• Burst Statistics vs. Google Analytics

    Let’s take a deeper look at Burst Statistics, especially in the context of its offerings for WordPress users. We’re comparing Burst Statistics vs. Google Analytics to help you decide which tool fits your needs best.

    What Is Burst Statistics?

    Burst Statistics is a user-friendly web analytics tool, particularly popular among WordPress users. It offers two versions: a free plugin and a paid version called Burst Pro. It focuses on essential metrics while keeping user privacy in mind.

    What Is Google Analytics?

    Google Analytics is a robust and detailed analytics platform. It’s packed with features and offers deep insights into your website’s performance. However, it can be complex and might feel overwhelming for beginners.

    Burst Statistics vs. Google Analytics

    Ease of Use

    Burst Statistics stands out for its simplicity. The free WordPress plugin is easy to install and provides essential metrics such as bounces, sessions, visitors, page views, and time on page. The interface is clean, making it accessible even for non-tech-savvy users.

    Google Analytics, in contrast, is powerful but can be overwhelming. It offers a wealth of data and features, but it requires a steeper learning curve. For those new to analytics, navigating through its numerous options might be challenging at first.

    Privacy Concerns

    Burst Statistics is designed with privacy at its core. It does not track personal data and does not have access to the data as it is fully locally hosted, making GDPR compliance much simpler. This focus on privacy can give you peace of mind.

    Google Analytics collects extensive data, including personal information, which can raise privacy concerns. Ensuring GDPR compliance requires more effort and attention.

    Features

    Burst Free provides:

    • Essential metrics (bounces, sessions, visitors, page views, time on page)
    • Tracking with or without cookies (Read: Why we do not recommend cookieless tracking)
    • Data comparison over different periods
    • Email reporting
    • Real-time data
    • Audience demographics and country insights
    • Traffic sources

     

    Burst Pro (at $39 per year per site) adds:

     

    Google Analytics offers:

    • Real-time data
    • Audience demographics
    • Traffic sources
    • User behavior flow
    • Conversion tracking
    • Custom reports
    • E-commerce tracking
    • Event tracking

     

    While Google Analytics is incredibly feature-rich, Burst Statistics provides all the essential metrics most small to medium-sized websites need, with Burst Pro adding more advanced capabilities for a reasonable price.

    Setup and Integration

    Burst Statistics is easy to set up. The WordPress plugin can be installed with a few clicks, and configuration is straightforward.

    Google Analytics requires a more involved setup. You need to create an account, generate tracking codes, and set up goals. It’s more complex but offers richer data in return.

    Cost

    Burst Free is free forever, with no limit on the number of visitors. It provides robust basic analytics without any cost.

    Burst Pro costs $39 per year per site, offering advanced features at a reasonable price.

    Google Analytics offers a free version with extensive features. However, for large enterprises needing advanced functionalities, Google Analytics 360 is available but can be quite expensive.

    Who Should Use What?

    Burst Statistics Free is perfect if you:

    • Want essential metrics with minimal setup
    • Value user privacy
    • Need quick and clear insights

     

    Burst Pro is ideal if you:

    • Value user privacy
    • Need more advanced tracking and reporting features
    • Want to set up multiple goals and conversion tracking
    • Are looking for a cost-effective and scalable solution

     

    Google Analytics is best if you:

    • Require detailed and comprehensive analysis
    • Need advanced custom reports and e-commerce tracking
    • Are ready to invest time in learning the tool

     

    Conclusion

    Both Burst Statistics and Google Analytics have their strengths. Burst Statistics is straightforward, privacy-focused, and comes with a very affordable Pro version for advanced needs. Google Analytics offers deep, detailed insights but requires more effort to set up and master.

    So, which one suits your needs? Simple and privacy-focused, or powerful but complex? The choice is yours!

  • How to track UTM (and Burst) parameters?

    Understanding where your website traffic originates and how visitors interact with your content is crucial for any digital marketing strategy. UTM parameters are a popular tool used for this purpose. This article will guide you on how to track UTM parameters effectively using Burst Statistics, a privacy-focused, WordPress-specific analytics plugin that serves as an alternative to Google Analytics.

    What are UTM Parameters?

