Today's Deep-Dive: Matomo

All right, welcome to another deep dive.

This time, we're taking a look at something

that, well, let's be honest,

might not sound super exciting at first glance.

Web analytics.

Yeah, not exactly the stuff of blockbuster movies, but.

But essential for anyone with a website, right?

Absolutely, and today we're going even deeper.

We're diving into the world of Matomo,

that open source alternative to Google Analytics.

The one that promises you can actually own

and control your data.

That's the one, and we're gonna figure out

if it lives up to the hype.

We've got a stack of Matomo's GitHub documentation

and marketing materials right here.

Ready to get our hands dirty.

Exactly, but first a quick shout out

to our sponsor, Safe Server.

If all this talk about self-hosting has you thinking,

whoa, hold on, I don't know about all that.

Then Safe Server is here to help.

They're experts in digital transformation,

hosting solutions, and making tech less scary.

Plus, they know Matomo inside and out,

so if you decide to take the plunge,

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Okay, back to Matomo.

Let's do it.

Let's start with the basics.

What exactly is Matomo?

So Matomo is a web analytics platform.

Okay, kinda like Google Analytics, right?

Exactly, but with one major difference.

Hit me with it.

You host it yourself.

Wait, on my servers?

Yep, meaning you and only you have control

over where your data is stored.

And how it's used.

You got it.

Okay, that sounds like a lot of responsibility.

It is, but think of it this way.

Owning your data is like owning your house

versus renting it.

Oh, I like that analogy.

You're in charge of the upkeep, sure,

but you also have the freedom

to do whatever you want with it.

No more nosy landlords.

Exactly, no more Google looking over your shoulder.

Okay, I'm starting to see the appeal.

But beyond that sense of ownership,

what are the actual advantages of Matomo?

Well, they make a lot of promises.

Their website is definitely very enthusiastic, yeah.

First and foremost, they really push data privacy.

Which is a big deal these days, right?

Huge.

Matomo is fully compliant with those regulations

like GDPR and CCPA.

Ah, yes, those acronyms that everyone's heard of,

but maybe not everyone fully understands.

Exactly.

But the point is, with Matomo,

you're ticking those compliance boxes.

Okay, that's good.

So compliance is one big plus.

What else?

Another major selling point is the data accuracy.

Okay, tell me more.

Matomo claims 100% accuracy

because they don't do any data sampling.

Wait, remind me what data sampling is.

So Google Analytics and some others,

they sometimes extrapolate data

based on just a subset of the information.

So they're basically making educated guesses.

Kind of, it's a way to save resources,

but it means you might not be getting

the full accurate picture.

Okay, yeah, I see how that could be a problem.

But with Matomo,

they analyze every interaction on your site.

So you get the complete unfiltered truth.

Precisely.

That's gotta be valuable for anyone who needs

those really granular insights.

Absolutely.

Now there's also something else that's pretty interesting.

Okay, lay it on me.

Matomo can actually track personal data,

but in a secure and privacy-focused way.

Wait, hold on.

Tracking personal data, that sounds like a slippery slope.

I know, right?

But they're very clear about how they handle it.

So how does it work while still being privacy-focused?

Transparency and control are key.

Okay, that makes sense.

You can choose to collect that personal data,

but you absolutely have to be upfront with your users.

No sneaky business.

Exactly.

Tell them what you're collecting

and how you're gonna use it.

And of course you have to follow

all those data protection regulations.

Absolutely.

Okay, so it's more about using that data responsibly,

not spying on people.

Exactly.

But let's be real,

for a lot of folks who are switching from Google Analytics,

it's not about tracking more data.

Right, it's about taking back control.

And that's where Matomo's open source nature comes in.

Ah, yes, the magic of open source.

Can you remind me again why that's so important?

It's a good thing I know, but.

So open source essentially means the code

that makes Matomo tick is publicly available.

Okay, so anyone can see it.

And modify it even.

And that's great for security,

because the community can spot and fix

any vulnerabilities way faster.

Makes sense.

More eyes on the code, the better.

Exactly.

And it also means you're not locked in with one provider.

