Do you happen to be worried about the privacy level of your data on other web analytics platforms? If yes, then Matomo Analytics (formerly known as Piwik) is the perfect alternative platform for you.
Matomo Analytics is a powerful and privacy-centered alternative to web analytics platforms, especially the reputable Google Analytics. This open-source platform offers a large pool of effective features without having to compromise your privacy.
Continue reading as I break down the technicalities of Matomo Analytics and why it’s the right tool for businesses and website owners seeking a more personalized and secure analytics solution.
What is Matomo Analytics?
Matomo Analytics is the leading open source web analytics platform that was launched in 2007 by its founder, Matthieu Aubry; it’s a free, downloadable, and full-featured PHP MySQL software program that provides detailed reports on your website and its visitors, including the search engines & keywords they used, the pages they like, the files they download and many others.
Unlike Google Analytics, Matomo lets you easily collect data to analyze and understand your website’s performance, user behavior, and conversion rates.
The platform had a change of name from Piwik to Matomo in 2018 to avoid confusion with Piwik Pro, a private equity firm that builds private measurement solutions like Piwik Pro and Piwik Pro Tag Manager based on the open source tool.
The Piwik OpenSource is now known as Matomo (meaning honesty in Japanese), but its core objectives to be a free and open-source solution supported by a large community remains the same.
Features of Matomo Analytics (Piwik Open Source)
1. Complete Data Control:
Matomo Analytics is a web analytics platform that gives you full control over your data. It’s stored on your servers, giving you the rest of mind that sensitive or private info is still under your control.
2. Privacy and Data Compliance:
Matomo has proven its worth when faced with increasing data privacy concerns because it complies with laws like the GDPR, CCPA, PECR and HIPAA. The platform allows you to gather information while respecting user privacy.
3. Customizable Dashboards:
This web analytics platform offers highly customizable dashboards, giving you room to tailor the metrics that matter most to your business. This feature ensures that you only mind the KPIs that are relevant to your goals.
4. Real-Time Reporting:
Keep yourself on your toes with the performance of your website by using Matomo’s real-time reporting feature. It is really helpful for quick reactions to changes in user behavior or traffic patterns.
5. Goal Tracking:
You can set and track specific goals on your website, whether it’s form submissions, downloads, or other actions. This feature helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts.
Matomo also comes with a built-in tag manager, which enables you to add tracking codes from other sources to websites and monitor performance across various marketing campaigns and external channels.
6. E-commerce Analytics:
Matomo Analytics can deliver complete e-commerce analysis for online businesses or enterprises. You can gather info about customer behavior in your online store while also tracking your sales and revenue.
7. A/B Testing:
Matomo’s A/B Testing feature can assist you with the optimization of your website for conversions. You can also compare various versions of a webpage to see which one performs better.
8. Heatmaps and Session Recordings:
You can use Matomo’s Heatmaps and Session Recording Tools to visualize user interactions on your website. This allows for a broader understanding of user behavior and it can help improve you in the process of creating thoughtful designs and content.
Benefits of Using Matomo Analytics (Piwik) Instead of Google Analytics
Matomo is a platform with many mind-blowing benefits which is key to why it has gained so much popularity since its rebranding a few years ago.
One of the major benefits of Matomo Analytics is the fact that you have complete control over your data. The platform gives you the option of hosting the data on your own server or using Matomo’s cloud hosting service, thereby protecting your privacy unlike Google Analytics, which retains your data on their servers.
Another advantage that Matomo boasts is that you can select between a free self-hosted option and a paid cloud subscription. Due to its open-source nature, the platform can also be customized to fit your specific needs and desires.
It also provides detailed reports without having to sample data. With this, you can rest assured that you have hundred percent accuracy and reliability in your analytics data.
The platform’s flexibility helps to support a wide range of data sources, including MySQL databases, log files, and even data imported from other analytics platforms. This means that you can track and analyze data from multiple sources in one central location.
You can access an unlimited amount of websites, users, and segments; there is also no boundary to how much data you can store.
Matomo’s user-friendly interface also makes it very easy for anyone to find their way through the platform regardless of the individual’s experience or competence.