    UTM parameters are tags added to a URL to help marketers track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media. They can provide information on how visitors arrive at your website through various campaigns. The typical UTM parameters include:

    • source: Identifies which site sent the traffic (e.g., Google, newsletter)
    • medium: The type of marketing medium used (e.g., email, CPC)
    • campaign: Identifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign (e.g., spring_sale)
    • term: Used for paid search to note the keywords for the ad
    • content: Used to differentiate similar content, or links within the same ad

    Setting Up Tracking with Burst Statistics

    To track UTM parameters effectively using Burst Pro in WordPress, you’ll first need to ensure that your campaign URLs are correctly tagged. Here’s how to create and configure your URLs, either using traditional UTM parameters or custom Burst-specific parameters:

    1. Create Tagged URLs for Your Campaigns
      • To tag URLs, you can use a URL builder tool like Google’s Campaign URL Builder or manually append the parameters.Here’s an example of a URL tagged with UTM parameters for a newsletter campaign:
        https://www.yoursite.com/product-launch?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=may_newsletter&utm_content=top_banner

        Alternatively, you can use custom burst_ parameters to distinguish the tracking further, which might look like:
        https://www.yoursite.com/product-launch?burst_source=newsletter&burst_medium=email&burst_campaign=may_newsletter&burst_content=top_banner
        In these URLs:

        • utm_source or burst_source identifies the traffic source, such as a newsletter.
        • utm_medium or burst_medium indicates the medium, like email.
        • utm_campaign or burst_campaign specifies the campaign’s name.
        • utm_content or burst_content helps differentiate between links in the same context.
    2. Viewing the Data
      • Burst Statistics will collect data from visitors who arrive via your tagged URLs, whether they’re tagged with UTM or custom Burst parameters. This data is accessible in the Burst dashboard, offering insights into which campaigns and sources are most effective in driving traffic. You can access your UTM (and Burst) campaigns by clicking on the “Pages” dropdown and selecting “Campaigns”. At the top right of this section, you can choose the metrics you want to view.

    Analyzing the Data

    With Burst Statistics, you can analyze how different campaigns perform in terms of bringing traffic and engagement to your website. Use this data to:

    • Assess which marketing campaigns are the most effective.
    • Understand which mediums contribute to the highest traffic.
    • Optimize your marketing strategies based on performance data.

    Conclusion

    Tracking UTM parameters is a powerful way to enhance your marketing efforts. By integrating UTM tracking with Burst Statistics, you can gain valuable insights into your marketing campaigns’ effectiveness while ensuring user privacy. Start using UTM parameters today to optimize your digital marketing strategies and achieve better results.

  • How is data in Burst anonymized? 

    Burst Statistics prioritizes user privacy by not storing any personally identifiable information. When a user visits a website using Burst, the plugin only processes their IP address to determine their country as stated above. However, the IP address is not stored in Burst’s database. This ensures that individual users cannot be identified from this data.
    Similarly, while Burst uses the visitor’s user agent to identify their browser, device, and operating system for analytical purposes, the actual user agent string is not saved in the database. By not storing the IP address and user agent, Burst effectively anonymizes the data it collects. This helps maintain user anonymity while still providing valuable insights.

  • How does Burst use and store IP addresses? 

    Burst Pro utilizes the IP address to identify the country information. This process is carried out locally in the plugin, with the IP being compared against a GeoIP database. It is important to note that no IP address is ever sent to a third party while using Burst – in fact, no information is ever sent to a third party. To add to that, the IP address is never saved to the database, it is just used to identify the country and we save that country information to the database.
    Both Burst Pro and Burst Free utilize the IP address for blocking tracking, provided the IP has been added to the block list in the settings. The system simply compares the user IP to the list you have created, without storing any visitor IP.

  • How does Burst track goals without cookies?

    We use the user’s fingerprint and the current page they are on to track their progress towards achieving goals on the website. For click goals, the user only needs to click on the designated element once to achieve the goal. Each goal can only be achieved once per page view. On the other hand, achieving a view goal is as simple as having the selected element visible on the user’s screen. This goal can also only be achieved once per pageview.

  • Understanding Burst’s Cookieless Tracking: How Fingerprinting Works

    In the context of online privacy and data tracking, Burst Statistics offers a cookieless method to track website visitors. This approach is centered around a technique known as fingerprinting. This article will explain how Burst utilizes fingerprinting for tracking, emphasizing its privacy-focused nature.