So I'm not at the mercy of some giant corporation.

Nope.

You can customize Matomo to your heart's content,

hire a developer to build custom features,

whatever you need.

So it's like having the blueprints

to your own analytics platform.

That's a great way to put it.

But with all this talk of self-hosting in open source,

it makes me wonder,

do I need to be a tech whiz to even use Matomo?

That's a great question,

and that's exactly what we'll be tackling next.

So is Matomo actually user-friendly?

Can someone like me, who's not a coding whiz,

actually use this thing?

Yeah, that's the big question, right?

All this power is great,

but if it takes a team of engineers to set it up?

Well, the good news is Matomo has been working hard

to make their interface more accessible.

Okay, so we're not talking command line interfaces

and cryptic code here.

No, I think dashboards, colorful charts,

the kind of data visualizations

that actually make sense to humos.

Phew, that's a relief.

I was picturing like a black screen

with green text raining down.

Nope, Matomo's interface is clean, intuitive,

really designed for exploring your data.

You can navigate reports, filter data,

even create custom segments.

So like if I wanted to see how many people visited,

let's say my blog post

about the best noise canceling headphones.

You got it, you could see where they came from,

what devices they were using,

how long they stayed on the page.

Even what they did after reading the post,

like did they click on any affiliate links?

Exactly, you can track all sorts of actions like that,

downloads, form submissions, you name it.

Okay, that's pretty powerful.

Yeah.

Without needing a degree in data science.

Precisely.

But speaking of powerful,

we can't forget about the Matomo community.

Ah, yes, the open source army.

Exactly.

And they are constantly creating new plugins and add-ons

to extend Matomo's functionality.

So if there's something specific I need,

chances are someone has already built it.

More than likely.

It's like having a giant toolbox at your disposal.

And if you do get stuck, the community is super supportive.

Okay, so there are forums, documentation,

all that good stuff.

Tons of resources.

You're never really alone when you're using Matomo.

But I know what you're thinking.

Self-hosting still sounds a little intimidating, right?

I get it.

It can feel like a big step.

But that's where services like our sponsor, Safe Server,

come in.

They can handle all that hosting stuff for you.

Safe Server, always saving the day.

So if I don't wanna mess around with servers and all that.

Exactly, they've got you covered.

But let's say you are feeling adventurous

and wanna try self-hosting.

Okay, let's say I'm feeling brave.

What are the basic requirements?

Well, you'll need a web server that supports PHP and MySQL.

Okay, and those are?

Basically, the technologies that power a lot of websites

already, fairly common stuff.

All right, so it's not like building a rocket ship.

But still, things can go wrong, right?

Or backup security.

That's the stuff that keeps me up at night.

I hear you.

Those are definitely important considerations.

Regular backups are essential and security audits are key.

Think of it like insurance for your data.

Okay, good analogy.

But again, if I'm not exactly a tech expert.

Safe Server can help with all that too.

They can provide that extra peace of mind.

Safe Server, the data superheroes.

All right, so we've talked about the interface,

the community, even self-hosting.

But before the break, you mentioned these other features

like internet analytics and log analytics.

Oh, right, those, they're pretty cool.

Internet analytics is all about tracking

how people use your company's internal website.

So like if I'm spending too much time

on the company's meme page.

Well, maybe, but it's really about understanding

how employees interact with internal resources.

Okay, so it's about making the workplace better,

not spying on people.

Exactly, identifying bottlenecks,

improving communication, that sort of thing.

And then there's log analytics.

Which sounds even more intense.

It's basically analyzing the raw data

that your web server generates.

Everything from visits to downloads to error messages.

Wow, okay, so who exactly needs that level of detail?

Anyone who wants a really deep understanding

of how their website is working.

So developers, system administrators,

maybe even marketers who want to get really granular

with their data.

You got it, and because it's your data,

you can customize the alerts, dig into the details,

really get your hands dirty.

Sounds powerful.

Yeah.

But also a little overwhelming.

Yeah.

How does this all connect back

to that idea of data control though?

Is this something the average person needs to worry about?

