Troubleshooting Website Traffic

Troubleshooting Website Traffic Tracking

This comprehensive troubleshooting guide helps you diagnose and fix common issues with Alpha Insights website traffic tracking. Follow the diagnostic steps for your specific problem to quickly identify and resolve issues.

General troubleshooting: For general Alpha Insights troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting Performance. This guide focuses specifically on website traffic tracking issues.

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Before diving into specific issues, run through this quick checklist:

□ Analytics is enabled: Settings → General Settings → Enable WooCommerce Event Tracking = True
□ You’re not in an excluded user role
□ Browser cookies are enabled
□ JavaScript is enabled in browser
□ No JavaScript errors in browser console
□ Site is using HTTPS (recommended)
□ No aggressive caching blocking JavaScript
□ WordPress and plugins are up to date

Issue 1: No Traffic Data Showing

Symptom

Reports show zero sessions, zero page views, or “No data available”

Quick reference: For understanding how tracking works, see the Technical Architecture guide.

Possible Causes & Solutions

1. Analytics is disabled

Check:

Settings → General Settings → Alpha Analytics & Event Tracking
Verify "Enable Woocommerce Event Tracking" = True

Solution: Enable tracking and wait a few minutes for data to appear

2. You’re excluded from tracking

Check:

Settings → General Settings → "Exclude These Roles From Tracking"
Verify your user role is NOT in the exclusion list

Solution:

Either remove your role from exclusions (temporarily)
Or test with a different browser (incognito/private) while logged out
Or create a test user with a non-excluded role

3. Date range is incorrect

Check: Report date range in date picker

Solution:

Tracking only works from the moment it’s enabled (no historical data)
Set date range to “Today” or “Last 7 Days”
Verify there has been actual traffic in that period

4. No actual traffic yet

Check: Realtime Dashboard for live activity

Solution:

Visit your site yourself (in incognito mode, not logged in as admin)
Browse several pages
Check Realtime Dashboard within 1-2 minutes
Should see session appear

5. JavaScript not loading

Check: Browser developer tools (F12) → Network tab → look for wpd-alpha-insights-event-tracking.js

Solution:

If file not found (404): Check file exists at wp-content/plugins/wp-davies-alpha-insights/assets/js/wpd-alpha-insights-event-tracking.js
If file blocked by firewall: Check server security rules
If file not loading: Check theme/plugin conflicts (try Twenty Twenty-Three theme)
Clear all caches (browser, plugin, server)

6. Database tables missing

Check: Via phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI

// Check if tables exist
SHOW TABLES LIKE 'wp_wpd_ai_%';

// Should show:
// wp_wpd_ai_session_data
// wp_wpd_ai_events

Solution:

Deactivate and reactivate Alpha Insights plugin
This should create missing tables
If still missing, check database user permissions

Issue 2: Sessions Not Being Created

Symptom

Events might be tracked, but no sessions appear in reports

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check database directly

SELECT * FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data 
WHERE date_created_gmt > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 1 HOUR)
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC
LIMIT 10;

If no results: Sessions not being created at all

2. Check if cookies are set

Open browser Developer Tools (F12)
Go to Application tab (Chrome) or Storage tab (Firefox)
Click Cookies → Your domain
Look for: wpd_ai_session_id, wpd_ai_landing_page, wpd_ai_referral_source

If cookies missing:

Cookies might be blocked by browser settings
Privacy extensions may be blocking (try disabling)
Incognito/Private mode may block third-party cookies (shouldn’t affect first-party, but test)
Server-side cookie setting might be failing (check PHP headers)

3. Check for bot detection false positive

// Test if you're being flagged as a bot
// Add this temporarily to your theme's functions.php
add_action('template_redirect', function() {
  $user_agent = new WPD_User_Agent();
  if ($user_agent->isBot()) {
    error_log('Bot detected: ' . $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']);
  }
});

If you’re flagged as bot:

Check if your user agent string is unusual
May happen with some developer tools or extensions
Try different browser

4. Check PHP errors

// Enable WordPress debug logging
// In wp-config.php (temporarily):
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

// Then check: wp-content/debug.log for errors

Issue 3: Events Not Being Tracked

Symptom

Sessions exist but specific events (page views, add to cart, etc.) are missing

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check REST API endpoint

// Test API endpoint manually
// Open browser console and run:
fetch('/wp-json/alpha-insights/v1/woocommerce-events', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Referer': window.location.href
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    event_type: 'test_event',
    page_href: window.location.href
  })
})
.then(r => r.json())
.then(data => console.log('API Response:', data))
.catch(err => console.error('API Error:', err));

