Piwik

# open source web analytics

http://piwik.org/

Les articles publiés sur le site

  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4) vs Universal Analytics (UA)

    24 janvier 2022, par Erin — Analytics Tips

    March 2022 Update: It’s official! Google announced that Universal Analytics will no longer process any new data as of 1 July 2023. Google is now pushing Universal Analytics users to switch to the latest version of GA – Google Analytics 4. 

    Currently, Google Analytics 4 is unable to accept historical data from Universal Analytics. Users need to take action before July 2022, to ensure they have 12 months of data built up before the sunset of Universal Analytics

    So how do Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 compare? And what alternative options do you have? Let’s dive in. 

    In this blog, we'll cover:

    What is Google Analytics 4? 

    In October 2020, Google launched Google Analytics 4, a completely redesigned analytics platform. This follows on from the previous version known as Universal Analytics (or UA).

    Amongst its touted benefits, GA4 promises a completely new way to model data and even the ability to predict future revenue. 

    However, the reception of GA4 has been largely negative. In fact, some users from the digital marketing community have said that GA4 is awful, unusable and so bad it can bring you to tears.

    Gill Andrews via Twitter

    Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics

    There are some pretty big differences between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics but for this blog, we’ll cover the top three.

    1. Redesigned user interface (UI)

    GA4 features a completely redesigned UI to Universal Analytics’ popular interface. This dramatic change has left many users in confusion and fuelled some users to declare that “most of the time you are going round in circles to find what you’re looking for.”

    Google Analytics 4 missing features
    Mike Huggard via Twitter

    2. Event-based tracking

    Google Analytics 4 also brings with it a new data model which is purely event-based. This event-based model moves away from the typical “pageview” metric that underpins Universal Analytics.

    3. Machine learning insights

    Google Analytics 4 promises to “predict the future behavior of your users” with their machine-learning-powered predictive metrics. This feature can “use shared aggregated and anonymous data to improve model quality”. Sounds powerful, right?

    Unfortunately, it only works if at least 1,000 returning users triggered the relevant predictive condition over a seven-day period. Also, if the model isn’t sustained over a “period of time” then it won’t work. And according to Google, if “the model quality for your property falls below the minimum threshold, then Analytics will stop updating the corresponding predictions”.

    This means GA4’s machine learning insights probably won’t work for the majority of analytics users.

    Ultimately, GA4 is just not ready to replace Google’s Universal Analytics for most users. There are too many missing features.

    What’s missing in Google Analytics 4?

    Quite a lot. Even though it offers a completely new approach to analytics, there are a lot of key features and functions missing in GA4.

    Behavior Flow

    The Behavior Flow report in Universal Analytics helps to visualise the path users take from one page or Event to the next. It’s extremely useful when you’re looking for quick and clear insight. But it no longer exists in Google Analytics 4, and instead, two new overcomplicated reports have been introduced to replace it – funnel exploration report and path exploration report.

    The decision to remove this critical report will leave many users feeling disappointed and frustrated. 

    Limitations on custom dimensions

    You can create custom dimensions in Google Analytics 4 to capture advanced information. For example, if a user reads a blog post you can supplement that data with custom dimensions like author name or blog post length. But, you can only use up to 50, and for some that will make functionality like this almost pointless.

    Machine learning (ML) limitations

    Google Analytics 4 promises powerful ML insights to predict the likelihood of users converting based on their behaviors. The problem? You need 1,000 returning users in one week. For most small-medium businesses this just isn’t possible.

    And if you do get this level of traffic in a week, there’s another hurdle. According to Google, if “the model quality for your property falls below the minimum threshold, then GA will stop updating the corresponding predictions.” To add insult to injury Google suggests that this might make all ML insights unavailable. But they can’t say for certain… 

    Views

    One cornerstone of Universal Analytics is the ability to configure views. Views allow you to set certain analytics environments for testing or cleaning up data by filtering out internal traffic, for example. 