    How Burst Tracks Website Visitors Without Cookies

    Fingerprinting is the primary method used by Burst to identify and track website visitors. This technique does not rely on traditional cookies. Instead, it gathers a combination of device and browser information such as browser type, operating system, and device settings. This collected data is used to create a unique identifier or ‘fingerprint’ for each visitor. Think of it as creating a unique ID based on your computer’s attributes.

    Burst’s Fingerprinting Process

    In Burst’s approach, the data collected for fingerprinting is compiled into a unified object. This object is then converted into a unique hash, acting as a digital fingerprint for each visitor. By comparing these fingerprints with those stored in its database, Burst can differentiate between new and returning visitors.

    Privacy Considerations in Burst’s Tracking

    A notable aspect of Burst’s fingerprinting process is the irreversible nature of the hash. The fingerprint, once created, cannot be converted back into its original data, ensuring that no directly identifiable personal information is retained.

    Explaining Hashes in Simple Terms

    A hash functions like a digital signature for data. It is generated by passing the original data through a hash function, which produces a short, fixed-size string of characters unique to that data. The sensitivity of hashes to even minor changes in the original data makes them useful for checking data integrity and comparing data sets.

    Comparison with cookies

    Both the ID stored in the cookie and the hash derived from the fingerprint are saved indefinitely in the statistics database unless the website administrator deletes the statistics data, either manually or through automated settings.

    Unlike cookies, which are stored on the user’s computer with a defined expiration (e.g., one month), a fingerprint represents a combination of several characteristics of the user’s system. This fingerprint remains consistent as long as the system does not change, effectively giving it an indefinite lifetime. To ensure privacy, the fingerprint is encoded into a hash. This hash is irreversible, meaning it cannot be traced back to the user unless the original system characteristics are already known and hashed for comparison.

    In summary, both the cookie ID and the fingerprint hash are stored indefinitely on the server. However, the cookie on the user’s device has an expiration date, while the fingerprint hash acts as a persistent signature. To enhance privacy, the fingerprint is hashed, making it impossible to trace back to the user without access to the original system fingerprint.

    Both approaches have their own advantage: cookies give users more control over their data, as the user can choose to delete a cookie at any moment, while a fingerprint can never be deleted. On the other hand, fingerprints are not stored on the user’s computer, and can’t be traced back to the user unless you have the original data from the computer at hand.

    Conclusion

    Burst Statistics’ method of using fingerprinting for web analytics offers a privacy-conscious alternative to traditional cookie-based tracking. This approach aligns with the growing emphasis on online privacy, providing a way to track website activity without storing personal information.

  • Do I need to archive my data?

    Generally speaking, archiving your data would be unnecessary if your server is proportional to the website traffic you experience.

    An Example with Cookiedatabase.org

    On cookiedatabase.org we have an average of 200k visitors each month. This means for 2023 until september 1st was close to 1.6 million pageviews.

    The database tables from Burst in 2023 currently, for 1.6 million pageviews account for 423MB. For this purpose we use a Professional server set-up with 100GB SSD and proportional specifications, and have no data storage issues with Burst Statistics, nor do we experience slowed down queries in the back-end.

    Comparing to GoDaddy

    On GoDaddy you can get a small hosting package for € 167,88 a year, with 25GB data storage.

    Compared with cookiedatabase.org specification you would expect the same relative data usage with 400.000 pageviews for 8 months, or 600.000 per year.

    So why would I archive, or even delete data?

    It’s impossible to optimize for all hosting environments, especially when you consider the amount of configuration a WordPress website can have due to plugins, themes, custom coding and versions. This Burst is optimized for general use, but your website might just be the exception. In that case, you can choose to archive data older than 12 months to minimize database queries and storage.

  • New feature: Tracking with Endpoints

    Before we explain our newest feature, please know we added another feature Turbo Mode, and check out our Troubleshooting Tracking article, if needed.

    We are continuously developing Burst Statistics to be the alternative to Google Analytics, only more user-friendly and privacy-friendly. To help us out, our users have added many feature requests. To name a few, these are now fulfilled with our newest features:

    And 1.3 will feature even more of your feature requests, including Goals! Want to leave a feature request? Please do, and do it here. Thank you.

    And now about tracking with an Endpoint

    When switching to Burst 1.2 the method of tracking has automatically switched to “Endpoint” instead of REST API. If this switch was not possible, you will get feedback in the dashboard about how to fix this. If you didn’t, you’re now using a beacon to send data to an endpoint.