The platform’s extensive range of features helps to provide meaningful insights into every one of your customers’ actions.
Matomo Analytics’ Pricing
1. Matomo Free (Self-Hosted): This plan is very suitable for small website owners, personal blogs, or those with tight budgets. It is self-hosted because you can host, set up, and manage Matomo on your own servers.
The Matomo Free plan is perfect if you are still a beginner and want to enjoy the juicy benefits of Matomo Analytics without having to commit financially. Although this plan boasts some basic analytics capabilities, it may lack the advanced features that are available in the paid plans.
2. Matomo Cloud: It starts at £19/month and it is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, bloggers, and individuals who prefer an automatic solution. Matomo hosts and manages the platform for you and grants you special access to its core analytics features. You can also receive customer support via email.
Matomo Cloud is the perfect option for those who want a stress-free experience. With this plan’s managed hosting, you don’t need to break a sweat about server setup or maintenance. This plan offers access to its important analytics features, making it perfect for smaller websites and businesses.
3. Matomo On-Premise: The plan is very suitable for enterprises, large organizations, and businesses with specific hosting requirements. To know the price for this plan contact sales for a quote.
With this pricing plan, you can have full control over hosting and access to all of Matomo’s basic & advanced features.
This plan caters for businesses or organizations with strict compliance requirements. Matomo’s On-Premise Plan is designed for businesses with complex analytics requirements and a need for full data control. The plan offers priority support which helps to make sure that there is a quicker solution to any issue at hand.
How to Get Started with Matomo Analytics
Matomo Analytics is very simple to use once you’ve installed it.
Installing Matomo Analytics on your server or signing up for their cloud hosting service is the first step. The installation process is clearly stated and there is a strong community on GitHub that provides support and assistance.
You can now start tracking the metrics of your website once you have installed Matomo Analytics. Matomo Analytics provides a user-friendly dashboard that allows you to see real-time analytics, keep tabs on visitor behavior, and monitor conversion rates. The dashboard can also be customized to show the metrics that are most important to you and your website.
FAQs on This Web Analytics Tool
How does Matomo Analytics handle data ownership and privacy?
Matomo Analytics gives you full control over your data by allowing you to host the analytics tool on your own server, thereby giving you complete ownership and control over your data. Matomo also prioritizes privacy by default and is fully compliant with privacy regulations.
Can I import my existing Google Analytics data into Matomo Analytics?
Yes, Matomo Analytics provides an easy-to-use import feature that allows you to import your Google Analytics data into Matomo. This makes the transition between the two analytics platforms seamless.
How do I install Matomo Analytics?
Installing Matomo Analytics is simple. You can install it on your server, or if you are using WordPress, there is a plugin available for easy integration. The installation process is well-documented and user-friendly.
What kind of stats can I track with Matomo Analytics?
With Matomo Analytics, you can track a wide range of statistics including page views, visits, bounce rate, conversions, and more. Matomo provides comprehensive analytics to help you understand and optimize your website’s performance.
Is there a demo or free trial available for Matomo Analytics?
Yes, there is a demo available on the Matomo Analytics website that allows you to explore the features and functionality of the platform. Additionally, Matomo offers a free trial that allows you to test the platform before making a commitment.
Who are the main contributors to Matomo Analytics?
Matomo Analytics was built by dozens of contributors from around the world. The open-source nature of the platform allows anyone to contribute, and the project actively encourages community participation.
What sets Matomo Analytics apart from other web analytics platforms?
Matomo Analytics is the leading open-source analytics platform with millions of websites in over 190 countries using it. It provides a robust and user-friendly UI, a powerful API for log analytics, and offers full ownership and control of your data. Additionally, privacy is built-in, making it compliant with various privacy regulations.
How can I contribute to Matomo Analytics?
Matomo Analytics welcomes contributions from the community. Users can contribute to the project by reporting bugs, suggesting features, submitting code, and providing feedback. The project loves pull requests and encourages users to participate in making Matomo better.
Conclusion
In essence, Matomo Analytics is a privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics. With this platform, you now have full control over your data and you can easily monitor your website’s performance.