Expected response: {"message": "1 rows were inserted into the db."}

If error 403: Referer validation failing (check if domain matches)

If error 404: REST API not working (check permalink settings)

If error 429: Rate limit exceeded (wait 60 seconds)

2. Check JavaScript console for errors

Open Developer Tools (F12) → Console tab
Reload page
Look for red error messages
Look for mentions of WpdAiEventTracking or alpha-insights

Common JavaScript errors:

WpdAiEventTracking is not defined → Script not loaded
jQuery is not defined → jQuery not loaded (required)
wpdAlphaInsightsEventTracking is not defined → Localized variables missing
CORS errors → Check server configuration

3. Check Network tab for API calls

Developer Tools (F12) → Network tab
Filter by “XHR” or “Fetch”
Reload page and navigate
Look for POST requests to /wp-json/alpha-insights/v1/woocommerce-events

If no API calls: JavaScript not firing events

If API calls failing: Check response status and error message

4. Check for rate limiting

// Check if your IP is rate limited
// Run in WordPress admin or via WP-CLI:
$ip = '192.168.1.100'; // Your IP
$transient_key = 'wpd_ai_rate_limit_' . md5($ip);
$count = get_transient($transient_key);
echo "Request count: " . $count . " / 60";

// Check if banned
$ban_key = 'wpd_ai_ip_banned_' . md5($ip);
$banned = get_transient($ban_key);
echo "Banned: " . ($banned ? 'Yes' : 'No');

If rate limited: Wait 60 seconds

If banned: Wait 24 hours or delete transient manually

Issue 4: Orders Not Attributed to Traffic Sources

Symptom

Orders show in WooCommerce but landing page/referrer not saved to order meta

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check if landing page cookie exists at time of order

Add item to cart
Open Developer Tools → Application → Cookies
Verify wpd_ai_landing_page cookie exists
Check its value (should be a URL)
Proceed to checkout
Cookie should still exist throughout checkout

If cookie missing or expires:

Session may have expired (>10 minutes since last page load)
Cookies may be blocked
Checkout may be on different subdomain (cookies don’t transfer)

2. Check order meta after purchase

// Query order meta in database
SELECT meta_key, meta_value 
FROM wp_postmeta 
WHERE post_id = [ORDER_ID]
AND meta_key LIKE '_wpd_ai%';

// Should show:
// _wpd_ai_landing_page
// _wpd_ai_referral_source
// _wpd_ai_meta_campaign_id (if present)
// _wpd_ai_google_campaign_id (if present)

If meta fields missing:

Order created in admin (attribution only works for frontend orders)
Cookie was missing at checkout
save_landing_page_to_order_meta() not firing

3. Check if hook is firing

// Add debugging temporarily
add_action('woocommerce_checkout_order_processed', function($order_id) {
  error_log('Order processed: ' . $order_id);
  error_log('Landing page cookie: ' . $_COOKIE['wpd_ai_landing_page'] ?? 'NOT SET');
}, 5); // Priority 5 (before Alpha Insights)

4. Test with fresh browser session

Open incognito/private window
Visit site with UTM parameters (e.g., ?utm_source=test&utm_campaign=debug)
Verify cookie is set (Developer Tools → Cookies)
Add product to cart
Complete checkout
Check order meta for landing page

Issue 5: UTM Parameters Not Showing in Reports

Symptom

UTM-tagged URLs used, but campaigns don’t appear in Traffic Channels report

Quick reference: For UTM best practices, see the UTM Campaign Tracking guide.

Diagnostic Steps

1. Verify UTM parameters in URL

Click your UTM link
Check browser address bar
UTM parameters should be visible: ?utm_source=...&utm_campaign=...

If parameters missing:

Link may be incorrect (check URL builder)
Parameters may be stripped by link shorteners
Social platforms may strip parameters (use platform-specific tracking)
Redirects may lose parameters (check redirect preserves query string)

2. Check landing page cookie value

After clicking UTM link, check Developer Tools → Cookies
Look at wpd_ai_landing_page cookie value
Should include full URL with UTM parameters

If UTMs not in cookie:

Cookie may have been set before UTM visit (from previous session)
Wait 10+ minutes for session to expire, then try again
Or clear cookies and try again

3. Check database for UTM data

// Check session landing pages
SELECT landing_page 
FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data 
WHERE landing_page LIKE '%utm_campaign%'
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC 
LIMIT 10;

If UTMs not in database:

Session not created
Landing page cookie not being read correctly
Data not being written to database

4. Check report date range

UTM campaigns only appear if sessions exist in selected date range
Set date range to include today or last 7 days
Verify campaign had actual traffic

5. Check for typos in UTM parameters

Must be: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign
NOT: utm-source, utmsource, UTM_SOURCE
Spelling and format matter!

