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  • Monitoring de fermes de MediaSPIP (et de SPIP tant qu’à faire)

    31 mai 2013, par

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Sur d’autres sites (7405)

  • Q&A : An interview with Matomo founder, Matthieu Aubry

    20 novembre 2018, par Joselyn Khor — About, Community

    Hey everyone ! Joselyn here. As always the views of our community remain top of mind. So to make sure you guys know the thinking behind these new projects, we reached out to Matomo’s founder, Matthieu, to ask questions you might want answered. Please check it out below !

    Hi guys, it’s Matthieu ! Here to answer some questions about the rebrand and the future of Matomo and Innocraft.

    What’s upcoming ?

    We’ve been busy implementing our rebrand into all aspects of Matomo and there’s also our new website, which is launching today ! The new website will help people better understand what Matomo is and how they can benefit from using modern web analytics.

    Why was Matomo and Innocraft brought onto one website ?

    In the past the separation caused a bit of confusion so we’re taking this as a chance to unite both the business brand, Innocraft and community brand, Matomo, on one website. Putting our focus on one brand, Matomo, makes it easier for people to see us with fresh eyes. We have a community side as well as a business side and while the community is still incredibly important to us, we find we have a powerful analytics tool that is capable of helping businesses too.

    Is Matomo becoming commercial or turning corporate ?

    No. nothing is changing. Matomo is still an open-source project and community. Although we’ll have a pricing page and “start free trial” on the new website brought over from Innocraft.cloud, the Matomo community will still play the biggest part on the Matomo website. We have dedicated sections focused on Community and On-Premise.

    The rebrand exercise helped us gain a refreshed perspective. After reflecting on how far we’ve come, we can feel more confident about Matomo Analytics itself as a platform. We believe it’s a great chance to bring that confidence into the brand and vision. We are proud that it’s an awesome open-source platform and at the same time it’s also powerful as a tool for businesses.

    Why is there no ‘download for free’ button on the homepage ?

     

    Matomo CTA simplified
    We feel many users coming to the site will get confused about our hosting options (Cloud and On-Premise) which is something you don’t usually consider when choosing an analytics tool.

    The reason for us to not have that button is when people see a “download for free” button on the homepage next to a “try it for free” button, it creates confusion. For those who do choose to download Matomo often become confused when they are left with a .zip file unaware how to install it and the technical requirements of self-hosting. We feel presenting our users with the simplest installation option first will give them the best chance possible to try Matomo to its full potential, without cost.

    And you can still find the link to Download Matomo in the footer of each page.

     

    Is Matomo still free to download and have forever ?

    Absolutely. The free open-source download can be found on the On-Premise section of the website, or download Matomo here.

    Why is it important to have a business behind the project ?

    There’s the reality that we have to make money in order for the Matomo project to survive … and thrive. The reason we still need a business side (Innocraft) is to fund and sustain the Matomo project. Whenever people purchase premium features, this helps finance the development of Matomo for our community.

    Because of the business we’re able to continually maintain and develop Matomo for you guys as well as future users. For example, the next release Matomo 3.8.0 is already mostly developed and will bring lots of interesting features too, like the two-factor authentication, Brute Force Protection, failed tracking requests reporting, lots of JavaScript tracker improvements, a new total summary row below reports, and many more security fixes, bug fixes, and other new features.

    So we see a business being very helpful in supporting our open-source community. Without a business side, our free, open-source project would not be able to survive.

    How will you protect the Matomo project ?

    We’ve ensured the Matomo project will be protected for the future as we wish to turn it into a not-for-profit foundation.

    We’ve also got a safeguard where the open-source code will stay under a GPL license forever. This is so we can guarantee, that no matter what happens, the Matomo project itself will stay completely free software.

    Is there a way for people to help ?

    There are heaps of ways to help ! You can help other Matomo users in the forums, contribute to fixes on GitHub, leave a great review (e.g. alternativeTo), help look for bugs with our Security Bounty Programme or participate and spread the word about Matomo in our community social media pages – Mastodon, Facebook, Twitter. Telling your friends about us would be very helpful too !

