "matomo" folder containing the files and directories.
You'll then need to upload the Matomo files in binary mode to the desired location on your web server using an FTP client like Filezilla.
WordPress Plugin
The WordPress plugin is a fantastic way to install Matomo on your website. You can simply install and activate the official Matomo Analytics plugin through your WordPress site.
To do this, log into your WordPress site, go to Plugins > Add New, and search for "Matomo". The plugin should appear at the top of the search results. Click on Install Now, and then Activate once it has been downloaded to your site.
Related reading: Matomo Privacy Policy Wordpress
After that, Matomo has been installed on your WordPress site. Yes, it's really that easy!
The plugin comes with its own opt-out block that you can add to your privacy policy with the WordPress Gutenberg editor. To do this, simply open your privacy policy page, add a new block, and search for "Matomo opt out".
The block doesn't have any settings, but when you preview the page or publish and view it, you can see that it inserts a check box where visitors can opt out of tracking, as well as accompanying text that changes depending on whether they are currently opted in or out.
Here are the steps to add the opt-out block:
- Open your privacy policy page
- Add a new block
- Search for "Matomo opt out"
- Insert the block
Alternatively, you can also use the [matomo_opt_out] shortcode to add it to the page. This allows you to set your preferred language by including it in the shortcode, like [matomo_opt_out language=de].
A Step-by-Step Guide
To install Matomo on your WordPress site, simply log into your WordPress site, go to Plugins > Add New and search for "Matomo". The plugin should appear in first place, so click on Install Now and then Activate once it has been downloaded to your site.
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You can also download Matomo and upload it to your server, but this method requires a bit more effort. First, go to the download page and click the big green button on the left to download a zip archive of the software files. Unzip it, then fire up an FTP client and connect to the server where you want to put the files.
To access Matomo, you have two options: access it via a subdirectory or give it its own directory and create a subdomain for it. If you install Matomo on the same server as your WordPress installation, you can place it in a folder called matomo inside your WordPress directory, making it accessible via yourdomain.com/matomo.
Here are the steps to follow for a successful Matomo setup:
1. Install the Matomo WordPress Plugin
2. Download Matomo and upload it to your server
3. Configure the access to Matomo (subdirectory or subdomain)
4. Set up your administrator account
5. Run the installation
By following these steps, you'll be able to install Matomo on your WordPress site and start tracking your analytics.
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Configuration and Setup
To configure Matomo, you'll need to set up the privacy settings, which are crucial for maintaining user trust.
Matomo is already quite privacy-friendly out of the box, but there are a few things you need to configure to ensure you're meeting your users' expectations.
First, make sure you've installed the Matomo JavaScript tracking tag on your website, as this will provide you with real-time analytics data. If you're not receiving any data, double-check that you've copied and pasted the JavaScript code onto your website's pages.
If you want to give other users access to Matomo, or monitor more than one website, you'll need to use the Administration pages. Click "Administration" in the top menu, then click "Users" to manage users and permissions.
To prevent unauthorized access, you can set more restrictive permissions (like read-only) to the "matomo/config/" folder. This is especially important because Matomo will only write files to two specific locations:
- the matomo/tmp/ folder
- the matomo/js/piwik.js and matomo/js/matomo.js files
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to setting up Matomo correctly and ensuring a smooth user experience.
Plugin and Tracking
Installing Matomo on your WordPress site is a breeze. You can do it by installing the official Matomo Analytics plugin, which you can find by searching for "Matomo" in the WordPress plugin directory.
To install the plugin, simply click on "Install Now" and then activate it once it's been downloaded to your site. That's it, you're done!
The plugin comes with its own opt-out block that you can add to your privacy policy page using the WordPress Gutenberg editor. Simply open your privacy policy page, add a new block, and search for "Matomo opt out".
The block doesn't have any settings, it just displays a checkbox and accompanying text that changes depending on whether visitors are opted in or out. You can also use the [matomo_opt_out] shortcode to add it to the page, and even set the language by including it in the shortcode, like [matomo_opt_out language=de].
If you want to install the VisitorGenerator plugin, you can do it easily through the Matomo Marketplace. Simply go to Settings > Marketplace > Get new functionality, and you'll find the plugin listed. You can install and activate it in one click.
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However, if your Matomo instance isn't connected to the internet, you can download the plugin from the VisitorGenerator page on the Marketplace, and then upload it manually.
The VisitorGenerator plugin provides a range of features, including extensive traffic statistics, a strong focus on user privacy, and customizability and extendability. With Matomo, you can track unlimited data, users, and segments, and even extend it with plugins and themes.
Here's a summary of the features provided by the VisitorGenerator plugin:
- Extensive traffic statistics
- A strong focus on user privacy
- Customizability and extendability
- No limitations (unlimited data, users, and segments)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I reinstall Matomo?
To reinstall Matomo, delete the config/config.ini.php file and visit Matomo, which will trigger the installation process. This will erase all existing data and settings.
Sources
- https://elest.io/open-source/matomo/resources/installation-guide
- https://nickschaeferhoff.com/install-matomo-wordpress/
- https://matomo.org/faq/on-premise/installing-matomo/
- https://matomo.org/blog/2014/10/generating-test-data/
- https://www.ucartz.com/clients/knowledgebase/2078/How-to-install-self-hosted-analytics-on-your-VPS-Matomo.html
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