WB Ad Manager includes a built-in analytics dashboard that tracks every impression, click, and click-through rate across all your ads — no third-party tools required. See which ads perform best, identify underperformers, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your ad revenue.
Analytics Dashboard
Go to WB Ad Manager -> Analytics to see how your ads are performing at a glance.
Key Metrics
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Impressions | How many times the ad was displayed to visitors |
| Clicks | How many times visitors clicked the ad |
| CTR | Click-through rate (clicks divided by impressions, shown as a percentage) |
Use the date filter to view performance over a specific period. Click on an individual ad to see its detailed stats.
Impression Tracking
Every time an ad is shown to a visitor, WB Ad Manager records an impression. This gives you an accurate picture of ad visibility across your site.
How It Works
- Impressions are counted when the ad renders in the visitor’s browser
- When Lazy Load Ads is enabled, impressions are counted when the ad scrolls into view (not on page load)
- Bot traffic is excluded by default to keep your data clean
- Admin views are excluded by default so your own browsing does not inflate numbers
Click Tracking
When a visitor clicks an ad, the click is recorded before the visitor is redirected to the destination URL. This happens seamlessly with no noticeable delay.
What Is Tracked Per Click
- The ad that was clicked
- The page where the click occurred
- The date and time of the click
- The visitor’s device type
Link Click Tracking
Managed links created in WB Ad Manager -> Links also track clicks. Each link records:
| Metric | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Total Clicks | All clicks since the link was created |
| Unique Clicks | Deduplicated by visitor (no double-counting) |
| Referrers | Which pages on your site sent the most clicks |
| Click Dates | When clicks occurred over time |
Viewing Reports
Ad Performance
- Go to WB Ad Manager -> Analytics
- Use the date range filter to select a time period
- View the summary table showing all ads with their impressions, clicks, and CTR
- Click any ad title to drill down into its detailed stats
Top Performing Ads
The analytics dashboard highlights your top-performing ads so you can quickly identify winners. Sort by CTR to find which ad creatives resonate most with your audience, or sort by impressions to see which placements get the most visibility.
Link Performance
- Go to WB Ad Manager -> Links
- The clicks column shows total clicks for each link
- Click any link title to see detailed stats including unique clicks, referrers, and click dates
Using Analytics for Split Testing
Analytics is the backbone of effective split testing. Here is how to use it:
- Create two or more ad variations in the same zone with equal weight
- Let them run for at least a week
- Go to WB Ad Manager -> Analytics and compare their CTR
- Pause or remove the underperforming ad
- Give the winner more weight or create new variations to test against it
Configuring Tracking
Impression and click tracking is enabled automatically — there is no separate tracking settings tab. Once the plugin is active, every ad impression and click is recorded without additional configuration.
Relevant Settings
The following settings in WB Ad Manager -> Settings affect tracking behavior:
General Section:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Disable for Admins | When enabled, hides all ads from administrator accounts, which also means no impressions or clicks are recorded for admin visits | Off |
| Disable for Logged-in Users | When enabled, hides all ads from logged-in users, preventing tracking for those visits | Off |
Privacy & GDPR Section:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymize IP Addresses | Store a hashed version of IP addresses instead of the raw address. Recommended for GDPR compliance | On |
Bot traffic is excluded automatically by the tracking system. No manual setting is required to enable bot filtering.
Privacy and GDPR
WB Ad Manager includes privacy controls to help you comply with regulations.
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Require Consent for AdSense | Delay loading AdSense scripts until the visitor gives cookie consent | Off |
| Anonymize IP Addresses | Store a hashed version of IP addresses instead of the raw address | On |
When IP anonymization is enabled, IP addresses are hashed before being stored, making them non-identifiable. This reduces your data liability and helps with GDPR compliance.
WB Ad Manager works with popular consent tools including Cookie Notice, CookieYes, Complianz, and GDPR Cookie Consent.
Troubleshooting Analytics
Clicks are not being recorded
1. Verify the destination URL starts with http:// or https://
2. Test in a private browser window — ad blocker extensions can prevent tracking scripts from running
3. Open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Console tab, and look for any JavaScript errors
4. If you use a CDN, check that AJAX requests to your site are not cached
Analytics dashboard shows zero
1. Wait a few minutes after testing — stats may be written with a short delay
2. Clear your plugin and browser caches
3. Check that Disable for Admins is not hiding ads during your test (go to WB Ad Manager -> Settings -> General)
4. Verify the plugin’s database tables were created correctly by deactivating and reactivating the plugin
High database resource usage
1. Use a database optimization plugin like WP-Optimize to clean up old transient data
2. Consider reducing the number of active ads if your analytics tables are growing large
Related Guides
- Ad Rotation & Split Testing — Set up split tests
- Link Management & Partnerships — Track link clicks
- Smart Targeting — Target the right audience
- Troubleshooting — Fix common issues