With Google's analytics tool as top dog, a direct comparison between the free variant (GA) as well as the paid version (GA-360) is obvious. The open source code of Matomo is an important differentiator. This enables webmasters, SEOs and co. to host Matomo Analytics on their own server. This, in turn, is often not only advantageous but even mandatory, especially for industries with high data protection standards. As a website operator, you can therefore guarantee that data is not accessible to unauthorized persons. Furthermore, since es is not a Google tool, Matomo tracking can also be used to evaluate traffic generated by search engines such as Yahoo or Bing.
The design and development of the tool is largely determined by the ever increasing privacy and data protection standards. Due to the server's own hosting, webmasters are able to ensure that the collected data is only viewed and managed by themselves, misuse for marketing purposes is thus excluded, unless it is deliberately operated by the respective webmaster/company.
The analysis tool already has a large number of configuration options ex works, which can be used to further specify different data protection standards. For example, it is possible to anonymize IP addresses of the traffic without restrictions, and it is also possible to use the tool completely without tracking cookies. User IDs and order numbers can also be anonymized. In combination with the opt-out procedure and Do Not Track settings, use is therefore also possible without prior user consent.
In terms of its analysis functionality, the tool does not differ greatly from the top dog GA. In total, there are more than 30 reporting options, which enable essential traffic evaluations, such as:
In direct comparison with GA, some points are worth highlighting. Matomo, for example, offers the possibility to comprehensively display interactions with the website-specific content. This is by no means only true for the actual subpage or text, but also for embedded audio or video clips. The representation via heat maps enables SEOs, webmasters, UX designers and marketing specialists to perform an in-depth analysis of user behavior. The heatmap shows which elements are clicked on frequently or which parts of the page are viewed intensively or largely ignored/scrolled over. This provides essential information on why click paths are used or not perceived.
If there are contact forms on the website, it is also possible to analyze these forms - for example, with regard to abandonment (when the user stops filling out the form and leaves the page) or the time required to complete the form. However, combined use with the other Google marketing platforms is not possible, which is at least conceivable in the paid GA-360 version. Data-specific attributes can be analyzed neither in Matomo nor in the free GA version, but this is possible in GA-360.
Matomo is available as a white label solution. This means that the analysis tool can be provided with individual, company-specific branding. In addition, the tool can be used to analyze not "only" the website, but also to take a closer look at internal content or intranet processes, for example. If required, user behavior on a website can be recorded as a video and evaluated in more representative detail. If required, the tool can bundle several websites together to view them as a whole. This function is otherwise only available to webmasters in the paid GA-360 version.
Please note: In some cases, individual features must first be obtained via the in-house Matomo Marketplace. If you need certain functions, Matomo is no longer free of charge. For the Matomo setup you should consult an expert. So if you need support for Matomo Analytics, feel free to contact us.