    Views are great for quickly and easily filtering data. Preset views that contain just the information you want to see are the ideal analytics setup for smaller businesses, casual users, and do-it-yourself marketing departments.

    Via Reddit

    There are a few workarounds but they’re “messy [,] annoying and clunky,” says a disenfranchised Redditor.

    Another helpful Reddit user stumbled upon an unhelpful statement from Google. Google says that they “do not offer [the views] feature in Google Analytics 4 but are planning similar functionality in the future.” There’s no specific date yet though.

    Bounce rate

    Those that rely on bounce rate to understand their site’s performance will be disappointed to find out that bounce rate is also not available in GA4. Instead, Google is pushing a new metric known as “Engagement Rate”. With this metric, Google now uses their own formula to establish if a visitor is engaged with a site.

    Lack of integration

    Currently, GA4 isn’t ready to integrate with many core digital marketing tools and doesn’t accept non-Google data imports. This makes it difficult for users to analyse ROI and ROAS for campaigns measured in other tools. 

    Content Grouping

    Yet another key feature that Google has done away with is Content Grouping. However, as with some of the other missing features in GA4, there is a workaround, but it’s not simple for casual users to implement. In order to keep using Content Grouping, you’ll need to create event-scoped custom dimensions.

    Annotations 

    A key feature of Universal Analytics is the ability to add custom Annotations in views. Annotations are useful for marking dates that site changes were made for analysis in the future. However, Google has removed the Annotations feature and offered no alternative or workaround.

    Historical data imports are not available

    The new approach to data modelling in GA4 adds new functionality that UA can’t match. However, it also means that you can’t import historical UA data into GA4. 

    Google’s suggestion for this one? Keep running UA with GA4 and duplicate events for your GA4 property. Now you will have two different implementations running alongside each other and doing slightly different things. Which doesn’t sound like a particularly streamlined solution, and adds another level of complexity.

    Should you switch to Google Analytics 4?

    So the burning question is, should you switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4? It really depends on whether you have the available resources and if you believe this tool is still right for your organisation. At the time of writing, GA4 is not ready for day-to-day use in most organisations.

    If you’re a casual user or someone looking for quick, clear insights then you will likely struggle with the switch to GA4. It appears that the new Google Analytics 4 has been designed for enterprise-scale businesses with large internal teams of analysts.

    Google Analytics 4 UX changes
    Micah Fisher-Kirshner via Twitter

    Unfortunately, for most casual users, business owners and do-it-yourself marketers there are complex workarounds and time-consuming implementations to handle. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if the effort to migrate and relearn GA is worth it.

    Right now is the best time to draw the line and make a decision to either switch to GA4 or look for a better alternative to Google Analytics.

    Google Analytics alternative

    Matomo is one of the best Google Analytics alternatives offering an easy to use design with enhanced insights on our Cloud, On-Premise and on Matomo for WordPress solutions. 

    Google Analytics 4 Switch to Matomo
    Mark Samber via Twitter

    Matomo is an open-source analytics solution that provides a comprehensive, user-friendly and compliance-focused alternative to both Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics.

    The key benefits of using Matomo include:

    Plus, unlike GA4, Matomo will accept your historical data from UA so you don’t have to start all over again. Check out our 7 step guide to migrating from Google Analytics to find out how.

    Getting started with Matomo is easy. Check out our live demo and start your free 21-day trial. No credit card required.

    In addition to the limitations and complexities of GA4, there are many other significant drawbacks to using Google Analytics.

    Google’s data ethics are a growing concern of many and it is often discussed in the mainstream media. In addition, GA is not GDPR compliant by default and has resulted in 200k+ data protection cases against websites using GA.

    What’s more, the data that Google Analytics actually provides its end-users is extrapolated from samples. GA’s data sampling model means that once you’ve collected a certain amount of data Google Analytics will make educated guesses rather than use up its server space collecting your actual data. 

    The reasons to switch from Google Analytics are rising each day. 

    Wrap up

    The now required update to GA4 will add new layers of complexity, which will leave many casual web analytics users and marketers wondering if there’s a better way. Luckily there is. Get clear insights quickly and easily with Matomo – start your 21-day free trial now.

