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EuroMetrics CMS

Tag: Analytics

  • Why European Businesses Are Ditching Google Analytics

    Why European Businesses Are Ditching Google Analytics

    The landscape of web analytics in Europe has undergone a dramatic transformation. Since the landmark Schrems II ruling and subsequent enforcement actions by data protection authorities across the EU, European businesses have been reconsidering their reliance on Google Analytics.

    The GDPR Problem with Google Analytics

    Google Analytics, by design, transfers user data to servers located in the United States. Under GDPR, this creates a significant compliance risk. Several European data protection authorities — including those in Austria, France, Italy, and Denmark — have explicitly ruled that using Google Analytics violates GDPR.

    The core issues are clear: personal data (including IP addresses and cookie identifiers) is transferred to the US, where surveillance laws like FISA 702 allow government agencies to access this data without the knowledge or consent of EU citizens.

    The Real Cost of Non-Compliance

    GDPR fines are not theoretical. In 2025 alone, over €2.1 billion in fines were issued across the EU for data protection violations. Companies using non-compliant analytics tools face potential fines of up to 4% of their annual global revenue.

    Beyond fines, there’s reputational damage. Consumers increasingly care about how their data is handled, and a public enforcement action can erode trust that took years to build.

    What European Businesses Need

    The ideal analytics solution for European businesses must meet several criteria: data must stay within the EU, no personal data should be transferred to third countries, cookie consent should be simplified or eliminated entirely, and the tool must provide actionable insights without compromising privacy.

    This is exactly why solutions like EuroMetrics exist — built from the ground up for European businesses, with EU data residency, cookie-free tracking, and full GDPR compliance baked into the architecture.

  • Cookie-Free Analytics: How It Works

    Cookie-Free Analytics: How It Works

    Cookie-free analytics represents a fundamental shift in how we approach web measurement. Instead of tracking individual users with persistent identifiers, these solutions use privacy-preserving techniques to deliver accurate insights without cookies.

    The Problem with Traditional Analytics

    Traditional analytics tools like Google Analytics rely heavily on cookies to identify and track users across sessions. This approach creates several problems: it requires cookie consent banners (which many users reject), it’s increasingly blocked by browsers and ad blockers, and it raises serious privacy concerns under GDPR and ePrivacy regulations.

    How Cookie-Free Tracking Works

    Cookie-free analytics uses a combination of techniques to measure website activity without setting any cookies or using persistent identifiers. The primary approach involves processing each page view as an independent event, using temporary, non-persistent signals to estimate metrics like unique visitors.

    These signals may include the date (but not time), the website domain, the page URL, the referring domain, the browser’s language setting, and the screen size. Critically, these signals are hashed and salted with a daily-rotating key, making it impossible to track a user across days or to reconstruct their identity.

    Accuracy Without Cookies

    A common concern is whether cookie-free analytics can be accurate. The answer is yes — and in some cases, more accurate than cookie-based tracking. Why? Because cookie-based analytics often undercounts users who block cookies, use privacy-focused browsers, or reject consent banners. Cookie-free analytics captures all visitors equally.

    Studies have shown that consent-based cookie analytics can miss 30-60% of website traffic due to consent rejection. Cookie-free solutions see every visitor, providing a more complete picture of your website’s performance.

    Legal Advantages

    Since cookie-free analytics doesn’t use cookies or process personal data, it falls outside the scope of the ePrivacy Directive’s consent requirement. This means you can run analytics without a cookie banner, improving user experience while simplifying compliance. Several European DPAs have confirmed that properly implemented cookie-free analytics does not require consent.

    EuroMetrics uses exactly this approach — delivering comprehensive analytics insights while respecting user privacy and eliminating the need for cookie consent banners.

  • Migrating from Google Analytics to EuroMetrics: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Migrating from Google Analytics to EuroMetrics: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Migrating from Google Analytics to a privacy-focused alternative might seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be completed in under an hour. This guide walks you through the process step by step.

    Step 1: Sign Up and Get Your Tracking Code

    Create your EuroMetrics account and add your website. You’ll receive a lightweight tracking script — just a single line of code that you’ll add to your website. Unlike Google Analytics, which loads over 45KB of JavaScript, the EuroMetrics script is under 1KB and loads asynchronously, so it won’t affect your page speed.

    Step 2: Install the Tracking Script

    Add the EuroMetrics script to your website’s HTML, typically in the head section. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, you can use the official EuroMetrics plugin. For Next.js, React, or other JavaScript frameworks, we provide dedicated packages that integrate seamlessly with your build process.

    Step 3: Run Both Tools in Parallel

    We recommend running EuroMetrics alongside Google Analytics for 2-4 weeks. This parallel period lets you verify that EuroMetrics is capturing data correctly and gives you time to familiarize yourself with the new dashboard. You’ll likely notice that EuroMetrics reports higher visitor counts — this is because it captures visitors who block cookies or reject consent banners.

    Step 4: Configure Your Dashboard

    Set up your EuroMetrics dashboard to match your reporting needs. Create custom views for different teams, set up email reports, and configure goals to track conversions. The interface is intentionally simpler than Google Analytics — you’ll find the metrics that matter without drowning in data you’ll never use.

    Step 5: Remove Google Analytics

    Once you’re confident in your EuroMetrics setup, remove the Google Analytics tracking code from your website. Don’t forget to also remove any Google Tag Manager containers if they were used solely for GA. This step will immediately improve your page load time and eliminate the need for Google Analytics-specific cookie consent.

    Step 6: Update Your Privacy Policy

    Update your privacy policy to reflect the change. Remove references to Google Analytics and add information about EuroMetrics. Since EuroMetrics doesn’t use cookies, you may be able to simplify your cookie banner or remove it entirely, depending on what other tools you use.

    What About Historical Data?

    Your Google Analytics historical data remains accessible in your Google account. We recommend exporting key reports before your GA property’s data retention period expires. EuroMetrics provides data export tools that let you maintain a consistent reporting archive going forward.

    The migration process is designed to be simple and low-risk. Most customers complete it in under an hour, and our support team is available to help with any questions along the way.