Among the best alternatives to Google Analytics for a WordPress site that are robust and respect privacy, Matomo could be the ideal choice. In this article, we will explore what Matomo is, the benefits of using it with WordPress, and why it might be a preferable solution in terms of privacy and data control.
What is Matomo?
Matomo, previously known as Piwik, is a free and open source web analytics software that offers similar functionality to Google Analytics, providing detailed reports and in real time on website visitors. Matomo allows you to monitor a website’s statistics, keep track of users’ browsing data, including: origin, which keywords were used and on which search engine, the most popular pages visit and much more. This information is made available through detailed statistical reports, which allow us to understand user behaviour in order to improve their browsing experience, evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategy and achieve company objectives. Written in PHP and JavaScript, Matomo is distributed under the free GNU General Public License.
The features of Matomo analytics
Matomo offers a wide range of features that can be extended through the installation of plugins, allowing users to add new options based on their needs.
By being installed on its own server, Matomo guarantees that traffic data is stored in its own database, guaranteeing maximum control over security and privacy. All statistics are easily accessible via open APIs, allowing for broad integration with other platforms or tools.
Matomo’s user interface is fully customizable, allowing users to drag and drop desired widgets to create a tailored view of the information most relevant to them.
One of Matomo’s strengths is real-time reporting, which provides users with instant access to the latest and most up-to-date analytics on website activity, enabling timely decision-making and understanding. insight into user interactions.
From phpMyVisites to Piwik: the story of Matomo
The history of Matomo, originally known as Piwik, begins with its launch from version 2.3, as a successor to the now abandoned phpMyVisites project. Key differences between phpMyVisites and Piwik include major improvements, such as email reporting, PDF export, multi-site reporting, translated into more than 30 languages. Piwik brought further innovations, including APIs, plugins, more attractive graphics, a modular architecture and improved performance.
After about ten years of development and diffusion under the name of Piwik, the announcement on January 9, 2018 marked a turning point when Piwik was officially renamed Matomo. This move was motivated by the goal of registering the “Matomo” trademark, a step that was not possible with the previous name. Despite the name change, Matomo’s vision remained faithful to that of Piwik: “To create, as a community, the leading international open source digital analytics platform, which gives every user full control of their data”
This approach has positioned Matomo as a privacy-friendly and highly customizable web analytics solution, maintaining an imprint of community and transparency that has made the project extremely popular among those looking for ethical and reliable alternatives to monitor their website statistics .
Matomo vs Google Analytics
Matomo and Google Analytics are two popular platforms for website analytics, but they differsignificantly in their approaches, especially when it comes to data processing.
Matomo stands out for its strong commitment to protecting user data, allowing it to be saved directly on its server, thus offering greater control and greater compliance with privacy regulations. This means that you have the ability to decide how site visitor data is collected, used and stored, ensuring a higher level of transparency than Google Analytics.
On the other hand, Google Analytics is widely used for its advanced features and integration with other Google tools. However, issues may arise regarding the management of sensitive data and compliance with privacy regulations when using this service, sincethe data is stored and managed directly by Google.
Advantages of using Matomo with WordPress
Among the advantages of using Matomo we find:
- Respect for Privacy and Compliance with LPD and GDPR: unlike Google Analytics, Matomo gives you full control over your data. You can host Matomo on your own server and have full compliance with Swiss (LPD) and European (GDPR) law.
- Detailed Tracking: Matomo offers detailed statistics about your website, including demographics, visitor behavior and traffic sources.
- Easy integration with WordPress: Matomo has an official WordPress plugin that simplifies installation and integration with the website.
Alternative to Google Analytics: If you are looking for a reliable alternative to Google Analytics to respect user privacy, Matomo is a solution worthy of consideration.
Conclusions
If you’re looking for privacy-focused alternatives to Google Analytics that offer total control over your analytics data, Matomo is an excellent choice. With its GDPR compliance, Matomo offers everything you need to monitor your website statistics in an ethical and responsible way.