GoogleGoogle Analytics
installation
For a long time, Google Analytics was considered the standard for tracking on websites. The main advantage of Google Analytics is that the service is easy to install. All you need to do is integrate a small piece of JavaScript code into the pages. There are also plugins for many platforms such as WordPress or Shopify that make installing Google Analytics even easier.
This fact and the powerful range of functions has led to Google Analytics being used by the majority of websites. However, we continue to see how many people are lulled into a false sense of security and do not even realize how often they come to the wrong conclusions when Google Analytics is not configured correctly.
As soon as Google Analytics is set up, all important data and metrics are available with just a few clicks on the clear and easy-to-use user interface. Most of the reports in the tool are self-explanatory. But Google Analytics also offers numerous advantages for advanced users and professionals. For example, a link to other Google services can be set up to combine data from Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Google Ads.
data protection
Google Analytics is free, the price you pay is the data that is sent to Google . This creates a major disadvantage that makes the use of Google Analytics a risk, especially in the EU: data protection. After the use of Google Analytics was already marked as non-GDPR compliant in Austria and France, it is expected that this will soon happen in other EU countries as well (see also: Digital Marketing Compliance: Will Google Analytics be banned? ). The resulting uncertainty and the risk of warnings and penalties for using Google Analytics are clear arguments against the Google tool.
MatomoMatomo
data security
There are various alternatives on the market. The most popular solution after Google Analytics is Matomo, which used to be called Piwik. Unlike Google Analytics, Matomo does not transfer visitor data to a third-party data center that is also located abroad. Instead, it is stored on the company's own server (although there is also a cloud-hosted offer for smaller companies). With a self-controlled hosting solution, the most important criticism of Google Analytics, namely the legal uncertainty when transferring personal data to a third country, does not apply.
Without cookies
In addition, Matomo can be operated without cookies. Although not all analysis options are then available, this results in even better protection of the privacy of site visitors (see also: Matomo setup/configuration for better analytics ).
Data quality: Customer journey including areas with sensitive data
And there are other arguments for using Matomo as an alternative to Google Analytics. The most important factor here is the quality of the data. For example, it is possible to record the entire customer journey with the tool. This data can be used to discover weaknesses in the conversion funnel. Government agencies or banks often have areas of the website or app that they do not want to share with third parties. Only a few people think of sharing such data with a provider like Google.
You can read more about this in the article: Which Swiss eBanking solutions reveal your banking relationship to Google
The completeness and quality of the data from Matomo is due to the fact that the tool is affected by ad blockers far less often than Google Analytics . There are also numerous filters that can be used to filter out spam. There is a blacklist specifically for this purpose , which is constantly being expanded. This can be used to identify so-called referrer spam. This involves fictitious visits to websites with a fake origin ("referrer").
flexibility
Also worth mentioning is the great flexibility of Matomo, which is ensured by a large selection of available plugins and extensions. These are available for download in various categories on the Matomo Marketplace .
scalability
And in terms of scalability, Matomo is also ahead of Google Analytics. While Google Analytics has a limit of 10 million hits per month, 100,000 hits per user per day, and 500 hits per session, Matomo has no such limits.
user interface
Matomo offers a clean and clear user interface, which is similar to that Armenia Phone Number Resource of Google Universal Analytics. Those who are used to the Google Analytics interface will have to adjust a little, but the adjustment period should be reasonable. The main advantage is that the Google Analytics 4 user interface is completely new and evaluations are very complicated (even after days of training). It is much easier to switch from Google Analytics to Matomo than from Google (Universal) Analytics to the new Google Analytics 4.
For free
Like Google Analytics, Matomo is free to use. Only the use of certain plugins for special applications may be subject to payment. Hosting may incur costs, but these are reasonable.
installation
While many things are predefined in Google Analytics, Matomo's behavior can be influenced by many settings. As a result, it can be disadvantageous that installing Matomo is more complex than installing Google Analytics. Because the software is run on your own server, it must be set up accordingly. This may require support from a technically experienced Matomo agency .
