In today’s online world, data privacy is a hot topic. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of rules that help protect people’s personal information online. For businesses looking to track their users behavior on their website, it’s crucial to choose tools that follow these rules and protect user privacy.

 In this blog post, we’ll talk about GDPR compliance, how Google Analytics fits in, and some user-friendly alternatives. We’ll also introduce you to Pagecloud’s GDPR compliant analytics tool – a solution that helps you gain valuable insights while keeping your users’ privacy safe, all from your website builder!

What is GDPR compliance?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of rules that businesses need to follow when handling personal information of people in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). GDPR compliance means following these rules, which include:

  • Asking users for permission before collecting their personal information
  • Only collecting the information needed for a specific purpose
  • Being transparent about how the information is used
  • Letting users access, change, or delete their personal information
  • Keeping user information safe from unauthorized access or data breaches

Not following GDPR rules can lead to fines and damage a business’s reputation. That’s why it’s important to choose tools that protect privacy and help maintain compliance.

Is Google Analytics GDPR compliant?

Google Analytics is a popular tool that helps businesses understand user behavior, traffic sources, and website performance. While it’s possible to use Google Analytics in a GDPR compliant way, it takes extra effort and setup. Some challenges include:

  • Asking users for permission to use tracking cookies
  • Hiding IP addresses to avoid collecting personally identifiable information (PII)
  • Adjusting settings to store data for a limited time
  • Turning off data sharing features to prevent unauthorized access to user data

These challenges make it important for businesses to look for GDPR compliant alternatives that focus on privacy and require less effort to maintain compliance. Many alternative GDPR compliant analytics tools, such as Pagecloud analytics, are more user friendly than Google Analytics. Let's compare some of the most popular tools. 

Alternate GPDR compliant analytics tools

Several tools focus on user privacy and data protection, making them perfect for businesses that need to follow GDPR rules. Some popular GDPR compliant alternatives to Google Analytics include:

1. Matomo: An open-source web analytics platform that offers self-hosted solutions for complete data control and privacy

2. Plausible Analytics: A simple, privacy-focused analytics tool that doesn’t use cookies or collect PII

3. Fathom Analytics: A privacy-centric analytics platform that provides overall data without tracking personal information

4. Simple Analytics: A straightforward analytics tool that doesn’t track users or use cookies, focusing on essential website data

5. Countly: An open-source, GDPR compliant analytics platform with web, mobile, and application analytics features while keeping user privacy

6. Pagecloud Analytics: A privacy-focused, GDPR compliant analytics tool that offers valuable insights into user behavior, engagement, and acquisition channels while prioritizing user privacy and compliance

These tools offer a privacy-friendly approach to analytics and often require less effort to achieve GDPR compliance compared to Google Analytics.

Pagecloud’s GDPR Compliant Analytics Tooling

Pagecloud is a website builder that allows its users to build custom, professional websites without code. As a website builder, we understand the importance of being able to easily, and safely track page visits and user engagement. 

Learn more about building a website with Pagecloud! 

Pagecloud Analytics is a privacy-focused, GDPR compliant analytics tool that helps you understand how users interact with your website. It allows you to make smart decisions about your website design, content strategy, marketing campaigns, and more, all while keeping your users’ privacy safe. Key features of Pagecloud Analytics include:

  • Overview: A snapshot of your site visits, user sessions, and total page views, which you can display over 7, 15, or 30-day periods. You’ll also see information on total visitors, page views, and average visit duration.
  • Visitors: Learn where your visitors are located and what devices they use, helping you better understand your audience and tailor your content accordingly.
  • Engagement: Discover the most popular pages on your website during the selected time period, allowing you to optimize your site for better user engagement.
  • Acquisition: Understand the sources that direct visitors to your website, including channels, social media platforms, top referrals, and campaigns, to improve your marketing efforts and drive more traffic.

Pagecloud Analytics prioritizes user privacy and GDPR compliance in the following ways:

  • No use of cookies: Pagecloud Analytics doesn’t use cookies for tracking user behavior, which means there’s no need for cookie consent banners and simplifies GDPR compliance.
  • Data minimization: The tool follows data minimization principles by only collecting the necessary data required for analytics purposes, ensuring compliance with GDPR rules.
  • Privacy by design: Pagecloud Analytics is built with privacy as a core value, making sure that your users’ data is protected and your business stays GDPR compliant.

In conclusion, Pagecloud Analytics offers a GDPR compliant, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics, allowing businesses to gain valuable insights into user behavior, engagement, and acquisition channels without compromising user privacy. By choosing a tool that puts privacy first and follows GDPR rules, businesses can stay ahead in the world of data protection while continuing to improve their online presence and grow.

What's next?

Invest in your website’s future and make sure it follows GDPR rules by choosing Pagecloud’s GDPR Compliant Analytics. Not only will you be following data privacy rules, but you’ll also gain valuable insights that will help you make smart decisions about your website design, content strategy, and marketing campaigns. 

Get started with Pagecloud Analytics today and experience the difference a privacy-focused analytics tool can make for your business. With a more optimistic outlook on data protection, your business can thrive in the era of data privacy regulations.