Website Analytics Without Google: What You Really Need to Measure
Analytics usually gets added because you're supposed to have it, and is then looked at every few months at most. That's rarely the tool's fault: it's because nobody decided beforehand which question the numbers should answer.
First: what decision depends on it?
A number is only useful if an action depends on it. “We had 4,812 visitors” isn't a decision. “Two thirds arrive via a page that offers no way to get in touch” is one.
That's why it pays to start with three questions — and to measure only what answers them.
The five numbers that carry weight
| Metric | Which question it answers |
|---|---|
| Entry pages | Where people arrive — that's where the next step needs to be |
| Exit pages | Where they stop — something is missing there |
| Sources | Where they come from, meaning where effort pays off |
| Goal completions | Whether what's supposed to happen happens at all |
| Search terms | What they searched for before they came |
What's missing here is missing on purpose: for most sites, time on page and bounce rate are too imprecise to build anything on. They fluctuate with bots, prefetches, and the way the tool counts.
Where the data is stored — and why that's the main question
All analytics processes personal data — at the very least the IP address. That always raises the same question: who processes it, where, and does it require a contract?
- A hosted service: convenient, but one more processor in your record of processing activities — and, depending on where it's based, the question of third-country transfers
- A self-hosted service: full control, but a server that needs maintaining
- A plugin in WordPress: nothing leaves the building, but your own database grows
Kakapo Analytics is the third option: measurement and analysis run inside your own WordPress. The honest price is a growing database — which is why retention belongs among the first settings, not the last.
Does this require a cookie banner?
That depends on what you turn on, not on which product name is on the label. An anonymized count without recognizing returning visitors and without storing anything on the device is a different situation from recording entire sessions.
This assessment belongs with your privacy policy and with someone who knows your business. A product description — including this one — can't replace it.
When numbers alone aren't enough
Sometimes you know THAT someone drops off, but not why. That's what tools beyond counting are for: heatmaps show where people click; form analysis shows at which field people give up; a recording shows the path.
That captures more than a count does, which is why it should be a deliberate decision. Kakapo Analytics masks input fields in recordings by default — what someone types into a field doesn't belong in a report.
Switching from Google Analytics
- Download the reports for the time periods you want to keep — historical numbers never carry over.
- Set up the new tool and run both in parallel for two weeks.
- Compare orders of magnitude, not exact numbers. A difference of ten to twenty percent is normal.
- Set retention before data piles up.
- Remove the old script and review your privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two tools show different numbers?
Will I lose my Google Analytics data?
How much does the database grow?
Can I analyze multiple websites together?
What happens without a valid license?
Kakapo Analytics — pay once, use forever.
All nine plugins for €149 once instead of €13 a month. Secure payment via Stripe. For the first 14 days: problem fixed or money back.
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