    What’s planned for the future ?
    We’ve worked hard to become the #1 open-source analytics platform (1.4 million websites use Matomo today), but now we need to empower even more individuals and businesses to take back control of their own data.

    Showing our community that we have a powerful platform is crucial, but alongside that our values are what define us. User privacy is still of utmost importance and we’re here to make it known that power needs to rest in the hands of people and not large corporations.

    You can rest easy knowing you’re doing your part in using trustworthy and dependable tools. By joining many other companies who are growing this movement to decentralise the Internet, we can build a safer, online world together.

    Join this analytics revolution and let us know what you think about Matomo !

  • SEO for Financial Services : The Ultimate Guide

    26 juin 2024, par Erin

    You know that having a digital marketing strategy is crucial for helping your financial services business capture the attention and trust of potential customers and thrive in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

    The question is — what’s the best way to go about improving your ranking in SERPs and driving organic traffic to your website ? 

    That’s where SEO strategies for financial services come into play. 

    This article will cover everything your company needs to know about SEO for financial services — from the unique challenges you’ll face to the proven tips and strategies you can implement to boost your ranking in SERPs. 

    What is SEO for financial services ? 

    SEO — short for search engine optimisation — refers to optimising your content and website for search engines, particularly Google. 

    The main goal of an SEO strategy is to make your site search-engine-friendly, show that you’re a trusted source and increase the likelihood of appearing in SERPs when potential customers look up relevant keywords — ultimately driving organic visibility and traffic. 

    Now, when it comes to evaluating the success of your financial services SEO strategy, there are certain key performance indicators (KPIs) you should keep track of — including : 

    • SEO ranking, or the position your web pages show up in SERPs for specific search terms (the terms and phrases identified during keyword research) 
    • SEO Score, which shows a website’s overall SEO health and indicates how well it will rank in SERPs
    • Impressions, or the number of times users saw your pages when they looked up relevant search terms 
    • Organic traffic, or the number of people that visit your website via search engines
    • Engagement metrics, such as time on page, pages per session, and bounce rate 
    • Conversion rates from website traffic, including both “hard” conversions (lead generation and purchases) and “soft” conversions (such as newsletter subscriptions) 

    It’s important to note that the financial services industry is incredibly competitive — especially given the large-scale digital transformations in the financial sector and the rise of fintech companies. 

    According to a 2022 report, the global market for financial services was valued at $25.51 trillion. Moreover, it’s expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.7%, reaching $58.69 trillion by 2031.

    Importance and challenges of financial services SEO 

    The financial services industry is changing rapidly, mainly driven by globalisation, innovation, shifting economies, and compliance risks. It’s crucial for financial service companies to develop effective SEO strategies that align with the opportunities and challenges unique to this sector. 

    Certain benefits of a well-executed SEO strategy, namely, better search engine rankings, driving more search traffic, delivering a better user experience, and maximising ROI and promoting business growth, are “universal.” 

    Illustration of top position in SERPs

    Financial services SEO efforts can provide a number of benefits. It can help you : 

    • Improve lead generation and customer acquisition ; the more search traffic you get, the higher the chances of converting visitors into potential clients 
    • Build a strong online presence and brand awareness, which comes as a result of increased visibility in organic search results and reaching a wider audience 
    • Increase your credibility and authority within the industry, primarily through high-quality content that shows your expertise and backlinks from authoritative websites 
    • Gain a competitive edge by analysing and outranking your main competitors 

    That said, financial services companies face some unique challenges :

    High competition : The digital arena for financial services is highly competitive, with numerous companies vying for the same business.

    YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) content : Google’s YMYL framework places higher scrutiny on financial content, demanding higher standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. We’ll cover this topic in greater detail shortly.

    Regulatory changes and compliance : The financial services sector is characterised by constant regulatory changes and new compliance requirements that businesses must navigate. Sometimes this makes it difficult to gather insights and market to your audience. 