  • Google Analytics Now Illegal in Austria ; Other EU Member States Expected to Follow

    18 janvier 2022, par Erin — Privacy

    Breaking news: The Austrian Data Protection Authority (“Datenschutzbehörde” or “DSB” or “DPA”) has ruled that Austrian website providers using Google Analytics are in violation of the GDPR. 

    This ruling stems from a decision made in 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that stated that cloud services hosted in the US are incapable of complying with the GDPR and EU privacy laws. The decision was made because of the US surveillance laws requiring US providers (like Google or Facebook) to provide personal data to US authorities. 

    The 2020 ruling, known as “Schrems II”, marked the ending of the Privacy Shield, a framework that allowed for EU data to be transferred to US companies that became certified. 

    The tech industry was sent into a frenzy following this decision, but many US and EU companies decided to ignore the case. The choice to ignore is what landed one Austrian business in the DPA’s line of fire, damaging the brand’s reputation and possibly resulting in a hefty fine of up to €20 million or 4% of the organisation’s global turnover. 

    About the Austrian DPA’s Model Case 

    In this specific case, noyb (the European Center for Digital Rights) found that IP addresses (which are classified as personal data by the GDPR) and other identifiers were sent to the US in cookie data as a result of the organisation using Google Analytics. 

    This model case led to the DPA’s decision to rule that Austrian website providers using Google Analytics are in violation of GDPR. It is believed that other EU Member States will soon follow in this decision as well.

    "We expect similar decisions to now drop gradually in most EU member states. We have filed 101 complaints in almost all Member States and the authorities coordinated the response. A similar decision was also issued by the European Data Protection Supervisor last week."

    Max Schrems, honorary chair of noyb.eu

    What does this mean if you are using Google Analytics?

    If there is one thing to learn from this case, it is that ignoring these court rulings and continuing to use Google Analytics is not a viable option. 

    If you are operating a website in Austria, or your website services Austrian citizens, you should remove Google Analytics from your website immediately. 

    For businesses in other EU Member States, it is also highly recommended that you take action before noyb and local data protection authorities start targeting more businesses. 

    "Instead of actually adapting services to be GDPR compliant, US companies have tried to simply add some text to their privacy policies and ignore the Court of Justice. Many EU companies have followed the lead instead of switching to legal options."

    Max Schrems

    Removing Google Analytics from your site doesn’t mean that you need to give up website analytics altogether though. There are a variety of Google Analytics alternatives available today. Matomo in particular is a powerful open-source web analytics platform that gives you 100% data ownership and GDPR compliance. 

    Tweet - Using Google Analytics is illegal in Europe
    Glenn F. Henriksen via Twitter

    Matomo is one of the best Google Analytics alternatives offering privacy by design on our Cloud, On-Premise and Matomo for WordPress. So you can get the insights you need while remaining compliant. As the GDPR continues to evolve, you can rest assured that Matomo will be at the forefront of these changes. 

    In addition, all Google Analytics data can be imported into Matomo so no historical data is lost. To make your migration as seamless as possible, we’ve put together a guide to migrating from Google Analytics to Matomo. 

    Ready to begin your journey to GDPR compliance? Check out our live demo and start your 21-day free trial now – no credit card required.

    If you are interested in learning more about GDPR compliance and Matomo, check out our GDPR resources below:               

    What does this mean if you are using Matomo? 

    Our users can rest assured that Matomo remains in compliance with GDPR as all data is stored in the EU (Matomo Cloud) or in any country of your choice (Matomo On-Premise). With Matomo you’re able to continue analysing your website and not worry about GDPR.

    Final thoughts

    For EU businesses operating websites, now is the time to act. While Google pushes out false narratives to try and convince users that it is safe to continue using Google Analytics, it’s clear from these court rulings that the data protection authorities across the EU disagree with Google’s narrative.

    The fines, reputational damage and stresses mounting from using Google Analytics are imminent. Find an alternative to Google Analytics as this problem is not going away. 

