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• France rules Google Analytics non-compliant with GDPR

  11 février 2022, par Erin — Privacy

  Breaking news : The French Data Protection Agency, CNIL (Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés), has concluded that the use of Google Analytics is illegal under GDPR. The CNIL has begun issuing formal notices to website managers using Google Analytics.

  This follows the January 2022 Austrian Data Protection Authority’s decision to declare Google Analytics illegal to use under GDPR.

  Google Analytics GDPR breaches continue to spread through the EU

  Since the invalidation of the Privacy Shield framework, an agreement between the EU and US that allowed the transfer of data to certified US companies, the CNIL and other EU data protection authorities have received numerous complaints regarding data transfers collected during visits to websites using Google Analytics.

  "It’s interesting to see that the different European Data Protection Authorities all come to the same conclusion : the use of Google Analytics is illegal. There is a European task force and we assume that this action is coordinated and other authorities will decide similarly."

  About the CNIL’s decision

  In this model case, the CNIL has found that an unnamed website’s use of Google Analytics is non-compliant with GDPR because it had breached Article 44 which prohibits the transfer of personal data beyond the EU, unless the recipient country can prove adequate data protection. 

  Under the GDPR, personal data covers a range of identifiers including email address, race, gender, phone number to name a few, but the less obvious identifiers include IP addresses or cookie IDs, for instance. 

  The CNIL’s decision was based on the fact that the US does not meet GDPR sufficient levels of data protection as a result of US surveillance laws. Therefore, the unnamed website’s use of Google Analytics created risks for their website visitors when their personal data was exported to the US. 

  At the time of writing, it is unknown if the CNIL has issued a fine for the GDPR breach. However, the website manager of the unnamed website has been ordered by the CNIL to comply with the GDPR and, if necessary, stop using Google Analytics under the current conditions.

  "One thing we’re certain of is that these decisions will continue to roll out throughout the EU and potentially beyond.

  Other countries are imposing their own privacy regulations that closely mirror the GDPR like Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD), India’s Data Protection Bill, New Zealand’s Privacy Act and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) to name a few.”

  The CNIL offers an evaluation programme to help website managers determine whether web analytics solutions are exempt from collecting data prior to users’ agreement to opt-in through consent screens. Matomo, for instance, is a leading Google Analytics alternative that has been recommended by CNIL and is exempt from tracking consent. 

  

  English translation : “This is why I anticipated this announcement, gradually moving the analytics of my sites to @matomo_org since several weeks !

  “The @CNIL believes that the use of @googleanalytics is a violation of #GDPR”

  Immediate action required for Google Analytics users

  The CNIL and other EU-based data protection authorities have made their stance on Google Analytics clear and inaction will likely result in fines, which under the GDPR, can be up to €20 million or 4% of the organisation’s global turnover – whichever is higher.

  Based on the CNIL’s formal notice to the model case’s website manager, Google Analytics users should take immediate action to remove any chances of personal data being transferred to the US or find a Google Analytics alternative that is GDPR compliant. 

  

  English translation : “The CNIL considers that the use of Google Analytics is a violation of the GDPR. I use @matomo_org and I welcome it *winking face* It will squeal tires among growthackers who are slaughtering. Opportunity to look at alternative tools”

  Ready to begin your journey to GDPR compliance with Matomo ? Start your 21-day free trial now (no credit card required) and take advantage of our Google Analytics importer so you don’t lose any of your historical data. 

  Try 21-day free Cloud trial

  What does this mean for Matomo users ?

  As the GDPR continues to evolve, our users can rest assured that Matomo will be at the forefront of these changes. With Matomo Cloud, all data is stored in the EU or in your country of choice when you self-host on your own servers with Matomo On-Premise.

  Conclusion

  Google is in the EU’s crosshairs and organisations that continue to use their tools will be the one’s left to clean up the mess – not Google. Now is the time to act. Search for a Google Analytics alternative and close your compliance gaps today. 

  Join over 1 million other websites using Matomo now. Give Matomo a try with a 21-day free trial – no credit card required. 

  Try 21-day free Cloud trial

  We’d like to also bring attention to the privacy-fighting efforts from noyb and Max Schrems, as this should not go unnoticed. noyb is an independent, non-profit organisation that relies on the support of individuals. Support privacy by supporting noyb – donate or become a member now. 

  Contact details for media :

  For quotes or interviews, please email marketing@matomo.org

• 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."

  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."

  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. 

  

  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 :    

  • GDPR Manager user guide
  • How to fill in the information asset registration when using Matomo
  • How to make Matomo GDPR compliant in 12 easy steps
  • How to not process any personal data with Matomo and what it means for you
  • PII, personal data and GDPR. Discover what this means for your privacy
  • How should I write my privacy notice for Matomo Analytics under GDPR
  • Lawful basis for processing personal data under GDPR with Matomo
  • How to complete your privacy policy with Matomo Analytics under GDPR
  • GDPR compliance for Premium Features
  • How to get your Matomo plugin ready for GDPR
  • Subprocessors on Matomo Cloud (subprocessors not applicable to On-Premise)
  • Privacy in Matomo

  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. 

• 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).

  

  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.

  

  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.

  

  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.

  

  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.).

  

  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.

  

  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.

  

  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.

  

  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.