Published: November 23, 2018 Updated: December 19, 2018 Author Karolina Lubowicka Category Analytics, Data Privacy & Security
According to the latest statistics provided by W3Techs.com, Google Analytics is used by 86% of all the websites whose traffic analysis tool we can discover. This makes up 57.4% of all websites. Sounds impressive, right?
However, there are still many businesses which don’t want to or simply can’t afford to settle for the so-called market standard.
There are numerous reasons why you might want to consider an alternative to Google Analytics. For instance:
- You feel uneasy sharing your data with anyone else – you don’t want to disclose information about your clients to other companies, or you are not legally allowed to do so.
- You want to have more than one analytics tool at your disposal – you want to check if there are any discrepancies between reporting in Google Analytics and other platforms.
- You are seeking features that GA doesn’t have – after all, every organization has its own unique needs.
- You want to take advantage of a set of marketing tools and receive premium-level support for each and every one of them.
GDPR compliance issues
Another reason could be related to GDPR. After all, the new data privacy law obligates you to do business only with the partners who also comply with the regulation. Otherwise, you expose yourself to severe fines – we’re sure you’ve heard of them many times before.
Unfortunately, Google Analytics doesn’t necessarily match the description.
Why? It seems like the strategy adopted by Google Analytics towards GDPR is to get rid of all the information that can be classified as personal data and oblige you to anonymize every piece of information you collect using their tool.
You might be okay with that, maybe you’re not interested in processing any kind of personal data anyway.
But what you have to know is that there’s one catch. Although all your data will be anonymized, you can’t escape the fact that GA stores a visitor online identifier in a cookie which is considered as personal data under GDPR.
It means that you still need to collect valid consents from your visitors in order to process their data. And you’ll have to do this entirely on your own since Google doesn’t provide a tool that would help you with the task.
Quite a burden, right?
So, if you’re really interested in anonymizing your data in a efficient and privacy-friendly way, you might consider some alternatives.
And what if I don’t want to anonymize my data?
Also, you have to remember that removing any traces of personal data is not the only option you have. What’s more, by doing so, you deprive yourself of valuable insights you can gain with more detailed information about your clients.
Sometimes it’s worth going the extra mile to provide your users with enhanced levels of security and transparency, so they’re not scared to share their personal details with you.
For that reason you may want to consider switching to a tool that will allow you to collect personal data from your clients, but process and store it in such way that it won’t impose any threat on your company, GDPR-wise.
In that case, one of the most useful additions to your web analytics stack would be GDPR Consent Manager. If you’re not familiar with the term, be sure to read more about it here.
Piwik PRO vs. Google Analytics Comparison
Fortunately, there are many analytics platforms available on the market that make a great alternative to GA. One of them is Piwik PRO.
If you’re interested in our product, you’d probably like to know how it compares with Google Analytics. That’s why we’ve created this detailed comparison of the two packages. Feel free to download it and dive deep into nearly 100 technical aspects of the tools, including:
- Data collection flexibility,
- Reporting features,
- Data processing & connectivity,
- Data ownership & privacy,
- Flexibility, limits & customization,
- Integrations,
- And much, much more.
You can find it below. Just a few quick clicks and it’s all yours:
The Most Comprehensive Comparison
Piwik PRO vs. Google Analytics
Download NOW
Some additional materials:
In case you’re still thirsty for information about Google Analytics and Piwik PRO, here’s some food for thought:
Google Analytics Alternatives: 4 Sound Reasons to Consider
Read NOWGoogle Analytics has established a dominant market position and helped many organizations enhance their online presence. However, there are many reasons why you might prefer a different platform. In this blog post we address four of the most important issues with GA.
How to Overcome Data Loss And Latency Using Web Analytics in China
Read NOWGoogle is one of the companies deeply affected by the “Great Firewall” – Chinese internet law. As a result, Google Analytics is no longer allowed to operate in China. While it’s true that Google Analytics is used in a clandestine way in China, organizations deploying this tool encounter a range problems like data loss and latency. To tackle this challenge, you first need to be aware that there are better solutions than Google Analytics for use in China. Read on to learn about them.
