Matomo Analytics explained for decision-makers

Many organisations want to understand how people use their websites, but they are increasingly concerned about data privacy, data ownership, and regulatory compliance.

For years, Google Analytics dominated the web analytics market. However, growing concerns about data transfers, privacy regulation, and reliance on large technology vendors have led some organisations to explore alternatives.

What is Matomo?

One of the most widely used alternatives is Matomo Analytics.

Matomo is an open-source web analytics platform that allows organisations to analyse website traffic and user behaviour while retaining full control over their data. Unlike many analytics platforms, Matomo can be installed on your own servers, ensuring that analytics data remains within your organisation’s infrastructure.

This approach makes Matomo particularly attractive to organisations that operate under strict privacy requirements, such as:

• public sector organisations
• healthcare providers
• law firms
• research institutions
• companies handling sensitive customer data

Why Matomo over other analytics platforms?

In these environments, data ownership and compliance with regulations such as GDPR are often more important than deep advertising integrations.

I have implemented Matomo Analytics for a wide range of organisations, including government agencies, municipalities, companies, and non-profit organisations. These projects have shown both the strengths and the limitations of the platform.

Based on this experience, Matomo is usually a good choice for organisations that:

• need to keep analytics data on-premises
• want to avoid dependency on advertising platforms
• prefer open-source software
• have relatively straightforward analytics requirements

However, Matomo is not always the best solution. Some marketing teams prefer analytics platforms that integrate deeply with advertising ecosystems or offer more advanced reporting tools out of the box.

Matomo is a robust, open-source web analytics platform that provides comprehensive insights into website performance and user behaviour.

Its open-source nature means that anyone can download, modify, and use the software free of charge. This flexibility allows organisations to tailor the software to their needs by adding new features, themes or translations.

One of the key features that sets Matomo apart is its self-hosting capability. Users can install Matomo on their own servers, ensuring that all collected data remains within their control.

This is particularly important for organisations that handle sensitive information or are subject to strict data protection laws, such as GDPR in the European Union.

While platforms like Google Analytics are widely used, they often store data on third-party servers. This often raises concerns about data ownership and privacy.

Matomo, on the other hand, gives you the option to keep all your data on your own servers or use a cloud service where you retain ownership of the data.

This makes Matomo an excellent choice for organisations that prefer full control over their data.

Benefits of open source

A unique advantage of Matomo among mature digital analytics platforms is its open-source status.

For users, this means greater transparency and control over the software. You are not locked into a proprietary system, which can be particularly important for organisations that need to customise their analytics tools to meet specific needs.

Matomo’s open-source nature fosters a vibrant developer and user community that contributes to its ongoing development and improvement. This collaborative approach ensures Matomo remains adaptable and up to date with the latest web technologies and privacy standards.

Additionally, using open-source software helps avoid vendor lock-in, allowing organisations to switch hosting providers or modify the software as their needs evolve without being tied to a single company’s ecosystem.

On the other hand, if preference for open source is not a critical requirement, I usually recommend Piwik PRO instead of Matomo Analytics.

Installing and implementing Matomo

When implementing Matomo, you have two main options: self-hosting on your own servers or in the cloud, or opting for the SaaS (Software as a Service) solution provided by Innocraft.

For most organisations, I recommend using the SaaS solution.

I have written a separate blog post about deciding between Matomo Cloud and on premise.

Self-hosting Matomo

The first option is to download and install Matomo on your own servers or on a cloud service provider such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

This approach offers the highest level of control and privacy, as all data collected by Matomo remains entirely within your own infrastructure.

It’s an excellent choice for organisations with strict data privacy requirements or those that already have the IT infrastructure in place to support a self-hosted solution.

Several steps are required to install a self-hosted Matomo. These require some Linux administration skills.