    As a privacy-fist, compliant web analytics solution Matomo can provide valuable insights to support your SEO efforts. Matomo ensures compliance with privacy laws — including GDPR, CCPA and more — and provides 20-40% more comprehensive data than Google Analytics.

    Try Matomo for Free

    Get the web insights you need, without compromising data accuracy.

    No credit card required

    8 proven strategies for implementing SEO for financial services 

    SEO for financial services involves a wide range of strategies — including keyword optimisation, technical SEO, content marketing, link building and other off-page SEO activities — that can help your website rank higher in SERPs. 

    Of course, it’s not just about better search rankings. It’s about attracting the right search traffic to your website — potential clients interested in your financial services.

    Here are some proven financial services SEO strategies you should implement : 

    1. Build trust and topical authority 

    Financial services content typically covers more complex topics that could impact the reader’s financial stability and well-being — or, as Google calls them, “Your Money or Your Life” topics (YMYL). As such, it’s subject to much stricter quality standards. 

    To improve your YMYL content, you’ll need to apply the E-E-A-T framework — short for “Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust”. 

    This is a key part of Google’s search rater guidelines for evaluating a website’s quality and credibility. 

    The E-E-A-T standards become even more relevant to financial topics such as investment strategies, financial advice, taxes, and retirement planning. 

    In that sense, the overarching goal of your content strategy should be to build customer trust by demonstrating real expertise and topical authority through in-depth educational content. 

    2. Earn reputable external links through link-building 

    You also need to monitor your off-page SEO—factors outside your website that can’t be directly controlled but can still build trust and contribute to better ranking in SERPs. 

    These include everything from social media engagement and unlinked brand mentions in blog posts, news articles, user reviews and social media discussions — to inbound links from other reputable websites in the finance industry.

    That brings us to high-quality backlinks as a significant factor for YMYL content that can improve your financial services website’s SEO performance : 

    Earning external links can improve your domain authority and reinforce your brand’s position as a reliable source in the financial services niche — which, in turn, can contribute to better search engine rankings and drive more website traffic

    Here are a few link-building strategies you can try : 

    • Use tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to look for reputable websites and then request for them to link to your site
    • Demonstrate your expertise and get backlinks from reputable media outlets through Help a Reporter Out (HARO) 
    • Reach out to authoritative websites that mention your company without linking to you directly and ask them to include a link to your websit

    3. Conduct an SEO audit 

    An SEO audit is a key step in developing and implementing a successful financial SEO strategy. It sets the foundation for all your future efforts — and allows you to measure progress further down the line. 

    You’ll need to perform a comprehensive SEO audit, covering both the existing content and technical aspects of your website — including : 

    • Indexing issues
    • Internal linking and site architecture 
    • Duplicate content 
    • Backlink profile 
    • Broken links 
    • Page titles and metadata 

    It’s possible to do this manually, third-party tools will allow you to dig deeper and speed up the process. Ahrefs and Screaming Frog — to name a few — can help you evaluate your website’s overall health and structure. And, with a web analytics platform like Matomo you can easily measure the success of your SEO efforts.

    But this shouldn’t be a one-time thing ; be sure to perform audits regularly — ideally every six months. 

    4. Understand your target audience

    You can’t create helpful content without learning about your customers’ needs, pain points and preferences. 

    For example, a financial service provider focusing on individuals nearing retirement would prioritise content that educates on retirement planning strategies, investment options for seniors, and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies, aiming to guide clients through the transition from saving to managing retirement funds effectively.

    In contrast, a provider targeting small business owners would emphasise content related to small business loans, funding options, and financial management advice tailored to entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses and navigate financial challenges effectively.

    So, before you dive into keyword research and content creation, ensure you have a deep understanding of your target audience. 

    Identifying different audience categories and developing detailed customer personas for each segment is crucial for creating content that resonates with them and aligns with their search intent. 

