Google has become the foremost company for quite a lot of Internet-related needs. It’s a widely-used browser, helps with your online advertising, and leads web-wide search engines! And, of course, Google provides you with analytics or feedback regarding your campaign progress! However, while widely used, Google has a few shortcomings, namely with data privacy. That’s why more people are flocking to Matomo Analytics.
Matomo, in its own words, is an “open-source web analytics platform.” Also, according to its homepage, it champions what’s right. That is, Matomo promotes peoples’ right to be in sole control of their data. And considering the shady things Google sometimes does with its users’ data, Matomo may very well be a breath of fresh, privacy-respecting air.
Website Analytics: Google or Matomo?
Google’s privacy shortcomings
Founded in 1998, Google has done a lot for Internet users worldwide. In 2020, “Google was ranked first amongst the most visited multi-platform web properties in the United States.” Also, ever since 2013, Google Chrome has grown to become the Internet’s foremost web browser. In addition, some Google Analytics features can improve your marketing campaigns.
However, recently, around March of 2021, Google revealed that it had some… interesting data harvesting disclosures. So, it proved that Google did not care about data privacy and stepped over a fine line, crossing over into unethical territory. The short of it is, Google has issues with its user information.
The long of it is that Google has its own agenda when it comes to your data. Having third parties know about your sensitive information could be helpful in some cases, but most times, you can’t be sure about what Google’s doing with your data. Moreover, for some businesses that rely on analytics, the stakes can get high. Customers might lose trust in you if it gets out that you’re using Google Analytics, which might take their sensitive information for unknown purposes.
Fortunately, Matomo eliminates the worry of sharing your data with shady, unknown third parties. (And of course, if you’re planning to jump the Google ship some more, you can also check out these Google Alerts free alternatives!)
Matomo Analytics
Formerly known as Piwik, Matomo takes its name from the Japanese word meaning ‘honesty.’ So, as a result of their rebranding, Matomo is a web analytics platform that advertises itself as an “ethical alternative” to Google Analytics.
Matomo is a company that’s serious about business data privacy. In addition, they’re also compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act!
Why you should switch to Matomo Analytics
According to Matomo’s homepage, its users mainly don’t have to worry about privacy compromises. It’s a Google Analytics alternative that also offers Privacy Protection and Flexibility. Also, it doesn’t sample your data!
In addition, here’s a comprehensive list of what you count on Matomo to provide, according to its own comparisons versus Google:
- Cloud hosting option
- On-Premise self-hosting option
- Basic Metrics
- Website Actions
- Downloads and Outlinks tracks automatically
- Content Interactions
- Channel Referrer / Campaign Tracking
- Integration with Google Ads
- … the full Google Marketing Platform
- … Google Search Console
- … Bing and Yahoo Search Consoles
- Search Engine Keyword Rankings
- Annotations
- Goal, Funnels, and Multi Attribution
- Data-Driven Attribution
- Advanced Attribution features
- Roll-Up Reporting
- Media Analytics
- A/B Testing
- eCommerce Reporting
- Form Analytics
- Heatmaps
- Session Recording
- Your Branding
- Custom Reporting
- Tag Manager
- No Data Sampling
- Unsampled Reports
- Custom Dimensions
- Advanced Segmentation
- Advanced Privacy Controls
- GDPR Manager
- Support
- Log Analytics
- Intranet Analytics
100% data ownership
One of the best things about Matomo is that third parties can’t touch this. (And by this, we mean your data.) Now, Google is great and widely used, right? But it also has a habit of using the data you’ve logged into it to boost its ads. So on a surface level, it’s probably Google just trying to make sure you don’t miss out on a good deal! But for many others, it’s hardly as helpful as finding a good deal.
Matomo, on the other hand, won’t do that. Matomo helps users retain full ownership of their data. In addition, Matomo Analytics will not infringe on data privacy — in fact, it ensures you know what’s going on with your data. No outside parties required! Whether it’s for marketing or other unknown reasons, Matomo will never take your data and use it to peddle products.
Get the 100% Data Ownership that you deserve.
Let’s face facts. The Internet is big, vast, and at times frightening. So, you can never really know who’s out there and what their intentions are, and sometimes, you only realize it too late. Unfortunately, Google is one entity that isn’t completely transparent with your data, whether it’s sensitive or not. As a result, many have taken to warning Internet users to avoid using Google Chrome. However, Google has been providing the ‘Net’s leading browser since 2013, and it doesn’t seem like the use of Google will be slowing down anytime soon.
Enter Matomo Analytics. Founded on the principle of honesty and named after the Japanese translation of the word, Matomo aims to give back ownership of data and keep it that way. The open-source web analytics platform intends to give data ownership solely to its users. Also, it’s private, flexible, and aligned with the GDPR.
Matomo, though it has only been around since the mid-20s, can be an excellent alternative to Google Analytics, primarily since it was conceptualized with data privacy in mind. Business owners, especially those dealing with sensitive information, should consider data privacy more seriously, as oil is no longer the most lucrative product to market anymore — it’s data.
