WP Tavern #156 – Derek Ashauer on Analytics Options and Privacy Challenges
7 snips
Feb 12, 2025 
Derek Ashauer, a WordPress plugin developer known for Sunshine Photo Cart and Conversion Bridge, dives into the dynamic world of web analytics. He discusses the impact of European privacy laws and the limitations of Google Analytics. Derek highlights the rise of privacy-focused tools like Fathom and Plausible, emphasizing the growing need for user privacy. He also explains how Conversion Bridge simplifies conversion tracking for both individuals and agencies, providing valuable insights for developers and digital marketers navigating this evolving landscape.
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Analytics Evolution
- Early websites lacked analytics, only basic server logs existed.
- Modern analytics evolved quickly, leveraging technology for sophisticated data gathering, exemplified by Google Analytics.
Privacy Law Impact
- European privacy laws make data collection harder for analytics platforms.
- Marketers struggle to access previously available user data like search terms.
Fingerprinting
- Derek Ashauer uses "fingerprinting" to describe modern analytics user identification, not cookie-based tracking.
- Platforms check specific user elements each page load, avoiding cookies.