By far the most common software for web analytics is Google Analytics. On the following places but there is a lot of competition – and in addition to commercial offerings such as “Adobe Test & amp; Target “there are quite a” champion of the heart “: the open source solution Piwik
Piwik, Google Analytics Alternative
After 2.5 million downloads Piwik is loud BuiltWith.com to around 0.8 percent of the 10,000 largest sites on the application. Looking at the Top 100,000 market share increases to 1.5 percent, which suggests solutions such Clicky and Adobe.
Piwik is therefore just in Privacy technically sensitive times a valid alternative to Google Analytics. Unlike the software of the US giant Piwik does not save the log that is in the “cloud”, but on their own server
Unlimited API access and data protection. The advantages of Piwik
This distribution is – despite some drawbacks, such as a more complicated installation – due to several advantages. Besides the fact that Piwik is free software developed to date and available for free download, the project proposes the established alternatives especially in two disciplines:
- The unlimited access to the data collected through a REST API, which – unlike Google Analytics -. has the backup on your own server, no API-limit
- The admission opposite end users, so the visitors of a website. Piwik respected by default set of users “do-not-track” feature.
7 Piwik Features who should know you
uploads / 2015/07 / piwik functions Dashboard 595x403.jpg" alt = "insight into the demo installation on piwik.org (Piwik / t3n.de screenshot). = "403" /> Let’s take a second look at the software, it quickly becomes clear that it shares many features of the competition. The most important of them, we want to bring closer to beginners in this article. Go
, 1. “Goals” – the basis of web analytics
The basis of web analytics are Goals, ie objectives. They can be in Piwik define similar in Analytics and serve to retain key actions of the visitors. A common example of so-called objectives is to call certain bottoms or form submission, for example, to sign up for a newsletter
The relevant objectives are highly dependent on the company and its website, common examples are:. The call contact and thank you pages and sending of contact and newsletter forms. Also Piwik supports objectives and explained in the official documentation, such as are used.
. 2 Consistent campaign tracking
Those visiting a site on hundreds of channels, only some of which are common. What is clear is that most sites refer a certain proportion of their visitors through Google and social networks to land normally on the front seats. But what of purchased traffic
Whether through advertisements, collaborations or guest article: It helps to keep these routes “purchased” visitors in mind. In this mammoth task the so-called Campaign Tracking helps
Behind the corresponding links to your site are for parameter set that Piwik then translated into data and stores for further processing. How exactly this works, explains the documentation.
If you are used to using Google’s UTM parameters that knows already. And even better: He can (theoretically) remain the same pattern. Even Piwik supports UTM parameters. It is easier, however, to use the official URL Builder and to put on the Piwik own PK parameters.
. 3 Detecting user actions per event tracking
The classic web analytics in addition to the simple Goals called Events. To capture, works with Piwik as simple as with the competition. Users can all sorts of elements via JavaScript distinguished, so that for example the click of a button, the Event “button” triggers.
track event (category, action, [name], [value]) The two parameters “Category” and “Action” are essential, the following two optional. It is advisable to choose a structure for the award of the events. It facilitates the evaluation, helping to introduce colleagues faster in Piwik.
It is conceivable, for example, to divide the individual parts of the site into categories (for example, “Landing Page A”) and only at the level of the name to describe concrete elements (for example, “Button X”). Also helpful is a common name of “Actions”.
. 4 The Piwik own content tracking
“It is exciting that Piwik own content tracking.”
An interesting and Piwik own feature is the so-called content-tracking. Alexander Gulentz, CEO of Piwik Pro Germany, explains in an interview with t3n.de: “Piwik thus recorded impressions of individual elements of a website, for example, the images of a slider, and places them in relation to number of clicks.” Piwik provides users enjoy a CTR elements which are not always visible.
The documentation for this feature is incomplete at the time of publication, but gives a first impression. More detailed information can be found marketers and developers to developer.piwik.org. It explains exactly how it should be installed.
. 5 The assignment of visitors over IP databases
Piwik estimates the location of visitors by default based on the language used – a relatively inaccurate and error-prone system. Since version 1.9, however, users have the chance to make use of alternative methods with a higher hit rate
gt Under “Administration” &. “Geolocation” Users can choose two more options: “GeoIP (PHP) ‘and’ GeoIP (PECL)”. Both versions require the installation of an IP database ahead, according to the FAQ. Recommended reason is technical understanding.
The recommended Piwik databases are distributed in several version of MaxMind company. They are available in free and paid version, but usually is the free version “GeoLite City” sufficient
.. 6 The Android and iOS SDK
If you want to capture the behavior of its customers outside of their own website, has with the Android and iOS SDK Piwik the chance. The two software development kits supporting most of the previously mentioned functions and therefore provide a suitable technical base.
As with the Web version of Piwik collected in Apps data is stored on its servers. On Github is explained for both Android and iOS for how users use the two SDKs and use their functions.
. 7 Reporting by the Piwik API and email Reports
What do we do with all the information when we have it stored on its own servers and can access via the web interface? Correct: We are making reports. This is achieved either automatically sent e-mail or via the Reporting API.
The so-called “Email Reports” can be GT also of technically savvy users hardly under “Username” &; Setting “Email Reports”. You send in defined intervals predefined statistics in PDF or HTML format to any number of email addresses.
It is somewhat challenging to deal with the Analytics Web API Piwik, the users of the allows retrieval of all data in all possible formats. Who wants to enter deeper here, the documentation of the REST API should lead to heart.
Conclusion
If you do not shrink from dealing with their own servers and the Sovereign Base want to keep on your data, you should at least Piwik undergo a test run. The demands of marketers is the software unequivocally justice
And:. Who is afraid of the extra investment or do not have the technical expertise has, can even use has Piwik Pro a hosted alternative
. Do you Piwik tested before? What is your conclusion?
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