Fathom Analytics (The Google Alternative)

Let’s just say it, Google shouldn’t have a monopoly on website analytics.

Not only does Google track more data than is ultimately required, it’s then used to target ads right back at yourself and customers. Not only that, it’s overly complex and, quite frankly, a headache to navigate. 

A simple, light-weight and privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics which tracks what you want to know, without the need for cookies or excessive data collection. Now running on over 11,000 websites, Paul and Jack, the co-founders of Fathom have designed an elegant solution.

It’s a paid service, and let-me-stop-you-right-there, that’s a good thing!

Like we tell our clients with Craft CMS, by paying for your products and services, you can ensure you’re getting a premium product and supporting those championing good on the web.

Let’s be honest, if you’re not paying for your products, you ARE the product. 

Their plans start at $14 per month, for 100,000 page views over an unlimited number of websites. 

Three things I like about Fathom… other than its privacy focus:

The dashboard. 

Site Uniques | Site Views | Avg Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Goal Completions 

The important metrics are front and centre, followed by a graph and then more detailed metrics around which pages are most popular, where your traffic is coming from etc.

A quick glance is al I need to understand the overview; it’s not needy for my attention. It’s also well designed; it looks fantastic.

Team or public sharing

That beautiful dashboard we just spoke about, Fathom have made it so easy to share. You have three options:

1) Viewable by you

2) Viewable by anyone with the shared password

3) Viewable by everyone

The idea of quickly creating a viewable by everyone dashboard is magic. Pair that with Baremetrics Open Startup movement and you’ve got yourself the tools you need to push ahead with your transparent startup. 

Technology Focus

The Fathom team are using cutting-edge technology to run Fathom and, even better, they’re sharing their knowledge about it. In August, Jack wrote an excellent article on what happened when one of their customers got over 10m page views in a few hours; https://usefathom.com/blog/viral. 

Their already stable technology stack is getting better and better with each release, pushing the boundaries on what it is to manage millions of data points in real time.

If you want to take a stand in protecting your customer’s data, or you just like the look of the dashboard, then head over to https://usefathom.com/ for a 14-day free trial and $10 off your first invoice.