Issue 6: Traffic Source Showing as “Unknown” or Incorrect

Symptom

Traffic categorized incorrectly (e.g., Facebook showing as “Unknown” instead of “Social”)

Quick reference: For complete traffic source detection logic, see the Traffic Source Analysis guide.

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check referrer URL

// Query database to see actual referrer
SELECT referral_url, landing_page
FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data
WHERE date_created_gmt > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 1 HOUR)
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC
LIMIT 20;

Common issues:

Referrer is empty → Classified as “Direct” (expected)
Referrer is your own domain → Classified as “Direct” (expected)
Referrer is unknown domain → Classified as “Referral” (expected)
Social platform referrer not recognized → May need to use UTMs

2. Social platforms strip referrers

Problem: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok often don’t send referrer for privacy

Solution: Always use UTM parameters for social posts

// Instead of: https://yourstore.com/products
// Use: https://yourstore.com/products?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

3. Check traffic source classification logic

// Test traffic source detection
$traffic_type = new WPD_Traffic_Type($referral_url, $query_params);
$source = $traffic_type->determine_traffic_source();
echo "Traffic source: " . $source;

4. Add custom source detection

// If platform not recognized, add via filter
add_filter('wpd_traffic_source', function($source, $referral_url, $query_params) {
  if (strpos($referral_url, 'custom-platform.com') !== false) {
    return 'Custom Platform';
  }
  return $source;
}, 10, 3);

Issue 7: Data Appears Delayed or Missing

Symptom

Traffic happened hours ago but not yet in reports

Explanation

Expected behavior:

Realtime Dashboard: Updates within 1-2 minutes
Historical reports: May cache for 5-15 minutes
Large date ranges: May take longer to process

Solutions

1. Check Realtime Dashboard first

If data shows there, it’s being tracked correctly
Historical reports may just be cached
Wait 15 minutes for cache to expire

2. Clear transient cache

// Delete all report caches
DELETE FROM wp_options 
WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_wpd_%'
OR option_name LIKE '_transient_timeout_wpd_%';

3. Check if data actually exists

// Count today's sessions
SELECT COUNT(*) as sessions_today
FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data
WHERE DATE(date_created_gmt) = CURDATE();

// Count today's events
SELECT COUNT(*) as events_today
FROM wp_wpd_ai_events
WHERE DATE(date_created_gmt) = CURDATE();

Issue 8: Page Views Not Tracking

Symptom

Sessions are created but page_view events missing or low count

Diagnostic Steps

1. Check if page view event is firing

Open Developer Tools → Console
Reload page
Should see no errors
Check Network tab for POST to /wp-json/alpha-insights/v1/woocommerce-events

2. Check jQuery dependency

Alpha Insights tracking requires jQuery
In Console, type: jQuery and press Enter
Should show jQuery function, not “undefined”

If jQuery missing:

Theme may not load jQuery properly
Another plugin may be removing it
Try switching to default theme temporarily

3. Check if document.ready is firing

// Add to browser console
jQuery(document).ready(function() {
  console.log('Document ready fired');
  console.log('WpdAiEventTracking:', typeof WpdAiEventTracking);
  console.log('Localized data:', wpdAlphaInsightsEventTracking);
});

4. Check for JavaScript conflicts

Disable other plugins one by one
Switch to default theme (Twenty Twenty-Three)
Test if page views start tracking
Identify conflicting plugin/theme

Issue 9: Add to Cart Events Missing

Symptom

Products being added to cart but add_to_cart events not recorded

Explanation

Add to cart is tracked server-side via woocommerce_add_to_cart hook for maximum reliability.

Diagnostic Steps

1. Verify add to cart actually works

Add product to cart
Check cart page – product should be there
If product not added, WooCommerce issue (not tracking issue)

2. Check if hook is firing

// Add debugging temporarily
add_action('woocommerce_add_to_cart', function($cart_item_key, $product_id, $quantity) {
  error_log('Add to cart fired - Product: ' . $product_id . ', Qty: ' . $quantity);
}, 5, 3); // Priority 5 (before Alpha Insights at 10)

3. Check event in database

SELECT * FROM wp_wpd_ai_events
WHERE event_type = 'add_to_cart'
AND date_created_gmt > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 1 HOUR)
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC;

4. Check if session exists

Add to cart requires active session (with cookie)

If no session cookie, event may not be recorded
Check Developer Tools → Cookies for wpd_ai_session_id

Issue 10: High “Direct” Traffic (Seems Wrong)

Symptom

Most traffic showing as “Direct” even though you know it comes from other sources

Explanation

“Direct” traffic includes:

Typed URLs
Bookmarks
Links with no referrer
HTTPS → HTTP transitions (referrer lost)
Links from mobile apps (often no referrer)
Links from email clients (often no referrer)
Links from messaging apps (WhatsApp, Messenger, etc.)
Shortened URLs without UTMs (bit.ly, etc.)
Links from PDFs or documents
QR codes without UTMs

Solutions

1. Use UTM parameters everywhere

Email marketing: ALWAYS use utm_medium=email
Social posts: ALWAYS use utm_source=facebook etc.
Paid ads: Use utm_medium=cpc
QR codes: Add UTMs to destination URL
Short links: Add UTMs before shortening

2. Enable auto-tagging for ads

Facebook Ads: Use meta_cid={{campaign.id}} parameter
Google Ads: Enable auto-tagging (gclid)
These override “Direct” classification

3. Check for HTTPS issues

If site is HTTP and visitors come from HTTPS sites, referrer may be lost
Solution: Use HTTPS on your site

4. Accept some “Direct” is legitimate

Returning customers often type URL directly
Brand searches → direct visits are sign of brand strength
10-30% direct traffic is normal
Over 50% may indicate dark social or missing UTMs

Advanced Debugging Tools

Enable Debug Logging

// In wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

// Logs will be written to: wp-content/debug.log

Test REST API Directly

// Via command line (curl)
curl -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/alpha-insights/v1/woocommerce-events 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -H "Referer: https://yoursite.com" 
  -d '{
    "event_type": "test_event",
    "page_href": "https://yoursite.com/test",
    "event_quantity": 1,
    "event_value": 0
  }'

Check Database Directly

// Recent sessions
SELECT * FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data 
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC LIMIT 10;

// Recent events
SELECT * FROM wp_wpd_ai_events 
ORDER BY date_created_gmt DESC LIMIT 10;

// Event counts by type
SELECT event_type, COUNT(*) as count
FROM wp_wpd_ai_events
WHERE date_created_gmt > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 24 HOUR)
GROUP BY event_type;

Check PHP Error Logs

Location varies by server:

cPanel: public_html/error_log
WordPress: wp-content/debug.log (if debug enabled)
System: /var/log/apache2/error.log or /var/log/php-fpm/error.log

Performance Issues

Issue: Tracking Slowing Down Site

For general performance optimization, see Optimizing Report Performance and Troubleshooting Performance.

Symptoms:

Slow page loads
High server load
Database performance issues

Diagnostic:

// Check database table sizes
SELECT 
  table_name,
  ROUND((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024, 2) as size_mb,
  table_rows
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
AND table_name LIKE 'wp_wpd_ai_%';

Solutions:

Archive old data:

// Delete sessions older than 1 year
DELETE FROM wp_wpd_ai_session_data
WHERE date_created_gmt

Optimize tables:

OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_wpd_ai_session_data;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_wpd_ai_events;

Add indexes (if missing):

ALTER TABLE wp_wpd_ai_events ADD INDEX idx_event_type (event_type);
ALTER TABLE wp_wpd_ai_events ADD INDEX idx_session_id (session_id);
ALTER TABLE wp_wpd_ai_events ADD INDEX idx_date (date_created_gmt);

Reduce tracking frequency:
- Exclude more user roles
- Consider disabling for very high traffic sites (>100k sessions/month)

Getting Help

Before contacting support, gather:

WordPress version
WooCommerce version
Alpha Insights version
PHP version
Active theme and plugins
Description of issue with steps to reproduce
Screenshots or screen recordings
Browser console errors (if applicable)
Sample database queries showing the issue

Support checklist:

□ Checked this troubleshooting guide
□ Verified issue persists with default theme
□ Tested with other plugins disabled
□ Cleared all caches
□ Checked browser console for errors
□ Verified analytics is enabled
□ Tested in different browser/incognito
□ Checked database for data
□ Reviewed documentation

Common Misunderstandings

1. “Why doesn’t my old data appear?”

Alpha Insights only tracks from the moment it’s enabled
No retroactive tracking
This is expected behavior

2. “Why do I have multiple sessions for same visitor?”

Sessions expire after 10 minutes of inactivity
Each return visit after expiration = new session
This is correct behavior

3. “Why is my traffic not showing even though Google Analytics shows visitors?”

Check if you’re excluded from tracking (admin role)
GA may count differently
Bots may be filtered in Alpha Insights but not GA

4. “Why does order show different source than I expected?”

Alpha Insights uses last-click attribution
Order attributed to most recent session
Customer may have visited multiple times from different sources
Session may have expired between visits

Troubleshooting Website Traffic

Alpha Insights Documentation

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