    Getting started with Matomo is easy. Make the switch today and start your free 21-day trial – no credit card required. 

  • Matomo Further Invests in Security by Doubling Bug Bounty Rewards

    7 janvier 2022, par erin — Community, Press Releases

    Matomo is the leading open-source analytics solution free from data limitations. 

    As our mission states, we aim to create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform that gives every user full control of their data. 

    To do this, we operate a Security Bug Bounty Programme. This programme is designed to reward the hard work of skilled security researchers who sacrifice their time and energy to find and report security and vulnerabilities. 

    To continue our investment in security, privacy and transparency, we are increasing the security bug bounty reward to as much as $10,000 USD. This is an increase of 100% from our previous 2020 bug bounty announcement.

    How much can I earn for reporting security bugs?

    Reward amounts vary depending on the impact:

    • Low issues receive $222
    • Medium issues receive $555
    • High issues receive $1,000
    • Critical issues receive $10,000

    How can I take part? 

    As of January 2022, global independent security researchers have identified and suggested 138 security related improvements. If you are interested in joining this growing community, head to our Security Bug Bounty Programme to find out how you can take part. 

    We thank you for keeping Matomo safe for our users and theirs.

    About Matomo

    Matomo is the leading open-source analytics solution free from data limitations. Make more informed decisions and enhance your customer experience while ensuring data privacy and ownership. Matomo is the trusted solution for over 1.5 million websites globally. Take back control of your data ownership and challenge the status quo.

  • How to Use Web Analytics to Improve SEO

    5 janvier 2022, par erin — Analytics Tips

    Everyone wants their website to rank highly in Google — and that’s exactly why the world of SEO is so competitive.

    In order to succeed in such a crowded space, it’s essential to equip yourself with the right tools and processes to ensure your website is maximally optimised for search engines.

    If you’d like to improve your website’s SEO rankings, leveraging web analytics is one of the best places to start. Web analytics provides valuable insights to help you assess performance, user behaviour and optimisation opportunities.

    In this blog, we’ll cover:

    The basics of SEO and web analytics

    Before we discuss how to use web analytics for SEO, let’s start with a quick explanation of both.

    SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) encompasses a broad set of activities aimed at increasing a website’s position in search engine results pages (SERPs). When a user enters a query (e.g. ‘marketing agencies in Dallas’) in a search engine, the websites that appear near the top of the page are optimised for search engines and therefore ranking for that particular term. 

    Web analytics refers to the monitoring/assessment of metrics that track traffic sources and user behaviour on a website. This involves the use of a web analytics tool to collect, aggregate, organise and visualise website data so that meaningful conclusions can be drawn.

    The importance of website analytics for SEO

    SEO revolves around search engine algorithms – a set of rules that dictates a website’s ranking for a given search query (i.e. keyword). The algorithm takes numerous factors into account to determine a particular site’s SERP ranking. So, to achieve strong SEO, your website needs to exhibit qualities that the algorithm deems important. That’s where web analytics comes into play.

    Web analytics allows you to track key metrics and data points that affect how the algorithm ranks your website. For example, how much time do users spend on your site? Which external links are referring traffic to your site? How do your site’s Core Web Vitals stack up? 

    Understanding this data will supply you with the insights needed to make positive adjustments, ultimately improving your website’s SEO. 

    How do you analyse a website for SEO?

    The SEO analysis of a website needs to be focused on relevant data that’s applicable to search engine rankings. When conducting your website SEO analysis, here are some notable metrics and data fields to pay attention to:

    1. Bounce rate and dwell time

    These metrics denote how much time users spend on your website. If users frequently exit your site after only a few seconds, Google may view this as a negative indicator. To reduce bounce rate and increase dwell time, you should work towards making your site’s content more captivating and ensuring that there aren’t any technical issues with your site (e.g. pages taking too long to load or not optimised for mobile).

