Whether you have an online sales site or a showcase site, it has become impossible to miss out on web analysis tools ! Indeed, in just a few years, these tools have been democratized, in particular thanks to Google and its Google Analytics solution…
Concretely, the web analysis consists neither more nor less of measuring the audience of your website through metrics. From session duration, to traffic sources, and of course to products purchased, this data is of paramount importance for establishing an online strategy...
That being said, a good web analysis solution is not limited to data collection! Indeed, the metrics used to constitute the KPIs (or key performance indicators) must be readable at a glance for people likely to use these webanalytics tools.
For many years, Google has established itself as an essential reference in the field of web analysis. However, since the appearance of the GDPR regulations, we are seeing more and more companies wishing to turn to so-called "RGPD compliant" alternatives. In concrete terms, these solutions allow website owners to set up measurement tools that do not necessarily require user consent.
What are the 3 most popular web analytics tools?
Are you looking for a web analysis tool, and you don't know which one to choose? Do not panic ! With these 3 solutions that we are going to present to you, you will finally be able to choose a solution that should meet your needs!
Google Analytics
Even if you are not necessarily interested in the different webanalytics solutions, there is still a good chance that you have already heard of Google Analytics! For many years, with the Universal Analytics version of its tool, Google has been able to make web analysis accessible to millions of websites, and all for free. More recently, it was with Google Analytics 4 that Google was able to come back to the fore, but also with a lot of news about GDPR regulations.
Indeed, the tool is very decried, so much so that some do not hesitate to say that it is almost impossible to comply with the law with this web analysis solution, in particular because of the hosting of the data. which necessarily goes through the United States. We can however regret it, because we must admit that the solution proposed by Google has the merit of being very complete.
In addition, it can interface easily with the firm's other tools, such as Google Ads for paid referencing (or SEA), or Google Search Console for natural referencing (or SEO).
Matomo
While this web analysis solution was very confidential in its infancy, it is essentially since the appearance of the GDPR regulations that we have seen more and more website publishers turn to this tool. The reason for this is quite simple, because Matomo is one of the few webanalytics solutions that are exempt from consent! Although we find certain points in common between Matomo and Google Analytics, this solution is distinguished by very specific aspects... To begin with, while Google Analytics is a solution that does not require any installation, this is not necessarily the case for Matomo! Indeed, even if today there is a solution that allows you to host your data in the cloud, Matomo allows users of its solution to host the data of their web analysis solution on their own.
While this may appear to be a real constraint, in particular because it requires being able to host web analysis data, but also to maintain the webanalytics solution through version upgrades, you should know that this brings a major advantage… Indeed, Matomo users are completely in control of their data, and can keep full control over it! Moreover, unlike many other solutions, Matomo is a solution that is free if you do not use the cloud version. On the other hand, the costs related to the hosting of the data will obviously remain your responsibility...
Piano Analytics
Formerly known as AT Internet, Piano Analytics is a web analytics solution that appeared in its current form in 2021. Even though the web analytics solution existed in the past, it has been able to distinguish itself in recent years by being focusing primarily on the customer experience. If this may seem quite innocuous, you should know that this bias is very appreciated by users! Indeed, website publishers who have been able to turn to Piano Analytics can focus only on the most important metrics, unlike Google Analytics which offers a wealth of data by default.
On the other hand, it should be noted that this webanalytics solution is unfortunately paid, which is completely prohibitive for people who lack the means to follow the users of their website. On the other hand, we can still welcome the fact that this webanalytics solution does not necessarily require consent within the framework of the GDPR regulations. Indeed, users are tracked by default, and the information on their profile is then completed if they have been able to accept the cookie management solution.