1. Download and install Matomo: Start by downloading Matomo from the official website. If you’re opting for a self-hosted solution, you’ll need a web server (like Apache or Nginx) and a database (such as MySQL).
2. Set Up the Database: Create a Matomo database on your server. During the installation process, you’ll be prompted to enter the database details.
3. Upload Matomo Files: Upload the Matomo files to your web server using FTP or a similar tool.
4. Run the Installer: Navigate to the Matomo URL in your browser and follow the installation wizard. This will configure the software and connect it to your database.
5. Add the Tracking Code: Once installed, add the Matomo tracking code to your website. This is a small JavaScript snippet that you place in the header or footer of your site’s HTML template.

More detailed documentation is available on Matomo’s own website.

SaaS solution by Innocraft

The second option is to use Matomo’s SaaS solution provided by Innocraft.

This is a simpler, often lower-cost approach, especially for organisations that do not want to manage their own servers and databases.

With the SaaS option, Matomo is hosted in the cloud by Innocraft, which handles all the technical aspects, including updates, backups, and security.

Your data is stored in the cloud, but you retain full ownership and control without investing in or maintaining your own server infrastructure.

This option is ideal for organisations that want to quickly and easily start using Matomo without the complexities of self-hosting.

The SaaS solution also offers scalability, allowing you to adjust usage as your website traffic grows.

Matomo Tag Manager vs. Google Tag Manager

If you’re already using a Tag Management System (TMS) like Google Tag Manager (GTM), you can easily integrate Matomo into your existing setup.

Matomo’s tracking tag can be deployed through GTM, allowing you to manage all your tags from one interface.

For those who prefer to avoid Google’s services, Matomo offers its own Tag Manager.

Matomo’s Tag Manager is simpler and designed for users who do not require the extensive features of GTM. While it covers the basics of tag management effectively, it lacks advanced GTM features, such as workspaces for simultaneous edits by multiple users and more complex trigger configurations.

Additionally, Matomo Tag Manager is not fully compatible with GTM’s dataLayer, which can pose challenges for users transitioning from GTM.

This makes Matomo’s Tag Manager a better fit for smaller projects or organisations with straightforward tag management needs. Companies with larger teams and more complex setups might prefer GTM’s advanced capabilities.

Exploring Matomo without installation

For those new to Matomo and hesitant to jump straight into installation, the platform offers a free demo account. This allows you to explore Matomo’s features and reports without setting up the software.

Please note that certain paid extensions are included in the demo account and are not available in the free open-source edition without paid plugins.

Web and app analytics features

Visitor reports

All audience-related reports are available under the Visitors menu. Matomo excels in providing detailed insights into individual users. This includes tracking individual user paths, which can provide deeper insight into user behaviour and website usability.

For each visitor, Matomo records a standard set of data, such as:

• Visit Time: When a visitor arrives at your site.
• Service Provider: The internet service provider (ISP) the visitor uses.
• Geographical Location: The visitor’s location, down to the city level.
• Pages Viewed: Details of each page the visitor accessed.
• Browser and OS: Information about the browser and operating system the visitor uses.

One area where Matomo differs from Google Analytics is in demographic data. While GA4 can identify a user’s age, gender, and interests — information invaluable for advertisers — Matomo does not offer this feature. For privacy-conscious organisations, this is an advantage, reducing the need to collect potentially sensitive personal data.

Behaviour

The Behaviour menu in Matomo is where you’ll find detailed reports on user behaviour. This includes:

• Page Views: A report on the pages most frequently viewed by visitors.
• Landing Pages: Insights into the first page users see when they arrive on your site.
• Exit Pages: Information about the last page users view before leaving your site.
• Site Search: Data on how visitors use your website’s internal search functionality.
• Event Tracking: This feature allows you to track user interactions with elements on your site, such as button clicks or video plays.

Events are categorised in a manner similar to Google’s Universal Analytics, using categories, actions, and labels. You can add more context to events using custom dimensions.

Matomo goes further by automatically tracking clicks on external links and file downloads, categorising them separately from other events. This reduces the need to set up custom event tracking for these actions, streamlining the tracking.

Acquisition

The Acquisition reports in Matomo provide a comprehensive view of how visitors arrive at your site, including traffic from search engines, social media, direct visits, and referral links.

