Rick Hellewell

<p>Google Analytics (GA) allows you to see what your visitors are doing on your site. The common installation is to run some JavaScript code in the client’s browser that reports back to GA. The problem with that is many ad-blockers will block that client-side (browser) action, resulting in incomplete GA data.</p>
<p>The Server Side Analytics plugin does all the work on your server. So GA is used on all site visits – even visitors using ad blocking. That gives you more accurate GA data.</p>
<p>Your site visitor’s IP address is anonymized (the last ‘octet’ is removed), so only the visitor’s city is known. The plugin only uses the client-side WordPress session ID, so complies with basic GDPR privacy, as long as your site has an acknowledged cookie policy. There is nothing additionally stored on the client side, so visitor privacy for this plugin and the generated analytics is assured.</p>
<p>All you need is a GA account – start here: https://www.google.com/analytics/ . Note that you will need to set up a “UA” type account. Help starts here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9306384?hl=en   Make sure you set up a “Universal Analytics” account – which will result in a UA-xxxxxxx-1 value to use in the plugin.</p>
<p>If you use Google Analytics, then you should be aware of their privacy policy, which could apply to your use of GA; see it here https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html . You may also need a cookie policy and acknowledgement displayed on your site.</p>
<p>We suggest that you consult with your legal advisor for specific methods and messages needed for GDPR compliance on your site. We provide no warranty or guarantee of GDPR compliance. We are not providing any legal advice. We are not responsible in any way for your use of our suggested GDPR solution. Your mileage may vary. Objects in mirror are closer than you expect. All aspirin is alike. Professional driver on a closed course.  Your mileage may vary.</p>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p>This plugin does not save any personal information on your server. It will store cookies on your visitor’s browsers. If you have enabled Google Analytics, it will also store a randomly-generated ID value as a cookie; there is no personal information associated with that cookie. The plugin does not share information with others.</p>


CellarWeb Server Side Analytics

Allows using Google Analytics via server-side request. Many ad blockers block client-side Google Analytics, resulting in incomplete values.

