What is Web Analytics?

Web analytics is the collection, measurement and analysis of data about visitor behaviour on a website. It shows who your visitors are, how they find your site, what they do and where they drop off, which is essential for well-founded marketing decisions.

What data does web analytics collect?

Numbers of sessions and unique visitors, page views, bounce rate, traffic sources, conversions, device type, location and user behaviour per page.

The standard web analytics platform

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the most widely used web analytics platform. It is event-based and offers advanced reporting. For privacy-conscious organisations there are alternatives such as Matomo, Plausible or Fathom, which process data entirely on their own servers.

Web analytics and Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager makes it easier to implement and manage tracking tags without changing code. Use UTM tags for accurate source attribution per campaign and channel.

What is the difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?

GA4 is event-based and user-centred; Universal Analytics was session-based. UA was fully shut down in July 2024.

Is web analytics legally allowed in the EU?

Yes, provided cookie consent is implemented correctly in line with the GDPR. More at developers.google.com/search.