    Matomo’s Segmentation tool can be of huge help here. It allows you to divide your audience into smaller groups based on factors like demographics and website interactions : 

    : Screenshot of Matomo's Segmentation tool demo

    In addition to that, you can : 

    • Engage with your frontline teams that interact directly with clients to gain deeper insights into prospects’ needs and concerns
    • Track social media channels and other online discussions related to the financial world and your audience
    • Gather qualitative insights from your site visitors through the Matomo Surveys plugin (questions like “What financial services are you most interested in ?” or “Are there any specific financial topics you would like us to cover in more detail ?” will help you understand your visitors better)
    • Watch out for financial trends and developments that could directly impact your audience’s needs and preferences 

    5. Identify new opportunities through keyword research 

    Comprehensive keyword research can help you identify key search terms — specific phrases that potential customers may use when looking up things related to their finances. 

    It’s best to start with a brainstorming session and assemble a list of relevant topics and core keywords. Once you have an initial list, use tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to get more keyword ideas based on your seed keywords, including : 

    • More specific long-tail keywords — and often less competitive — indicate a clearer intent to convert. For example :
      • “low-risk investment options for retirees”
      • “financial planning for freelancers”
      • “small business loan requirements”
    • Keywords that your competitors already rank for. For instance :
      • If a competing investment firm ranks for “best investment strategies for beginners,” targeting similar keywords can attract novice investors.
      • A competitor’s high ranking for “life insurance quotes online” suggests potential to optimise your own content around similar terms.
    • Location-specific keywords (if you have physical store locations)

    Google Search Console can provide information about the search terms you’re already ranking for — including underperforming content that may benefit from further optimisation. If you want deeper SEO insights, you can import your search keywords into Matomo. 

    While you’re at it, try Matomo’s Site Search feature, too. It will show you the exact terms and phrases visitors enter when using your website’s search bar — and you can use that information to find more content opportunities.

    Try Matomo for Free

    Get the web insights you need, without compromising data accuracy.

    No credit card required

    Of course, not all keywords are equal — and it would be impossible to target them all. Instead, prioritise keywords based on two factors : 

    • Search volume, which indicates the “popularity” of a particular query
    • Keyword difficulty, which indicates how hard it’ll be to rank for a specific term, depending on domain authority, search volume and competition 
    Illustration of search engine optimisation concept

    6. Find your main organic competitors 

    Besides performing an SEO audit, finding your core keywords, and researching your target market, competitor analysis is another crucial aspect of SEO for finance companies. 

    Before you start, it’s important to differentiate between your main organic search competitors and your direct industry competitors : 

    You’ll always have direct competitors — other financial services brands offering similar products and services and targeting the same audience as you.

    However, regarding search results, your financial services business won’t be in a “bubble” specifically reserved for the financial industry. Depending on the specific search queries — and the search intent behind them — SERPs could feature a wider range of online content, from niche finance blogs to news websites, and huge financial publications.

    Even if another company doesn’t offer the same services, they’re an organic competitor if you’re both ranking for the same keywords. 

    Once you determine who your main organic competitors are, you can analyse their websites to : 

    • Check how they’re getting search traffic 
    • See which types of content they’re publishing 
    • Find and fill in any potential content gaps 
    • Assess the quality of their backlink profile 
    • See if they currently have any featured snippets

    7. Consider local SEO

    According to a 2023 survey, 21% of US-based consumers report using the internet to look up local businesses daily, while another 32% do so multiple times a week. 

    Local SEO is worth investing in as a financial service provider, especially with physical locations. Prospective clients will typically look up nearby financial services when they need additional information or are ready to engage in financial planning, investment, or other financial activities.

    Here are a few suggestions on how to optimise your site for local searches : 

    • Create listings on online business directories, like Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business)
    • If your financial service company operates in more than one physical location, be sure to create a separate Google Business Profile for each one 
    • Identify location-specific keywords that will help you rank in local SERPs
    • Make sure that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) citations are correct and consistent 
    • Leverage positive customer reviews and testimonials as social proof

    8. Optimise technical aspects of your website 

    Technical SEO — which primarily deals with the website’s underlying structure — is another crucial factor that financial services brands must monitor. 