It really depends on how comfortable you are

with getting technical and what your specific needs are.

But the point is, with Matomo, you have that raw data,

you can choose how to use it,

and you decide who has access.

That's a good point.

It's about having the freedom

to do what you want with that data.

Exactly.

But let's be honest, even with all these features,

there must be some downsides to choosing Matomo

over, say, Google Analytics.

Every rose has its thorns, right?

What are we sacrificing here?

Well, Matomo definitely requires

a bit more technical know-how.

Even with Safe Server's help.

And the community support is amazing.

Don't get me wrong.

But you might not have that same level

of instant 24-7 support that a big company

like Google can offer.

So it's a trade-off, right?

Exactly.

More control often means more responsibility.

But in the end, it all comes down to what you value most.

Absolutely.

If data ownership, privacy, transparency

are your top priorities,

then Matomo is definitely worth a serious look.

Okay, so we've talked about user-friendliness,

advanced features, even the potential drawbacks.

But the big question remains,

does Matomo really deliver on its promise

of giving you complete control over your data?

Well, to answer that, we need to go even deeper.

Welcome back to the Deep Dive.

We've been wrestling with this question

of whether Matomo really gives you control over your data.

And I think it's time we get to the bottom of it.

So no more beating around the bush.

Does Matomo actually live up to that promise?

In a nutshell, yes.

Okay, but what does that actually look like in practice?

I need more than just a yes.

Fair enough.

With Matomo, your data actually lives on your servers.

Not in some Google data center somewhere.

Exactly.

You own the hardware, the software, the whole thing.

It's like, remember that analogy we used earlier?

The owning a house versus renting one?

Yeah.

This is you owning the whole property.

You get to set the rules.

You decide how that data is collected,

how it's stored, how it's used, even how it's deleted.

So if I decide I don't wanna track

a specific piece of data anymore, I can just stop.

You got it.

You can anonymize it, aggregate it,

delete it, whatever you want.

Okay, now that's what I'm talking about.

That's real control.

Right.

But of course that comes with some responsibility too.

Oh yeah, I was just thinking that.

More control means more responsibility, right?

I'm now in charge of security, backups,

making sure I'm complying with all the regulations.

Exactly.

But remember, you don't have to go it alone.

Services like Safe Server can help with all that.

Right, Safe Server always there to back us up.

But even with Safe Server's help,

there's still a learning curve, I'm assuming.

Definitely, there's no way around that.

But speaking of regulations,

Matomo is all about being GDPR and CCPA compliant, right?

What does that actually mean for someone like me?

Well, it means Matomo is built with privacy

as a core principle.

They have features like cookie consent management,

data and optimization tools.

They even respect do not track requests.

So I can actually offer my users a real honest to goodness,

opt in experience.

Not one of those cookie banners that nobody understands.

Exactly, you're giving your users a real choice.

Which is good for everyone, right?

Absolutely, it builds trust, it's ethical,

and it helps you avoid those big fines.

Can't argue with that.

So let me get this straight.

Matomo gives me control over my data,

it helps me stay compliant,

and it gives my users a real say in how their data is used.

That's pretty good summary.

And on top of that, don't forget the accuracy

we talked about earlier, the open source flexibility,

the customization options.

Yeah, we covered a lot.

So if someone is thinking about making this switch

from Google Analytics, what would you say?

What's the main takeaway?

The takeaway is you have options.

You don't have to hand your data over to a big tech company.

There are alternatives out there, like Matomo.

Alternatives that put you in control.

And if you need a little help navigating

this new world of data ownership,

well, you know who to call.

Safe Server.

They can make that transition a whole lot smoother.

You can find them over at www.safeserver.de.

All right, so we've taken a deep dive into Matomo.

We've explored the features, the benefits, even the challenges.

But now the question is, what are you

going to do with this information?

Is Matomo the right choice for you?

That's something only you can decide.

But hey, if you do take the plunge, let us know.

We'd love to hear about your experience.

Absolutely.

We're always eager to hear from our listeners.

Until next time, keep exploring and stay curious.

Until next time, keep exploring and stay curious.