There are countless websites on the internet. Every site owner wants to attract more visitors and understand them better. Analytics systems are one of the key ways to get that insight.
Website analytics
Website analytics is the collection and analysis of data about visitors and their actions. It helps you understand which pages are most useful, where traffic comes from, how users move toward a lead or purchase, and where drop‑offs happen. This information is used to improve the site and increase efficiency.
Analytics platforms can be free or paid, each with its own strengths. Below is a short list of widely used solutions.
Popular analytics tools
- Google Analytics — traffic sources, behavior, conversions, and audience reporting.
- Yandex.Metrica — traffic, behavior and conversion insights (commonly used in CIS markets).
- Adobe Analytics — an enterprise platform with advanced reporting and integrations.
- Piwik PRO — analytics with a strong privacy/compliance angle (depending on setup).
- Clicky — real‑time analytics to quickly spot changes.
- Matomo — open‑source analytics with self‑hosting options.
- Mixpanel — product analytics: events, funnels, retention, A/B tests.
- Heap Analytics — event analytics with automatic capture of many actions.
- Woopra — customer journey analytics and engagement tools.
- Kissmetrics — event‑based analytics often used in ecommerce and SaaS.
Recommendations if you’re starting
- Pick an analytics platform that fits your goals and budget.
- Validate the setup: conversions/goals, key events, ecommerce tracking, forms.
- Review reports regularly and translate data into a backlog of hypotheses and tasks.
- Track changes in user behavior and traffic sources.
- Respect privacy and applicable regulations (GDPR, etc.).
Need help with tracking and reporting? See web analytics services.