The compilation of measures or metrics, such as the number of visitors, the most viewed pages, the most used type of device (computer, telephone, tablet, etc.), are interesting data to obtain and analyze if you have an Internet site.
To extract and study this information, there are analysis tools - the best known being Google Analytics and others such as Semrush or Matomo.
Matomo: a much freer tool than Google Analytics!
Although Google Analytics is powered by the powerful Google search engine, you should know that this tool has certain limitations. Notably, restricted data reporting, as well as complex UI and segmentation. Google Analytics may also include practices that are not very transparent with respect to privacy and data confidentiality.
There are therefore many reasons to consider an alternative to this device. For simplified customization in terms of dashboards, monitoring and data, obtaining information from an easier to navigate and more user-friendly interface, but also the hosting option (source: Semrush).
In terms of alternatives to Google Analytics, Matomo is among the leaders.
Focus on Matomo
Among the attractions of Matomo is its focus on privacy and protecting your data. In addition, more than 1.4 million websites in more than 190 countries already use this tool (source: Semrush).
Formerly known as “Piwik”, Matomo is a website analysis tool. More specifically, it is free and open source software giving the user the freedom to run it, study it, share it and even modify it without limits.
The core of Matomo is available for free. However, it also offers some paid features (from 19€ per year), as well as a Cloud service with Matomo hosted on their servers (from 29€). You might as well just stick with the free plan, as it's very comprehensive and doesn't involve any extra cost.
The main advantage of Matomo is that it gives software freedom rights to people who install and use it. “We made the conscious choice to offer freedom by choosing the GNU General Public License v3 (or later). Licensed to be free to use, modify and distribute,” say the creators of Matomo. They have believed in free software - as a cohesive social movement for more than two decades. "A movement that has produced millions of lines of code, documentation and a vibrant community of which Matomo is proud to be a part", they point out (source: Matomo).
Matomo: a panoply of advantages for the company
Free and open source software such as Matomo offers many advantages including:
- A community
A vibrant open source community is a valuable asset to any open source project. Without a community that believes in it, contributors to develop, challenge and defend the software, it will not evolve quickly.
- Free analytics forever
According to its creators, no matter what happens in the future, the basic Matomo software will remain free forever. It is a promise that this open source software will never be turned into proprietary software. Contributors do not have to assign copyright to their code, and thus the core is protected from any licensing issues.
- More security
Matomo is strong in terms of security, tapping into the collective power of a community to ensure its code is scrutinized and reviewed more thoroughly. Its creators have also established a bounty program for detecting bugs resulting from security issues.
- Reliability
Because there is a community of contributors and talented developers who are constantly improving and adding correction to the code, over time it becomes more and more reliable, because there are so many developers reviewing it and correcting it.
- Transparency
The source code is open to everyone, because it is “open source”. Therefore, it remains accessible. This is also conducive to transparency.
- Not restricted to a single supplier
Choosing open source means the power of the solution is in your hands. Rather than being trapped in a solution you'll outgrow, this access to source code, raw data, and APIs is liberating.
- Ethical and trustworthy
People also choose Matomo because it is completely their own software; that they can own, modify and explore.
- 100% owner of your data
Matomo Analytics allows you to fully own your data, without third parties.
Unlike Google Analytics which uses your data to serve its advertising platform, Matomo users can safely use the analytics without worrying about the data being used for marketing or other purposes.
- Respect for privacy
Matomo Analytics was designed with privacy in mind. It can be configured to comply with even the strictest privacy laws, for example GDPR. This way, you ensure that all your valuable information is private and held by one person (you!) and that your website respects the privacy of your visitors.
- Flexibility
You can customize the perfect Matomo platform to meet your business legal and reporting needs. Discover data that was once unobtainable and get a complete view of what's happening so there are no risky blind spots. Matomo is a flexible all-in-one solution that delivers what you need, when you want it.
- Personalization
Matomo can be easily configured, so it works perfectly for you. You can choose from over 250 settings. Many configurations have been added during the 10 years of existence of this tool (Piwik, renamed Matomo in 2018). These can be easily modified to adapt the tool to the needs of your business and not the other way around. Matomo also offers over 75 free plugins and some paid premium features. In addition, benefit from Matomo's integrated and customized reports, containing information to make the best decisions.
- Automating
Matomo's HTTP API helps you automate almost anything. This interface also allows you to track all the data you want about your users and their interactions (pages, clicks, goals, etc.), from many different mediums (website, mobile apps, custom apps and IoT). With Matomo's raw data APIs, you can also get the full list of all your visits and actions as an API response. (source: Matomo).
Upgrade to Matomo 4.5.0 with Esokia!
Our digital agency masters Matomo and we even use it internally to analyze our own data.
With Esokia, seamlessly upgrade to Matomo 4.5.0: a new version of Matomo Analytics.
This is a maintenance release focused on the stability and reliability of Matomo. Already 111 tickets have been closed by 19 contributors.
What are the improvements in Matomo 4.5.0?
- Improvements have been made to the system controls and reports user interface;
- Changes were made in preparation for PHP 8.1;
- Tweaks have been made to security, including the addition of a content security policy to prevent certain XSS attacks within Matomo;
- Matomo Tag Manager has received several useful updates. Tag Manager now detects elements that display on a web page even when the visitor is not scrolling;
- Note that Matomo 4.5.0 is the last version in which Matomo is fully compatible with Internet Explorer 11 (source: Matomo).
Esokia helps you get the most out of Matomo 4.5.0 and other Google Analytics alternatives. Contact us now to find out more!
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