    Bounce rate on Matomo's Page report
    Bounce rate and average time on page via Pages report

    2. Broken/dead links

    Perform a technical analysis to scan your website for faulty links. If your site contains broken links that lead to 404 pages, this can detract from your website’s SEO rankings. Redirect those links to a related page or remove them.

    Crawl Errors report in Matomo
    404 errors via the Crawling Errors report

    Matomo’s Crawling Errors report can give you instant access to this technical information so you can resolve it before it begins to impact your ranking.

    3. Scroll depth

    Measuring scroll depth (how far users scroll down the page) can help you gauge the quality of your content — and this goes hand-in-hand with bounce rate and dwell time. To assess scroll depth, you can use a Tag Manager to track the specific scroll percentage on your site’s pages.

    4. Transitions

    Studying how users transition from page to page within your site can help you understand their behaviour more holistically. Which pages do they tend to gravitate towards? Are there CTAs on your blog that aren’t driving many click-throughs? Optimising user journeys will, in turn, elevate the overall user experience on your site.

    Matomo's Transition report
    Previous and following actions of visitors for a website’s cart page via the Transitions report

    5. Internal site search

    You can use site search tracking and reporting to learn what your audience is looking for. If you notice a trend (e.g. the majority of searches are for pricing because your pricing page isn’t in the navigation menu), this can inform both site architecture and content planning.

    Matomo's Site Search Keywords report
    List of keywords via Site Search Keywords report

    Ecommerce sites in particular should be monitoring branded queries, especially in regards to brand misspellings that could be causing users to bounce off the site.

    6. Segments

    Separating your visitors into distinct segments can produce granular insights that paint a more accurate picture.

    For example, perhaps you notice that your bounce rate is far higher on mobile, or with users from the UK. In both cases, this knowledge will provide clarity on where to focus your optimisation efforts (e.g. mobile responsiveness, UK-specific content/landing pages, etc.).

    Website visitor segment via Matomo's Site Search Keywords report
    Matomo’s Site Search report combined with the Returning Users Segment

    7. Acquisition channels

    It’s crucial to analyse where your website traffic is coming from. Among other things, reviewing your acquisition metrics will reveal which external websites are referring the most traffic to your website. 

    Links from external sites (also known as backlinks) are one of the most important ranking factors because this tells Google that your site is reputable and credible. So, you may choose to cultivate a relationship with these sites (or similar sites) by offering guest blogging and other link building initiatives.

    Referral Website report in Matomo
    Referral websites via Matomo’s Websites report

    In addition to the above, you should also be monitoring your Core Web Vitals — which leads us to our next section.

    What are Core Web Vitals and why are they important?

    Core Web Vitals are a set of 3 primary metrics that reflect the general user experience of a website. These metrics are load time, interactivity and stability. 

    1. Load time (LCP) refers to the amount of time it takes for your website’s text and images to load.
    2. Interactivity (FID) refers to the amount of time it takes for user input areas (buttons, form fields, etc.) to become functional.
    3. Stability (CLS) refers to the visual/spatial integrity of your website. If text, images, and other elements tend to suddenly shift position when a user is viewing the site, this will hurt your CLS score.
    Matomo's SEO Web VItals report
    Core Web Vitals metrics via Matomo’s SEO Web Vitals report

    So, why are these Core Web Vitals metrics important for SEO? Generally speaking, Google prioritises user experience — and Core Web Vitals affect users’ satisfaction with a website. Furthermore, Google has confirmed that Core Web Vitals are, indeed, a ranking factor.

    Matomo enables you to track metrics for Core Web Vitals which we refer to as SEO Web Vitals.

    How to measure and track keyword performance

    We can’t talk about SEO and analytics without touching on keywords. Keywords (the words/phrases that users type in a search engine) are arguably the most cardinal component of SEO. So, outside of website performance, it’s also necessary to track the keywords your website is ranking for. 

    Recall from above that SEO is all about ranking highly on SERPs for certain search queries (i.e. keywords). To assess your Search Engine Keyword Performance, you can use an analytics tool to view Keyword reports for your website. These reports will show you which keywords your site ranks for, the average SERP position your site achieves for each keyword, the amount of traffic you receive from each keyword, and more.

