About a year ago, I removed Google Analytics from this site.
I felt it was just a vanity metric and I never really knew how to utilize the tool.
I even discovered that by removing Google Analytics, I got a bit of a performance boost.
Does removing Google Analytics from your site improve page speed according to Google's PageSpeed Insights? A story in two photos: pic.twitter.com/zxrxGYdU8o
— Michael Lee 🍕 (@michaelsoolee) March 24, 2021
While I had been curious from time to time about the traffic this site gets, it wasn’t enough to add another analytics service to the site.
That is, until today.
I’m currently making a new site for my wife’s business.
In doing so, I want to make sure we do have analytics to measure the reach of the business.
I have been a fan of Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis’ work on Fathom Analytics and so, when it came to choosing another analytics service, I decided to become a customer.
The purpose of this article is to give a brief, first impression on Fathom Analytics.
Privacy first
Fathom cares about privacy.
No need for cookie notifications, because they don’t use any.
They are GDPR, CCPA and a bunch of privacy-related acronyms compliant.
The way they’ve engineered their infrastructure is a choice that allows them to be.
They do a wayyyyyy better job at describing all the privacy first benefits, have a look.
Deceptively simple interface
The first time I logged into Fathom, the thought that popped into my mind…“wait this is it?!”.
It was quite a weird feeling, because so many of us are familiar with Google Analytics and so you almost expect analytics to be this complex thing.
But, Fathom is oh so clean. The design is quite a breathe of fresh air.
But!
Don’t be fooled. The interface is anything, but simple.
I watched Paul’s demo video and was blown away by three things:
- So much thought went into creating this simple, yet functional design.
- They uphold privacy even in this experience by providing a non-YouTube version.
- Paul’s rad beard
After watching the demo and realizing the care that went into this interface, it made me appreciate the design even more.
I’m excited to just sit and click a bunch of stuff, knowing that Paul has hidden (turn up your speakers and click on any of the cats on the front marketing page) so many jewels into this application.
Still fast
While they boast a super lightweight script, I had to see it for myself.
Before I added Fathom onto my site, I had a baseline on my site’s performance from Google PageSpeed Insights.
Site was blazing fast pre-Fathom.
After Fathom, still super fast.
That means my readers get the information they are looking for in a very fast manner.
You’re paying for value
I think one of the things that people might be put off by when considering Fathom as an analytics platform is the price.
Why pay for Fathom, when well…Google Analytics is free?
I’d challenge you to go beyond the price tag and instead seek the value you do get by going with a privacy-first, analytics service like Fathom.
Paul and Jack are super smart, technical, business folks. Have a look at their blog posts, listen to their podcasts, check out the tweets. They are making some really smart business decisions.
As a customer, you can actually reach out to someone and ask for help or provide feedback. That’s pretty huge!
Your readers are getting the information and services they need from your sites, super fast. That’s a big deal since we know folks will turn away from slow websites.
You don’t have to sweat all the details of privacy and data processing, Paul and Jack are doing that all for you so you can focus on maximizing value to your readers and customers.
Spend your time getting just enough information from a super clean interface to make better business decisions instead of clicking through and trying to understand the sea of data from a convoluted dashboard.
Instead of fixating on the fact you’re paying for analytics, I challenge you to think about all the value you and those who use your sites will get by going with Fathom Analytics.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a privacy focused analytics service for your website, than I’d suggest having a look at Fathom Analytics.
It’s got a super clean interface, keeps your site running fast, respects your readers and users and is run by a couple of cool people.
If you do think Fathom is a good fit for your analytics needs, get $10 off your first invoice by using my affiliate link.
