⌛️ Google Analytics 4 or Alternative? What's your plan? [Poll]

[Echo]

I have to admit, pretty much all of the feedback that I've read about GA 4 is .... really negative. People really hate it (I don't blame them at all!)

We have a little over a year before GA Universal would shut down. And then what?

Do you plan on using GA 4? Are you looking for an alternative? Using GA 4 (just in case) combined with another analytics?

Or you won't even give it a chance?

 

[Mr Positive]

1) Ga 4 is free more powerful but sucks in UI, if google can make it easier and little better UI then yea why not

2) if they won’t then too I guess will prefer using it unless a free one as good as google pops up

 

[MisterF]

I have to admit, pretty much all of the feedback that I've read about GA 4 is .... really negative. People really hate it (I don't blame them at all!)

We have a little over a year before GA Universal would shut down. And then what?

Do you plan on using GA 4? Are you looking for an alternative? Using GA 4 (just in case) combined with another analytics?

Or you won't even give it a chance?

I'm still trying to find anyone that has anything positive to say about it.

 

[Mxty]

I remain confident they will change it quite considerably based on the feedback.

If you remember when the new Search Console came out and they told everyone to switch, it was literally bare bones.

 

[Echo]

1) Ga 4 is free more powerful but sucks in UI, if google can make it easier and little better UI then yea why not

2) if they won’t then too I guess will prefer using it unless a free one as good as google pops up

Free as in "you pay with your data" free? Sure, it is They just changed it WAY TOO MUCH compared to GA Universal. Universal was (still) is working great, now they're forcing everyone to either learn it more or less from scratch or use something else.

I'm still trying to find anyone that has anything positive to say about it.

Ha! Same to be honest

I remain confident they will change it quite considerably based on the feedback.

If you remember when the new Search Console came out and they told everyone to switch, it was literally bare bones.

I hope they pivot, but my hopes are not big.

 

[SirLouen]

Matomo all the way. I've already migrated 100% of my sites, last one 1 month ago, I'm out with GA4.

 

[Echo]

Matomo all the way. I've already migrated 100% of my sites, last one 1 month ago, I'm out with GA4.

Are you using the free one that requires your own server or the paid/cloud version? What's your opinion thus far from Matomo?

 

[nSnoopy]

I made the switch for only one month, i can't find any jack-sh1t in the V4, the old one is more user friendly. If they don't change the UI to be more intuitive then i will make the switch to other platforms, so far i've been down to Piwik Pro, Motomo and Clicky.
Its very hard to make a decision when you are on a budget like me, if there is any change in the GAv4 i will make the switch otherwise i need to increase my spending.

 

[RowdySadjit]

I am an open source guy and have been using open web analytics a few months. I looked at quite a few options. Matomo seemed too heavy for my purposes. OWA is lightweight, but not too lightweight like awstats , and has all the data I want.

Most whitehat seoers I speak to are brainwashed GA fans and say things like it is impossible to succeed without it.

 

[SirLouen]

Are you using the free one that requires your own server or the paid/cloud version? What's your opinion thus far from Matomo?

Full happiness with Matomo
I have a multi-purpose VPS for some apps I use, and I decided to install there Matomo. I have a batch like GA to process at night the stats, so it doesn't overload the server in the day.
Stats wise, I don't see any difference with GA. I started using Clicky for my PBN then I moved to Matomo but now I have fully moved with all sites, because I don't even feel the need of using GA Universal.

Maybe I will purchase some extra Matomo plugins in the future, like the SEO one to integrate stats with GSC which is the only feature im missing right now

 

[Echo]

I am an open source guy and have been using open web analytics a few months. I looked at quite a few options. Matomo seemed too heavy for my purposes. OWA is lightweight, but not too lightweight like awstats , and has all the data I want.

Most whitehat seoers I speak to are brainwashed GA fans and say things like it is impossible to succeed without it.

I saw a demo of this one. The only thing that I couldn't find right away was traffic by device type (mobile/desktop/tablet) but you get traffic by OS so you can get an idea I guess. That's just from a quick glance at the tool

Full happiness with Matomo
I have a multi-purpose VPS for some apps I use, and I decided to install there Matomo. I have a batch like GA to process at night the stats, so it doesn't overload the server in the day.
Stats wise, I don't see any difference with GA. I started using Clicky for my PBN then I moved to Matomo but now I have fully moved with all sites, because I don't even feel the need of using GA Universal.

Maybe I will purchase some extra Matomo plugins in the future, like the SEO one to integrate stats with GSC which is the only feature im missing right now

In the cloud demo version, they also provide and track keywords from SE? So, technically you can actually compare what GSC data shows vs Matomo? Have you tried that just to see if it's more or less similar data?

 

[SirLouen]

In the cloud demo version, they also provide and track keywords from SE? So, technically you can actually compare what GSC data shows vs Matomo? Have you tried that just to see if it's more or less similar data?

I'm not a power user of GA, though. There is plenty of aspects I was not using. But numbers were the same.

Cloud version is almost the same as On premise one, difference is that you obviously have to pay per visit in one side but the "plugins" are way cheaper on the other side.

I can see all the sections I used to see in GA. If there is something particular that you use a lot and you have the doubt, I can check it for you

 

[Blackout188]

at the end of the day, I think we will all have to suck it up and use it. I'm sure it will improve over the next few years.

 

[RowdySadjit]

I saw a demo of this one. The only thing that I couldn't find right away was traffic by device type (mobile/desktop/tablet) but you get traffic by OS so you can get an idea I guess. That's just from a quick glance at the tool

You can see the device type, it is given when you hover over the OS. It shows the user agent string which also says iPhone, Android, Windows NT etc.

 

[Castamir]

I am an open source guy and have been using open web analytics a few months. I looked at quite a few options. Matomo seemed too heavy for my purposes. OWA is lightweight, but not too lightweight like awstats , and has all the data I want.

Most whitehat seoers I speak to are brainwashed GA fans and say things like it is impossible to succeed without it.

Actually, it's impossible to succeed without it if your purpose goes beyond measuring data.
Some of the data collected from GA4 is useful for retargeting, which both of us know is a goldmine.
That having been said, you're still right, there may be better alternatives out there.

 

[4440]

Matomo plugin is enough.
Like @SirLouen mentioned, the only lacking feature is the paid keyword plugin.

 

[Ernster]

I absolutly hate GA4 and still use the old version. The UI just sucks...

 

[RosuC]

You want or you don't want, you have to use in the end GA4.
On PrestaShop, WooCommerce and Magento they made it easy to implement.
But, on the other hand, on Shopify are having a lot of issues with implementing and after, with the reporting - for the moment is a mess.
I'm sure that they will do it properly in the end.