    Top keywords generating traffic via Matomo's Search Engines & Keywords Performance report
    Top keywords generating traffic via Search Engines & Keywords report in Matomo

    Digging into your keyword performance can help you identify valuable keyword opportunities and improvement goals.

    For example, upon reviewing your highest-traffic keywords, you may choose to create more blog content around those keywords to bolster your success. Or, perhaps you notice that your average position for a high-intent keyword is quite low. In that case, you could implement a targeted link building campaign to help boost your ranking for that keyword. 

    Final thoughts

    In this article, we’ve discussed the benefits of web analytics — particularly in regards to SEO. When it comes to selecting a web analytics tool, Google Analytics is by far the most popular choice. But that doesn’t make it the best.

    At Matomo, we’re committed to providing a superior alternative to Google Analytics. Matomo is a powerful, open-source web analytics platform that gives you 100% data ownership — protecting both your data and your customers’ privacy.

    Try our live demo or start a free 21-day trial now – no credit card required.

  • Matomo’s 2021 Year in Review

    13 décembre 2021, par erin — Community

    2021 has been an exciting year at Matomo!

    We’re grateful for all community members who reported feedback and suggestions, our awesome team of translators for their work, and our Premium features customers and Matomo Cloud hosting customers for their amazing support. 

    We wanted to share some quick highlights to remind you of the exciting things that happened in 2021.

    Matomo continues to develop

    In 2021 we released a number of new features including:

    The new SEO Web Vitals feature helps you track your critical website performance metrics, which are a core element of SEO best practice.

    SEO Web Vitals

    Measure the performance of your ads without giving up privacy.

    This exciting new feature supports privacy and compliance requirements by eliminating the need to put third-party advertising tracking codes on your site. Now marketers can easily import conversion data from Matomo into Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising or Yandex Ads.

    Say goodbye to spammers & bots making your data inaccurate and say hello to reliable data. 

    This powerful plugin provides our self-hosting users various options to prevent spammers and bots from making data inaccurate so you can rely on your data again.

    • In 2021 we moved from Matomo 4.1.0 to Matomo 4.6.0, with our new releases delivering over 600 updates to improve the stability and functionality of the product.

    Some of our team’s favourite updates in 2021 included:

      • Graphs now show a difference for data of “unfinished” and “complete” periods, with unfinished periods now indicated by a dashed line.
      • Improvements to Matomo Tag Manager’s debugger – now you can simply enter the URL in a form and click Debug.
      • Dashboards now show proportional evolution comparison for incomplete periods (rather than absolute values).
       
    • We also rolled out general bug fixes in Matomo Mobile 2.5 for iOS and Android.
    • Continuous improvements to Matomo for WordPress. 

    In other news

    If you haven’t explored our Marketplace yet, some of our most popular plugins include:

    Matomo Community working together

    MatomoCamp 2021 was a massive success thanks to our passionate community, sponsors and speakers. This virtual event was run by the Matomo Community, for the Matomo Community. 

    MatomoCamp is the first online event developed by and for the Matomo community.

    Some of the most popular sessions included:

    All MatomoCamp sessions are now available on-demand. Enjoy!

    More people are choosing ethical analytics 

    We surpassed the incredible milestone of 30K active Matomo for WordPress installations.

    How can you get involved in 2022?

    Our mission at Matomo is:

    “To create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform, that gives every user full control of their data”

    Join our mission by writing about Matomo on your blog, website, Twitter, talk at conferences or let your friends and colleagues know what is Matomo. 

    Use the Matomo forum if you have any questions or feedback (free support), or purchase a Support Plan to get professional support and guidance.

    To improve Matomo in your language, consider contributing to translations.

    You can also support our efforts by purchasing Premium Features for Matomo or try our Matomo Cloud solution.

    Thank you for being part of our Matomo community, we wish you all the best for 2022!

Navigation

Sites Web