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Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

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Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#91

Post by JackWritesCode »

chaosite wrote: post #47
mrweasel wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I realized that it doesn't actually report any useful or actionable data The actionable part never occurred to me, but makes so much sense. What action could anyone really take, based on the data presented by Google Analytics? On top of my head I can actually think of anything you could easily get from server logs.

One of the reason Google Analytics (and logging solutions like it) is popular is that people don't have access to server logs.

Server side logs aren’t an accurate way of doing analytics and bring up compliance challenges (storing access logs and using them for purposes other than security etc.)

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#92

Post by Kjeldahl »

I was recently looking for a good tool that supports both web site analytics and app analytics (custom events, typically pushed by SPAs). I looked at GA, Amplitude and finally Matomo (which I ended up with). GA and Amplitude either did not offer or made it hard to work down to the micro level, essentially tracking known individual users down to the singular event level. Matomo makes this easy, although it certainly looks a bit dated compared to the competition. And the free parts are somewhat limited (you need to buy stuff or hosting).

I would have though that there would be several decent packages offering www + app analytics by now, but as I wrote, options were quite limited. Some of the options mentioned in the subject here looks like good options for just website analytics, but I'm not seeing much as far as "app analytics" (custom events) goes.

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#93

Post by JackWritesCode »

zabana wrote: post #88
JackWritesCode wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks James. You wait till we launch V3 ;)

I have zero use for your product but I just want to say that I love your website ! From the minimal design to the clear and concise copy, to the signup process. It's all frictionless and smooth, you nailed it :)

That means a lot, thank you. We’ve been running Farhom since 2018, and we’ve put a lot of thought into the user experience :)

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#94

Post by JackWritesCode »

Kjeldahl wrote: post #92

I was recently looking for a good tool that supports both web site analytics and app analytics (custom events, typically pushed by SPAs). I looked at GA, Amplitude and finally Matomo (which I ended up with). GA and Amplitude either did not offer or made it hard to work down to the micro level, essentially tracking known individual users down to the singular event level. Matomo makes this easy, although it certainly l…

Less companies are focusing on user level tracking, as it’s an invasion of privacy and compliance doesn’t allow it

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#95

Post by JackWritesCode »

franky47 wrote: post #87

I'm working on an end-to-end encrypted analytics SaaS, to try and solve the "putting your eggs in someone else's basket" problem, while offering something simpler than self-hosting. I'm collecting feedback and looking to open it for beta in the next couple of weeks, but there's already a preview signup link in the newsletter, where I share my progress on building the platform on a weekly basis. https://chiffre.io

We’ve been building this as an option too. It’s a cool feature that a lot of people will like. Good luck

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#96

Post by chrispauley »

jwr wrote: post #28

I turned off Google Analytics, because I realized that it doesn't actually report any useful or actionable data, just vanity metrics, and many of them of dubious quality. I run a SaaS and what matters for me is paid subscriptions. "Visits" (even if by humans, which is hard to tell) really do not matter much. Yes, I do want to increase conversion rates, and run bandit experiments, but I'm better off doing that myself.…

I feel the same way.. mostly. I want one thing from GA and that is user flow. I've first hand seen this help a startup run landing page experiments and very quickly to improve their conversion rates. (The startup was selling a luxury consumer product)

This won't work for everyone and will be of little value to many. However that tool just doesn't seem to exist on most if not all of the lightweight alternatives. Matomo is the only alternative I have seen implement this feature, though those with more experience with the alternatives will hopefully show me I am wrong on that.

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#97

Post by srrr »

jwr wrote: post #53
TomGullen wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find time spent on page is a great way to measure performance of redesigns on page. There are numerous actionable points.

It might be, assuming two things: 1) That you actually care about this metric. I don't, I do not get paid by the number of minutes spent on pages, I get paid by the number of signed-up subscribers who use my software to make their workflow easier. I can (and prefer to) use bandit testing to measure the performance of redesigns. 2) that it can be reliably measured, which I don't think it can.

As long as your measurement is a random sample everything is okay. Even if it is not, it is much more information than you had before. You just need to keep it in mind when evaluating conclusions. We are not talking about drug tails here and no one dies if the measurement is not 100% accurate.

I am able to measure everything 100% accurate. But this is really really expensive. It's a trade-of.

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#98

Post by drunkpotato »

jwr wrote: post #28

I turned off Google Analytics, because I realized that it doesn't actually report any useful or actionable data, just vanity metrics, and many of them of dubious quality. I run a SaaS and what matters for me is paid subscriptions. "Visits" (even if by humans, which is hard to tell) really do not matter much. Yes, I do want to increase conversion rates, and run bandit experiments, but I'm better off doing that myself.…

I also don’t think google analytics is that useful. It’s one of many possible tools for user tracking, and far from the best one. Thought it’s “free” so I guess that’s why it’s more popular than much better tools.

But the fundamental problem is that analytics provides data and information, when what people want is knowledge and wisdom. But you need to do the work to get it. No amount of analytics is going to tell you that your Facebook ads are underperforming their potential because your buy button is hidden by an overlay in the built-in Facebook browser, especially if Facebook is your best performing channel overall. Analytics can’t tell you what’s not there. There’s no substitute for having developers and marketers actually purchase your product, themselves, on the channels your customers use. And too many companies don’t do that.

Just a hypothesis I have, that most e-commerce companies are leaving millions to tens of millions of dollars on the table by not giving all their employees a corporate credit card and having them purchase their product on it, say, once a month. They’re losing out on far more than they’d end up paying for the few instances of fraud.

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#99

Post by XCSme »

TomGullen wrote: post #44

I still can't see any solid reasons why a site owner would not use GA. Other products: - Objectively lack features - Potentially incur extra costs in money/time - May be a small barrier in m&a - May carry additional risks/attack vectors if self hosted Trying to ween off big tech is commendable, but likely detrimental to a business. Relatively high risk, low reward. I'm happy to have my mind changed. I can see a case…

Some issues with GA version going self-hosted: - Privacy of your users: For a specific user, Google knows all the website he visits - Privacy your data: If Google knows the visitors of most websites, your competitors can leverage that advantage (using Google Ads for example) to steal your potential customers. - Google Analytics is bloated and slow (both in terms of the tracking script and the dashboard UI, where it takes several seconds for each graph/page to load). - You don't own your data, at any point Google can, even though unlikely to, block your account (for breaking ToS of some other service of theirs) and you lose all your data. - If everyone uses GA, it will become (already is) an analytics monopoly, which has many other drawbacks (lack of innovation for example).

I do think that for the average user, using GA might be fine because it's free, easy to set-up and does its job. That is unless they care about all the possible consequences.

Re: Lightweight Alternatives to Google Analytics

#100

Post by JackWritesCode »

remux wrote: post #49
jbrooksuk wrote: post #42

I've been happily using Fathom Analytics: https://usefathom.com and I have zero complaints. No tracking. Privacy focused. Lightweight. You embed from your own domain. They even do site monitoring now!

Some weeks ago I discovered fathom and I am fully satisfied with it.

So glad you love it :)
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