    It’s an umbrella term that covers a wide range of elements, including : 

    • Site speed 
    • Indexing issues 
    • Broken links, orphaned pages, improper redirects 
    • On-page optimisation 
    • Mobile responsiveness

    In 2020, Google introduced Core Web Vitals, a set of metrics that measure web page performance in three key areas — loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability. 

    Given that they’re now a part of Google’s core ranking systems, you should consider using Matomo’s SEO Web Vitals feature to monitor these crucial metrics. Here’s why :

    When technical aspects of your website — namely, site speed and mobile responsiveness — are properly optimised, you can deliver a better user experience. That’s what Google seeks to reward. 

    Plus, it can be a critical brand differentiator for your business. 

    Conclusion 

    Investing in SEO for financial services is crucial for boosting online visibility and driving organic traffic and business growth. However, one thing to keep in mind is that SEO efforts shouldn’t be a one-time thing : 

    SEO is an ongoing process, and it will take time to establish your company as a trustworthy source and see real results. 

    You can start building that trust by using a web analytics platform that offers crucial insights for improving your website’s ranking in SERPs and maintains full compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations. 

    That’s why Matomo is trusted by more than 1 million websites around the globe. As an ethical alternative to Google Analytics that doesn’t rely on data sampling, Matomo is not only easy to use but more accurate, too — providing 20-40% more data compared to GA4. 

    Sign up for a 21-day free trial and see how Matomo can support your financial services SEO strategy. No credit card required.

  • What Is Data Ethics & Why Is It Important in Business ?

    9 mai 2024, par Erin

    Data is powerful — every business on earth uses data. But some are leveraging it more than others.

    The problem ?

    Not all businesses are using data ethically.

    You need to collect, store, and analyse data to grow your business. But, if you aren’t careful, you could be crossing the line with your data usage into unethical territories.

    In a society where data is more valuable than ever, it’s crucial you perform ethical practices.

    In this article, we break down what data ethics is, why it’s important in business and how you can implement proper data ethics to ensure you stay compliant while growing your business.

    What is data ethics ?

    Data ethics are how a business collects, protects and uses data.

    It’s one field of ethics focused on organisations’ moral obligation to collect, track, analyse and interpret data correctly.

    Data ethics analyses multiple ways we use data :

    • Collecting data
    • Generating data
    • Tracking data
    • Analysing data
    • Interpreting data
    • Implementing activities based on data

    Data ethics is a field that asks, “Is this right or wrong ?”

    And it also asks, “Can we use data for good ?”

    If businesses use data unethically, they could get into serious hot water with their customers and even with the law.

    You need to use data to ensure you grow your business to the best of your ability. But, to maintain a clean slate in the eyes of your customers and authorities, you need to ensure you have strong data ethics.

    Why you need to follow data ethics principles

    In 2018, hackers broke into British Airways’ website by inserting harmful code, leading website visitors to a fraudulent site. 

    The result ? 

    British Airways customers gave their information to the hackers without realising it : credit cards, personal information, login information, addresses and more.

    While this was a malicious attack, the reality is that data is an integral part of everyday life. Businesses need to do everything they can to protect their customers’ data and use it ethically.

    Data ethics is crucial to understand as it sets the standard for what’s right and wrong for businesses. Without a clear grasp of data ethics, companies will willingly or neglectfully misuse data.

    With a firm foundation of data ethics, businesses worldwide can make a collective effort to function smoothly, protect their customers, and, of course, protect their own reputation. 

    3 benefits of leaning into data ethics

    We’re currently transitioning to a new world led by artificial intelligence.

    While AI presents endless opportunities for innovation in the business world, there are also countless risks at play, and it’s never been more important to develop trust with your customers and stakeholders.

    With an influx of data being created and tracked daily, you need to ensure your business is prioritising data ethics to ensure you maintain trust with your customers moving forward.

    Diagram displaying the 3 benefits of data ethics - compliance, increased trust, maintain a good reputation.

    Here are three benefits of data ethics that will help you develop trust, maintain a solid reputation and stay compliant to continue growing your business :

    1. Compliance with data privacy

    Privacy is everything. 

