Read view counts and popular lists

Top 10 Pro tracks hourly views for posts, pages, and custom post types, storing the data in the WordPress database without external services. Queries can rank content by total views or a custom time period. The resulting list shows which items received the most recorded views for that period; the counts do not explain what caused an item to lead. The dashboard includes daily and overall popular posts, and post and page lists can display sortable view-count columns.

Site-wide tracking can include the front page, posts page, archives, and searches. Alternative tracking methods are intended for fast, high-traffic sites. Query optimization includes the MySQL MAX_EXECUTION_TIME directive, configurable in settings or with the top_ten_query_max_execution_time filter.

Configure retention and list loading

The data retention period is customizable. The supplied default is 180 days, and the TOP_TEN_STORE_DATA setting can override retention.

Lazy loading can render popular-post lists with JavaScript when they are about to scroll into view. This lets full-page caching plugins serve pages without embedding a live popular-posts query. It works with content, shortcodes, widgets, and the Popular Posts block. Disable it for an individual instance with the lazy_load shortcode or block attribute.

Choose a display method

The Popular Posts block has configurable display settings. The Top 10 Query block lets you query and display popular posts from the block or site editor. The Top 10 Featured Image block works with multiple image sources with fallbacks. Popular Posts block enhancements let you save or clear default block settings with one click and automatically insert default and global settings.

Widgets can show daily and overall popular posts with extensive customization. Use [tptn_list] for popular-post lists and [tptn_views] for view counts. Template functions offer another way to add output to theme templates.

Set up tracking and content selection

• Enable tracking for the content types and website-wide locations you want to measure.
• Choose total counts or a custom time period for popular-post queries.
• Display results with a block, widget, shortcode, or template function.
• Choose thumbnails from WordPress post thumbnails, the first image in content, or manual thumbnail URLs.
• Exclude posts by category or post ID, and apply custom CSS through settings or included styles.
• Use export and import tools to restore count tables and settings on the same site or other installs.

Administration and customization

Install and activate Top 10 Pro in WordPress, then configure tracking, display, retention, and performance settings in the administration interface. Multisite dashboards support network-wide aggregated statistics. WordPress actions and filters let developers tailor queries, tracking behavior, and output rendering.