MonsterInsights Addresses User Criticism With Immediate Changes

When Google Analytics by Yoast suddenly turned into MonsterInsights yesterday, many users were taken by surprise. Users voiced their frustration and concerns on the plugin’s support forum. Some users thought their sites were hacked after noticing the menu label changed and seeing a bright green menu icon.

Syed Balkhi, founder of WPBeginner.com, along with Chris Christoff, lead developer of the MonsterInsights plugin, immediately responded to criticism in the forums. One of the biggest complaints from users was the lack of communication that the plugin changed hands.

Christoff admits that the plugin’s changelog should have included information about the switch.

I thought I had included information about the acquisition in the changelog, but I apparently didn’t. That’s totally on me, and I can certainly understand why people might be a bit upset over that.

Complaints about the bright menu icon were addressed with a recent update that lowers its opacity to be more in line with other icons. Even though the bright green is gone, the icon is still noticeable. Here’s what it looks like.

New MonsterInsights Menu Icon

The menu label was also renamed from MonsterInsights to Insights. Not only is it shorter, it’s more in line with the plugin’s functionality. Its placement within the admin menu was also fixed as it no longer shows up near the top of the list.

Another concern brought up by users are the four display ads on the plugin’s dashboard page. While some users thought these were new, they’ve always existed in the free plugin. Instead of advertising Joost de Valk’s products, they now advertise four complimentary products affiliated with Balkhi.

Display Advertising in MonsterInsights

Within the last 24 hours, the plugin has received a number of enhancements based on user feedback. Although the lack of communication put some people off, the company’s quick response has satisfied at least a few users. Balkhi says the team continues to listen to feedback and that if you have a feature request or bug report, to file it on the project’s GitHub page.