    In a world where our data is being collected nonstop, and we live more public lives than ever with social media, AI and an influx of recording and tracking in everyday life, you need to protect the privacy of your customers.

    One crucial way to protect that privacy is by complying with major data privacy regulations.

    Some of the most common regulations you need to remain compliant with include :

    • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
    • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
    • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
    • General Personal Data Protection Law (LGPD)
    • Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations (PECR)

    While these regulations don’t directly address ethics, there’s a core overlap between privacy requirements like accountability, lawfulness and AI ethics.

    Matomo ensures you protect the privacy of your web and app users so you can track and improve your website performance with peace of mind.

    2. Maintain a good reputation

    While data ethics can help you maintain data privacy compliance, it can also help you maintain a good reputation online and offline.

    All it takes is one bad event like the British Airways breach for your company’s reputation to be ruined.

    If you want to keep a solid reputation and maintain trust with your stakeholders, customers and lawmakers, then you need to focus on developing strong data ethics.

    Businesses that invest time in establishing proper data ethics set the right foundation to protect their reputation, develop trust with stakeholders and create goodwill and loyalty.

    3. Increased trust means greater revenue

    What happens when you establish proper data ethics ?

    You’ll gain the trust of your customers, maintain a solid reputation and increase your brand image.

    Customers who trust you to protect their privacy and data want to keep doing business with you.

    So, what’s the end result for a business that values data ethics ?

    You’ll generate more revenue in the long run. Trust is one thing you should never put on the back burner if you have plans to keep growing your business. By leaning more into data ethics, you’ll be able to build that brand reputation that helps people feel comfortable buying your products and services on repeat.

    While spending time and money on data ethics may seem like an annoyance, the reality is that it’s a business investment that will pay dividends for years to come.

    5 core data ethics principles

    So, what exactly is involved in data ethics ?

    For most people, data ethics is a pretty broad and vague term. If you’re curious about the core pillars of data ethics, then keep reading.

    Here are five core data ethical principles you need to follow to ensure you’re protecting your customers’ data and maintaining trust :

    Image displaying the 5 core data ethics principles - ownership, transparency, privacy, intention, outcomes.

    1. Data ownership

    The individual owns the data, not you. This is the first principle of data ethics. You don’t have control over someone else’s data. It’s theirs, and they have full ownership over it.

    Just as stealing a TV from an electronics store is a crime, stealing (or collecting) someone’s personal data without their consent is considered unlawful and unethical.

    Consent is the only way to ethically “own” someone’s data.

    How can you collect someone’s data ethically ?

    • Digital privacy policies
    • Signed, written agreements
    • Popups with checkboxes that allow you to track users’ behaviour

    Essentially, anytime you’re collecting data from your website or app users, you need to ensure you’re asking permission for that data.

    You should never assume a website visitor or customer is okay with you collecting your data automatically. Instead, ask permission to collect, track and use their data to avoid legal and ethical issues.

    2. Transparency

    The second core principle of data ethics within business is transparency. This means you need to be fully transparent on when, where and how you :

    • Collect data
    • Store data
    • Use data

    In other words, you need to allow your customers and website visitors to have a window inside your data activities.

    They need to be able to see exactly how you plan on using the data you’re collecting from them.

    For example, imagine you implemented a new initiative to personalise the website experience for each user based on individual behaviour. To do this, you’ll need to track cookies. In this case, you’d need to write up a new policy stating how this behavioural data is going to be collected, tracked and used.

    It’s within your website visitors’ rights to access this information so they can choose whether or not they want to accept or decline your website’s cookies.

    With any new data collection or tracking, you need to be 100% clear about how you’re going to use the data. You can’t be deceptive, misleading, or withholding any information on how you will use the data, as this is unethical and, in many cases, unlawful.

    3. Privacy

    Another important branch of ethics is privacy. The ethical implications of this should be obvious.

    When your users, visitors, or customers enter your sphere of influence and you begin collecting data on them, you are responsible for keeping that data private.

    When someone accepts the terms of your data usage, they’re not agreeing to have their data released to the public. They’re agreeing to let you leverage that data as their trusted business provider to better serve them. They expect you to maintain privacy.

