I have reviewed many Google Analytics replacements in terms of features and capabilities. Matomo may be suitable for you, but its data presentation is not user-friendly. If you only need basic metrics to track, there are many alternatives that present analytics data more clearly. For more information, see https://algustionesa.com/google-analytics-alternatives/.
Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
41–50 of 111 posts
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#42I'm using the matomo self hosted version and like it overall. I love you can track all outbound clicks without having to specifically add Dom elements to outbound links to make this possible. Unfortunately matomo is blocked just like Google Analytics by every ad/tracking blocker. Doesn't matter if you host it yourself and only track global stats vs tracking users across the web like GA does. The only solution seems t…
> tracking users across the web like GA does What does this mean?
If site A and site B both uses GA, then GA track them across both internally for their stats (and it helps google in figuring out the same user has interest A and interest B).
Matomo promises to not do the same link across properties on their cloud hosted version.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#43I'm using the matomo self hosted version and like it overall. I love you can track all outbound clicks without having to specifically add Dom elements to outbound links to make this possible. Unfortunately matomo is blocked just like Google Analytics by every ad/tracking blocker. Doesn't matter if you host it yourself and only track global stats vs tracking users across the web like GA does. The only solution seems t…
Why spend time undermining people's preferences?
Most people who are against trackers are not against the website they visit getting valuable information about which page they use or not, or the order in which they use each page to figure out which path work or not, etc ...
They are against the website chosing to not pay for it and instead getting it for free in exchange for giving all that data to a 3rd party (like GA / Google), who then uses it for its own purpose.
Doesn't mean no people are against that first scenario too, but then they better not make an account, visit several pages in a row on the same website or want to use a cart, or essentially anything beyond a static website.
Both scenarios are widely different, and convincing people on both side (even both extreme) of that line that the line doesn't exists is one of the greatest and most successfull trick tracking companies have played.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#44I'm using the matomo self hosted version and like it overall. I love you can track all outbound clicks without having to specifically add Dom elements to outbound links to make this possible. Unfortunately matomo is blocked just like Google Analytics by every ad/tracking blocker. Doesn't matter if you host it yourself and only track global stats vs tracking users across the web like GA does. The only solution seems t…
> tracking users across the web like GA does What does this mean?
At least in prior Google Analytics versions, a third party cookie was used, giving the possibility to link you to every site that implements Google Analytics. But Google explicitly states not to do this, so you are correct in calling me out here.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#45I tried Matomo.
Self hosting is easy. That's a plus.
I also like the interface. Took a while to get used to it but after that, I liked it even better than Google Analytics.
But one problem that seems unsurmountable is that it tries to be clever. And while trying, it messes up your data.
If you have pages with a parameter in the querystring that is called "q", Matomo does not count those as pageviews. It tries to be clever and only count those as "searches". Probably because many site searches use a parameter "q" for what the user is searching for.
Even if a page is a search result page, it should be counted as a pageview.
The problem gets even worse when you have users bookmarking pages with a "q" parameter. Then things get really messy when you try to understand which pages users use, where they come from etc.
I have searched a lot, but have found no way to disable this "cleverness". And no way to retroactively fix the data.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#46I'm using the matomo self hosted version and like it overall. I love you can track all outbound clicks without having to specifically add Dom elements to outbound links to make this possible. Unfortunately matomo is blocked just like Google Analytics by every ad/tracking blocker. Doesn't matter if you host it yourself and only track global stats vs tracking users across the web like GA does. The only solution seems t…
At this point in history, tracking on the web is no longer a trusted activity where people can assume that the person behind the tracking is doing it for benevolent purposes. It's the same thing with email and spam, especially when attachments are involved.
Writing your own analytics can give some additional benefits in that you are only collected what you need while taking into considerations your users needs. I expect however that in time browsers will block more and more by default, similar in how email clients and services has progressed in their arm race with spam.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why spend time undermining people's preferences?
If I build a web site, and it is my preference to know what pages get clicks on what elements (presumably, so I can make my site better)... whose preference gets priority; mine or my users? It's not as black and white as your question makes it sound.
It kind of is black and white, from technology point of view.
You, the website owner, can control what your server does in response to HTTP requests a client makes. You control what data is sent, and under what conditions you'll send that data (ie: presence of a valid session cookie, correct username/password, cryptographly signed request, etc).
I, the user owning a computer, get to control what my computer does. I run a web browser, and can choose what happens in response to data your site sends me via HTTP.
Most notably, your site can send some javascript, but my computer doesn't have to run it. My computer can also selectively block what it does, including limiting its access to initiate web requests to other sites.
Anything beyond this is artificial, such as laws like DMCA or CFAA.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why spend time undermining people's preferences?
Most people who are against trackers are not against the website they visit getting valuable information about which page they use or not, or the order in which they use each page to figure out which path work or not, etc ... They are against the website chosing to not pay for it and instead getting it for free in exchange for giving all that data to a 3rd party (like GA / Google), who then uses it for its own purpos…
An ad/tracking blocker could discriminate between privacy-protecting trackers and spyware, but it would not be worth the time in practice.
Such a distinction would need an option and have to be on by default. Most people use the “out of the box” config, so only a few people (like me) would enable honest tracking.
The blockers would have to keep up with this option to make sure the thing they allow hadn’t switched to evil mode.
And so on. Basically another case where bad actors like google poisoned the well.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why spend time undermining people's preferences?
If I build a web site, and it is my preference to know what pages get clicks on what elements (presumably, so I can make my site better)... whose preference gets priority; mine or my users? It's not as black and white as your question makes it sound.
The users have the ultimate authority whether you like it or not: they don’t have to read your whole page, they don’t have to look at that image (or even load it), they don’t even have to go to your site if their friends tell them not to.
It’s like going to pee when an ad appeared on TV back when TV was a thing. The broadcaster and advertiser had no control.
I am sympathetic to your desire (I’m assume your desire comes from a good place),* but at the end of the day I think we want to live in a world where the people are the important part.
* in my experience the best sales people really do believe the prospective customer does want what they are selling, be it pantyhose, homeopathic drugs, or specially formulated window washing fluid.
Re: Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy
#50I tried Matomo. Self hosting is easy. That's a plus. I also like the interface. Took a while to get used to it but after that, I liked it even better than Google Analytics. But one problem that seems unsurmountable is that it tries to be clever. And while trying, it messes up your data. If you have pages with a parameter in the querystring that is called "q", Matomo does not count those as pageviews. It tries to be c…
That's an odd choice as WordPress, which is by far the most popular CMS, uses ?s= as a search query.
I would expect those pages to be included in the data. They could offer some sort of segmentation if they think they they can separate out searches, though.