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How to Track File Downloads and Button Clicks with Burst Statistics

9 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Burst statistics – privacy-friendly analytics for wordpress

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Many WordPress site owners want to track user interactions like file downloads or form submissions to measure content performance and campaign effectiveness. A common question for users of the Burst Statistics plugin is whether it can track these specific actions, such as counting how many times a PDF or ZIP file is downloaded.

Why File Download Tracking Isn't Available (Yet)

In the current version of Burst Statistics, direct file download tracking is not a native feature. The plugin is designed to track page views by default. When a user clicks a direct link to a file (like a PDF or ZIP stored in your media library), the browser handles the download without triggering a new page view, which is why this action is not captured in your statistics dashboard.

The Upcoming Solution: Goals Feature

The Burst Statistics team is actively developing a new 'Goals' feature to address this need. This functionality is intended to allow you to track specific user interactions, such as clicks on a download button or a form submission button.

According to developer responses, while the Goals feature was initially expected to be simple, its implementation proved more complex, delaying its release. The current expectation is for a release in the coming months.

Recommended Workaround for Now

Until the Goals feature is released, you can use a practical workaround:

  1. Use a Download Button: Instead of providing a direct text link to your file, create a button for users to click.
  2. Link the Button: Link this button to the file you want to offer for download.
  3. Track the Click: Once the Goals update is live, you will be able to configure Burst to track clicks on that specific button. This will effectively allow you to count each click as a 'download' event, giving you the metrics you need without tracking any personal user data.

This method tracks the button click action rather than the file download itself, but it serves as a reliable proxy for measuring engagement with your downloadable content.

Looking Ahead

The Burst Statistics team has indicated that future iterations of the Goals feature may expand to include more specific triggers and additional data points, such as user country. For the latest updates on this feature's development, users can monitor the official Burst Statistics website for announcements.

This approach maintains the plugin's core principle of being privacy-friendly while working towards providing website owners with valuable, actionable insights into their audience's behavior.

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