Google Analytics is overkill for most of my projects. I don't really need the myriad of features and tracking options that Google offers: OS version data, behavior flows, content drill-downs, exit pages, and acquisition devices — just to name a few.
Here are questions that I want my analytics software to answer:
Here's information I'm interested in, but is not critical:
As it happens, you don't need data-hungry, privacy-violating software like Google Analytics to answer these questions.
Enter: Fathom.
Fathom is dedicated to providing great analytics software without collecting personal or private information from people who happen to land on my site. The minimal script doesn't get blocked by ad blockers. It doesn't use cookies, which means 3rd-party cookie blocking won't impact my traffic reports.
Having a minimal tracking footprint means that a GDPR notice isn't needed, either. No personal information is ever being collected, so I don't need to pester people with those annoying banners.
Fathom allows me to connect as many sites as I want and only charges more as my sites grow. This alignment of incentives is a good thing: if my sites are growing, Fathom has to do more work, so I should be paying them more.
Fathom's dashboard is fast. Crazy fast. The team has been writing about their dedication to performance, and that dedication is paying off. It feels great to be able to peek at my site dashboard in just a second or two, rather than having to endure the 6-10 second loading spinners that have plagued Google Analytics for years.
I want a world with more independent software powered by paying customers, not fueled by flawed advertising models. The right thing to do is to put my money where my mouth is and pay for valuable tools and services that help me live a more productive life. $14 per month for Fathom isn't cheap, as far as software subscriptions go, but I'm more than happy to pay it to support a privacy-first company which respects my time and the privacy of the people who visit my pages.
If you're interested in trying out Fathom for your own personal site or side project, here's a referral link that will save you $10 on your first bill: https://usefathom.com/ref/KSIDW1
If you'd rather not use a referral link, I'd highly recommend checking out https://usefathom.com directly and giving it a try. They have a 7-day free trial and dead-simple setup instructions.
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