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Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

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Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#21

Post by richardv »

Has anyone installed Piwik for multiple accounts?

My product allows users to create and launch their own website. I'd quite like to be able to quickly provide basic statistics for users (alongside Google analytics if they want it).

We run a multi-tenant application so have thousands of sites running from the same codebase, however, each site owner would need it's own statistics. At the moment, we just let users provide their own Google Analytics, but it would be nice to report to Piwik I think and give them their own preconfigured stats area?

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#22

Post by mdasen »

sergiotapia wrote: post #8

One thing I feel you miss out if you don't use GA is 'Google-juice'. Maybe it's just like blowing into a Super Nintendo cartridge, but I think using GA increases your SEO with Google. Am I mistaken?

You're probably mistaken.

The reason why this probably isn't true is that it would be a regulator's/anti-trust-buster's dream come true. Imagine it: Google ranks you lower if you don't use other Google products. Don't use GA? Ranked lower. Don't pay for ads? Maybe your organic results drop a bit. . .

Google has to be very careful about its organic search results. Giving extra weight to sites that use things like Google Analytics would be the "confirmation" that regulators would need. As such, it seems like Google wouldn't risk its core business over something like this.

I totally understand the logic: if I use Google Analytics, Google knows that my site is getting traffic and it makes a certain sense to take that into consideration. However, I think the opposite side of that (if sites don't give Google whatever Google wants, they're going to be ranked lower) is a can of worms that Google doesn't want to be seen dipping into.

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#23

Post by aram »

richardv wrote: post #21

Has anyone installed Piwik for multiple accounts? My product allows users to create and launch their own website. I'd quite like to be able to quickly provide basic statistics for users (alongside Google analytics if they want it). We run a multi-tenant application so have thousands of sites running from the same codebase, however, each site owner would need it's own statistics. At the moment, we just let users provi…

Yes, you can create additional users within Piwik and grant them access to specific websites.

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#25

Post by jaymzcampbell »

richardv wrote: post #21

Has anyone installed Piwik for multiple accounts? My product allows users to create and launch their own website. I'd quite like to be able to quickly provide basic statistics for users (alongside Google analytics if they want it). We run a multi-tenant application so have thousands of sites running from the same codebase, however, each site owner would need it's own statistics. At the moment, we just let users provi…

I've used it in the past to do something a bit similar. I had a sort of "master account" that was installed on all domains and then a second individual one per domain. Piwik worked really nicely and gave the end user the ability to see a sort of "combined stats" as well as per-domain stats. We couldn't get GA to work in this way (I think that has since changed).

This was about two years ago now and I've followed the development on and off and it's certainly come on leaps and bounds. It's definitely worth some investigation for your use-case.

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#27

Post by PavlovsCat »

aram wrote: post #23
richardv wrote: post #21

Has anyone installed Piwik for multiple accounts? My product allows users to create and launch their own website. I'd quite like to be able to quickly provide basic statistics for users (alongside Google analytics if they want it). We run a multi-tenant application so have thousands of sites running from the same codebase, however, each site owner would need it's own statistics. At the moment, we just let users provi…

Yes, you can create additional users within Piwik and grant them access to specific websites.

Looks like it's possible to do this programmatically even:

http://piwik.org/docs/analytics-api/reference/#UsersManager

http://piwik.org/docs/analytics-api/reference/#SitesManager

(and if there are some quirks in the way, file a ticket etc.)

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#28

Post by lazyjones »

Our attempts to install and use Piwik have always been disappointing in the past. It seems to fall apart (slow display etc.) quickly for medium to high traffic sites (50+ million page views/month). Are there any people here who are using it successfully at this order of magnitude and are willing to share some configuration hints?

Re: Goodbye Google Analytics. Hello Piwik

#30

Post by toble »

tombrossman wrote: post #4

Our local police force has set up a site for 'anonymous' reports from rape victims, and it had GA tracking on every page (plus Google CDN content, another issue). I wrote them to explain why this wasn't the best idea and how Piwik was a better choice. Crimestoppers (A UK charity) are doing this too, and I wrote them to explain the potential for privacy issues. 'You've outsourced crime victims' privacy to an ad compan…

Ouch. That crimestoppers form has code for a Facebook like, Google Analytics, New Relic and Fonts.com.

Maybe you sounded like a salesperson? Piwik was unknown to me until I read it in this comment.

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