    You can’t spread private information to third parties. You can’t blast this data to the public. 

    This is especially important if someone allows you to collect and use their personally identifiable information (PII), such as :

    • First and last name
    • Email address
    • Date of birth
    • Home address
    • Phone number

    To protect your audience’s data, you should only store it in a secure database. 

    Screenshot example of the Matomo dashboard

    For example, Matomo’s web analytics solution guarantees the privacy of both your users and analytics data.

    With Matomo, you have complete ownership of your data. Unlike other web analytics solutions that exploit your data for advertising purposes, Matomo users can use analytics with confidence, knowing that their data won’t be sold to advertisers.

    Learn more about data privacy with Matomo here.

    Try Matomo for Free

    Get the web insights you need, while respecting user privacy.

    No credit card required

    4. Intention

    When you collect and store data, you need to tell your users why you’re collecting their data. But there’s another principle of data ethics that goes beyond the reason you give your customers.

    Intention is the reason you give yourself for collecting and using the data.

    Before you start collecting and storing data, you should ask yourself the following :

    • Why you need it
    • What you’ll gain from it
    • What changes you’ll be able to make after you analyse the data

    If your intention is wrong in any way, it’s unethical to collect the data :

    • You’re collecting data to hurt others
    • You’re collecting data to profit from your users’ weaknesses
    • You’re collecting data for any other malicious reason

    When you collect data, you need to have the right intentions to maintain proper data ethics ; otherwise, you could harm your brand, break trust and ruin your reputation.

    5. Outcomes

    You may have the best intentions, but sometimes, there are negative outcomes from data use.

    For example, British Airways’ intention was not to allow hackers to gain access and harm their users. But the reality is that their customers’ data was stolen and used for malicious purposes. While this isn’t technically unlawful, the outcome of collecting data ended badly.

    To ensure proper data ethics, you must have good standing with your data. This means protecting your users at all costs, maintaining a good reputation and ensuring proper privacy measures are set up.

    How to implement data ethics as a business leader

    As a business leader, CTO or CEO, it’s your responsibility to implement data ethics within your organisation. Here are some tips to implement data ethics based on the size and stage of your organisation :

    Startups

    If you’re a startup, you need to be mindful of which technology and tools you use to collect, store and use data to help you grow your business.

    It can be a real challenge to juggle all the moving parts of a startup since things can change so quickly. However, it’s crucial to establish a leader and allow easy access to ethical analysis resources to maintain proper data ethics early on.

    Small and medium-sized businesses

    As you begin scaling, you’ll likely be using even more technology. With each new business technique you implement, there will be new ways you’ll be collecting user data. 

    One of the key processes involved in managing data as you grow is to hire engineers who build out different technologies. You must have protocols, best practices and management overseeing the new technologies being built to ensure proper data ethics.

    Global businesses

    Have you scaled internationally ?

    There will be even more rules, laws, regulations and organisations to answer to if you start managing data unethically.

    You should have established teams or departments to ensure you follow proper privacy and data protocols worldwide. When you have a large organisation, you have more money and vast amounts of data. This makes you a bigger target for leaks, ransomware and hackers.

    You should ensure you have cross-departmental groups working to establish ongoing protocols and training to keep your data management in good standing.

    Leverage data ethically with Matomo

    Data is powerful.

    It’s a crucial point of leverage that’s required to stay competitive.

    However, improper use and management of data can give you a bad reputation, break trust and even cause you legal trouble.

    That’s why you must maintain good data ethics within your organisation.

    One of the most important places to set up proper data ethics and privacy measures is with your website analytics.

    Matomo is the leading, privacy-friendly web analytics solution in the world. It automatically collects, stores, and tracks data across your website ethically.

    With over 1 million websites using Matomo, you get to take full control over your website performance with :

    • Accurate data (no data sampling)
    • Privacy-friendly and GDPR-compliant analytics
    • Open-source for transparency and to create a custom solution for you

    Try Matomo free for 21-days. No credit card required.