Any viable alternatives to google GA4 garbage??

Shopify Discussion
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I’m curious… slowly I’m getting a bit fed up with the google juggernaut sucking all the valuable data off my website and doing with it what they wish. I’ve had experiences myself where I’ve visited a website casually looking for something online, not find what I’m looking for to have an email sent to me “thanks for visiting our website… blah blah blah”… wait, that’s way to intrusive for my taste… just because I visited a website doesn’t mean anyone can use GA4 or whatever to track me down and send me an email. This stuff is crossing the the “big brother” line.

All I’m seeing from shopify is “how to transition to GA4” … well I don’t want to so… tell me something I don’t know! How about “how to transition away from google”?

So I’m wondering if any of you are using something else besides damn google for your analytics? Paid or free or? Please leave your feedback as I’d really like to dump google from my life.

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Hi @Peter_Ferlow,

I understand your concerns about data privacy and the desire to move away from Google for website analytics. There are alternatives available that can help you track and analyze your website’s performance without relying on Google Analytics (GA). Here are a few options to consider:

  1. Matomo (formerly Piwik): Matomo is an open-source analytics platform that provides similar features to Google Analytics. It allows you to host the analytics data on your own server, giving you full control over your data.

  2. Clicky: Clicky is a real-time web analytics platform that offers detailed insights into your website’s visitors, traffic sources, and more. It provides an easy-to-use interface and customizable reports.

  3. Open Web Analytics (OWA): OWA is an open-source web analytics solution that you can self-host. It provides detailed reports on website traffic, visitor behavior, and other relevant metrics.

  4. Fathom Analytics: Fathom is a privacy-focused analytics tool that emphasizes simplicity and data protection. It offers basic yet essential analytics features without compromising user privacy.

  5. Matomo Cloud: Matomo also provides a cloud-hosted version of their analytics platform, called Matomo Cloud. It offers similar features to the self-hosted version but removes the need for managing your own server.

Hope my solution works perfectly for you.

Cheers!

Oliver | PageFly

2 Likes
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While Dhatma looks comprehensive… the number of $ plugins to make shopify useful is getting to be a bit much.

Is any of the AI-GTP ultimately secure for dealing with your confidential data in the “cloud”?

I wonder about the idiots that put Alexa or Google Assistant microphones in their conference room discussing confidential information… the increasing amount of surveillance is somewhat concerning. Privacy agreements written in USA might as well be toilet paper for non-US entities.

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Well so far shopify analytics within shopify seems to be working. I don’t need anything else. Anyone else experience the same?

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Hi @Peter_Canada and everyone in this thread, sorry for bringing up this old thread.

I completely understand the concerns about data privacy and the desire to move away from Google Analytics. As Oliver mentioned, Fathom Analytics is indeed a great privacy-focused alternative. I’d like to add some information that might be helpful for Shopify store owners looking to make this switch.

I’m the creator of an app called “FA - Privacy First Analytics” that makes integrating Fathom Analytics with Shopify incredibly easy. Here’s why it might be a good solution for those looking to transition away from Google Analytics:

  1. Privacy-Focused: Fathom Analytics is designed with privacy in mind, aligning with the concerns expressed in this thread.
  2. Shopify-Optimized: Our app uses Shopify’s officially recommended Web Pixels API for integration, ensuring compatibility and reliability with the latest Shopify updates.
  3. Easy Setup: You can start tracking your Shopify store’s analytics with Fathom in just a few clicks, without any coding required.
  4. Comprehensive Tracking: The app tracks not just page views, but also important e-commerce events like add to cart, checkout started, and purchases.
  5. GDPR and CCPA Compliant: Fathom Analytics is fully compliant with major privacy regulations, giving you peace of mind.
  6. No Visitor Tracking: Unlike Google Analytics, Fathom doesn’t track or store personal data of your visitors, addressing the “big brother” concerns mentioned earlier.

For those interested in trying out Fathom Analytics with their Shopify store, you can find our app “FA - Privacy First Analytics” in the Shopify App Store.

If anyone has any questions about using Fathom Analytics with Shopify, I’d be happy to help!

Cheers,

Zubair | FA - Privacy First Analytics

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Peter, we were also frustrated with Google. We tried out Matomo. I was a bit hesitant at first, but became a fan. We self hosted, so we owned the data. When a conversion event occurs, a shopify key is dropped into Matomo which allows you to match anonymous web activity with real customers. Having the raw data and being able to do this allowed us to do some cool things with the data. There is a github repo with script that allows you to easily deploy your own matomo server to AWS and have tight controls on your costs.
https://github.com/danjamk/matomo-aws-server