To track traffic from advertising campaigns, Matomo offers a URL Builder tool. This tool simplifies tagging your URLs with UTM parameters, making it easier to attribute traffic to specific campaigns.

Goals

In Matomo, goals are crucial for measuring your website’s success. Goals can be configured to track key actions, such as:

• Page Visits: When a visitor views a specific page, such as a thank-you page after a form submission.
• Outbound Link Clicks: Tracking when users click on links that take them away from your site.
• E-commerce Transactions: Recording when a purchase is completed in your online store.

These goals are configured similarly to other analytics platforms, ensuring that users familiar with goal tracking in Google Analytics will find the process straightforward in Matomo.

Matomo as a digital marketing tool

While Matomo is an excellent web analytics tool for organisations with stringent data privacy requirements, it can also be used effectively for digital marketing.

For organisations with modest analytics needs, the free version of Matomo offers a comprehensive suite of tools comparable to other analytics platforms.

For more advanced use cases, one can use the API and raw data with third-party data visualisation tools. It is also possible to extend Matomo’s features with plugins.

Matomo is particularly well-suited for organisations balancing digital marketing efforts with stringent privacy requirements.

For instance, a law firm or healthcare provider can use Matomo to track the effectiveness of their online marketing campaigns without compromising client confidentiality.

Additionally, Matomo’s ability to host data on-premise ensures that sensitive information remains under the organisation’s direct control, reducing the risk of data breaches or unauthorised access.

One of Matomo’s greatest strengths is its extensibility. The platform is designed to be highly customisable, allowing users to extend its functionality through various plugins.

Extendability – from free plugins to custom extensions

Matomo’s open-source nature is one of its greatest strengths, particularly for users with technical expertise in PHP and SQL.

Matomo Marketplace

The Matomo Marketplace offers a wide selection of plugins, including both free and paid options.

These plugins range from simple tools that add minor features to comprehensive extensions that significantly enhance Matomo’s capabilities.

For example, there are plugins for

• heatmaps,
• session recordings
• and A/B testing

which can be invaluable for optimising your marketing campaigns. These plugins may be sufficient for your use cases.

These plugins are developed and maintained by the Matomo community and third-party developers, ensuring they integrate smoothly with the core platform.

For many organisations, the combination of Matomo’s core features and the available plugins will meet most, if not all, of their analytics needs.

Custom development

For organisations using the on-premise, open-source version of Matomo, there is also the option to develop custom plugins or modify the existing ones.

This is particularly beneficial for users with specific needs that existing plugins do not address.

With access to the source code, developers can build tailored solutions that align perfectly with their organisational requirements.

This level of customisation is a key advantage of using an open-source platform like Matomo. Some consultancies have even customised Matomo to the point that they have rebranded it as their own product.

Usability challenges

Matomo Analytics, while robust in many areas, does face some performance and usability challenges that decision-makers and users should be aware of.

One significant issue is the time required to create new segments or custom reports; these computing processes can be sluggish, often taking several hours before the data is fully available. This delay can hinder timely decisions based on the latest analytics.

Another aspect affecting usability is the quality of translations in less commonly used languages. For instance, the Finnish language translation is notably subpar, which can lead to confusion and misinterpretation for native speakers. This lack of localisation quality detracts from the user experience and could potentially lead to errors in data interpretation or report configuration.

Moreover, certain features users might expect to be standard, such as the ability to generate custom reports, are available only in the paid version of Matomo and only as paid plugins for the open-source edition. This limitation may prompt users to upgrade to the premium version, even if their needs are relatively basic, thereby increasing the platform’s overall cost.

Conclusion: for organisations with a focus on privacy and ownership

Matomo is a strong choice if:

• your organisation requires data ownership
• you prefer open-source software
• privacy compliance is critical

Matomo may not be ideal if:

• marketing teams rely heavily on advertising integrations
• you need advanced marketing attribution
• you want the simplest reporting interface.

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