David Gewirtz

<p><strong>My Private Site</strong> is the easiest way to make your entire WordPress site private. With one setting, you can restrict all pages and posts so they are visible only to logged-in users. Visitors who are not signed in are automatically redirected to the WordPress login screen.</p>
<p>Unlike full membership plugins, My Private Site does not require the overhead of subscriptions, payments, or profile management. Instead, it focuses on strong, lightweight privacy, perfect for projects where you just need to keep your site limited to a trusted audience.</p>
<h3>Ideal Use Cases</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Family sites and school projects</strong>: Share personal updates, photos, or assignments only with family members, classmates, or teachers you choose.</li>
<li><strong>Development and staging sites</strong>: Safely show work-in-progress to clients or teammates without exposing unfinished content or letting it be indexed by search engines.</li>
<li><strong>Clubs, groups, and internal blogs</strong>: Create a private online space for members or staff without the overhead of a complex membership system.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>One-click option to make your entire WordPress site private.</li>
<li>Optional setting to keep the homepage public while locking down the rest of the site.</li>
<li>Automatic login prompts whenever non-logged-in users try to access content.</li>
<li>Flexible landing page control—send users back to the page they requested, to your homepage, dashboard, or a custom URL after login.</li>
<li>Hide the WordPress admin bar on the front end for a cleaner look.</li>
<li>REST API Guardian: block REST API access for logged-out users.</li>
<li>Works with custom login pages, Multisite, BuddyPress, and Theme My Login.</li>
<li>Privacy shortcode lets you selectively show or hide content within a page or post.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Built-in AI Defense</h3>
<p>The internet is rapidly changing, with AI crawlers and bots harvesting content without consent. My Private Site helps you defend your work with integrated <strong>AI Defense</strong> features:<br />
* <strong>NoAI and NoImageAI tags</strong>: Automatically add meta tags and headers that signal compliant AI systems not to use your text or images for training.<br />
* <strong>Block GPTBot</strong>: Add a robots.txt rule to prevent OpenAI’s crawler from accessing your site.<br />
* <strong>Really Simple Licensing (RSL)</strong>: Publish a machine-readable license that explicitly prohibits AI training on your content.</p>
<p>These protections are included free in the core plugin, easy to enable with a checkbox, and designed to safeguard your site without affecting normal visitors or search engines. You can use them even if you’re not using any other site privacy features.</p>
<h3>Privacy Made Simple for Teams, Projects, and Families</h3>
<p>In short, My Private Site turns your WordPress installation into a secure, invite-only space with just a few clicks. Whether you’re running a private blog, staging a project, or safeguarding your family site, it provides peace of mind, modern AI defenses, and effortless setup—all while staying lightweight and easy to manage.</p>
<h3>Watch the Video Overview and Demo</h3>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="My Private Site 4.0 Getting Started" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jry3DHD-OB8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h3>Premium Add-ons</h3>
<p>Premium add-ons turn My Private Site into a comprehensive privacy suite, giving you enterprise-style layered security defenses, smarter oversight, and flexible access, without the complexity or cost.</p>
<p>Advanced AI Defense, Visitor Intelligence, and Block IP provide protections regardless of whether you’re using any site privacy features.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="My Private Site Digital Fortress - Extensions Ecosystem" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6s8O9VZLc0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-public-pages/" rel="nofollow ugc">Public Pages 2.0</a>: Allows site operators to designate certain specific pages, or pages with specified prefix, to be available to the public without login. Now also allows public site, private pages. <a href="https://youtu.be/u7BuYtzS_pI" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-advanced-ai-defense/" rel="nofollow ugc">Advanced AI Defense</a>: Protect WordPress content from AI crawlers using licensing, opt-out tags, selective bot blocking, and firewall defenses to control and safeguard your data. <a href="https://youtu.be/Eb4qQDafaRk" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-visitor-intelligence/" rel="nofollow ugc">Visitor Intelligence</a>: Track logins, logouts, failed attempts, and bot activity with a unified log, anomaly detection, and export tools for stronger site oversight and security. <a href="https://youtu.be/TTK8bGVD8pM" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-guest-access/" rel="nofollow ugc">Guest Access</a>: Grant temporary, secure access to private WordPress content using unique shareable links with expiration, one-time use, and full admin-controlled invite management. <a href="https://youtu.be/j1vYV8lhqcc" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-block-ip/" rel="nofollow ugc">Block IP</a>: Block unwanted visitors by IP address or range with full IPv4/IPv6 support, configurable scope, and fast enforcement to secure your WordPress site. <a href="https://youtu.be/vsxLqYXWITs" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-tags-and-categories/" rel="nofollow ugc">Tags & Categories</a>: Allows you to make pages public or (with Public Pages 2.0) private based on tags and categories. <a href="https://youtu.be/dEv7lXxU5lo" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-selective-content/" rel="nofollow ugc">Selective Content</a>: Allows hiding, showing, and obscurifying page content through the use of shortcodes. Can also selectively hide widgets and sidebars. <a href="https://youtu.be/exgJrJJSCNY" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zatzlabs.com/project/my-private-site-pricing/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digital Fortress Bundle</a>: All add-ons are available in bundle form.  <a href="https://youtu.be/B6s8O9VZLc0" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch the video</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Limits</h3>
<p>This plugin does not hide non-WordPress web pages, such as .html and .php files. It also won’t restrict images and other media and text files directly accessed by their URL. If your hosting provider’s filesystem protections haven’t been set up correctly, files may also be accessed by directory listing.</p>
<h3>Support Note</h3>
<p>Support has moved to the ZATZLabs site and is no longer provided on the WordPress.org forums. If you need a timely reply from the developer, please <a href="http://zatzlabs.com/submit-ticket/" rel="nofollow ugc">open a ticket</a>.</p>
<h3>Mailing List</h3>
<p>If you’d like to keep up with the latest updates to this plugin, please visit <a href="http://zatzlabs.com/lab-notes/" rel="nofollow ugc">David’s Lab Notes</a> and add yourself to the mailing list.</p>


My Private Site with AI Defense

Lock down your site with one click. Privacy for family, projects, or teams.

CellarWeb Server Side Analytics vs My Private Site with AI Defense