    Without explaining the full technical implementation; when the tracking javascript has been loaded, a request will be made to add the initial statistic. Pageview data will be send when a user closes or leaves the page. The previous tracking method would update the hit multiple times per pageview, because we were not able to send data on page exit without impacting performance.

    This means tracking will sent a request on entry, and will sent a non blocking request on exit. There’s no hindrance of any responses, or unloads during the session which positively affects performance during a session.

    The previous method of tracking, the REST API is still used as a fallback. The difference in time spend sending the request is immense.  The REST API would average around 300 ms per request on this website. Now tracking with an endpoint averages about 30ms. 

    An important disclaimer is that using the REST API has no negative side effects for tracking. It just uses more resources, which might impact performance. 

    Using Turbo Mode with the REST API is also possible. If you have any questions, please let us know on the WordPress forums.

  • Troubleshoot Tracking – What to do when there is no traffic?

    This guide provides steps to troubleshoot tracking methods in the Burst WordPress plugin. The article does not address issues with collected data but rather the methods of tracking data.

    Javascript errors on your front-end

    Often, there is a javascript error on the front-end of the website. You can check this by going to your website (in private mode, so you’re not logged in as administrator). Then right click on the screen, click “inspect element”, “console”. If you see any errors here, the first thing you should check, is if you have a caching plugin enabled. If so, deactivate to check if this resolves the issue.

    If that is the cause, please ensure you don’t minify or combine these two Javascript files: 

    • burst.min.js (or burst-cookieless.min.js depending on if you have enabled cookieless tracking.)
    • timeme.min.js
    • burst-goals.min.js (This file only loads when there is a goal set on the current page.)

    Be aware: When you have enabled WP_DEBUG the above files become just ‘.js’ instead of .min.js’.

    In most caching plugins you can add these two files to an ‘exclusion list’. We recommend checking the documentation of the plugin you are using and look for a way to exclude JS files. Most plugins will clear the cache after changing settings, but make sure to clear all caches after.

    Endpoints blocked

    Issues arise when both the primary and fallback tracking methods (Endpoint & REST-API) are disabled or when you receive a “Tracking error.” in the Burst Dashboard.

    If there is no tracking error, but statistics are not showing up in the dashboard, there is presumably a problem on the ‘front-end’ of your website. Which is most likely caused by a plugin conflict or a caching issue.

    Two main tracking methods in Burst

    • Endpoint (Primary method)
    • REST-API (Fallback method)

    Burst selects a method based on your server configuration and provides a notification if there’s a problem.

    While tracking with REST-API isn’t problematic and ensures your plugin works correctly, for optimal speed, we recommend using the endpoint method.

    What to do in case of a complete tracking failure

    If a “Tracking error” surfaces, it signifies that both the Rest API and endpoint are malfunctioning. Start troubleshooting with the endpoint and consider REST-API as a secondary solution.

    Endpoint issues & solutions:

    1. Permissions issue:
      The endpoint might not have read permissions, because it is located in the Burst plugin folder.
      Solution: Adjust permission to allow Burst to read the endpoint.

      • Access your server with FTP and navigate to the folder with your WordPress installation, typically “Public HTML.”
      • Navigate to the Burst Plugin folder. “wp-content” > “plugins” > “burst-pro” (or “burst-statistics” for the free plugin)
      • Right-click “endpoint.php” and find ‘settings’ or ‘permissions’.
      • Modify permissions to a minimum of “664” or ensure ‘reading’ is enabled.
      • This should enable visitors to read the endpoint and allow their visit to be tracked.

    REST-API issues & solutions:

    1. Pretty permalinks:
      If Burst indicates your permalinks aren’t configured properly, adjust them to a setting other than ‘plain’.
    2. Security plugin interference:
      Some security plugins restrict the REST-API.
      Solution: Temporarily disable your security plugin to see if REST-API works. If successful, identify and disable the specific setting in the security plugin that restricts REST-API usage.
      If this doesn’t rectify the issue, contact your hosting provider.

    Cron issues

    Burst uses summary tables to load data faster in the back-end. The summary tables are updated with scheduled jobs, Cron jobs. If the WordPress cron functionality is not working for some reason, the summary tables might not be updated correctly. You can check this by adding

    define( ‘BURST_DONT_USE_SUMMARY_TABLE’, true );

    To your wp-config.php. As of the next update (1.6.3 or higher), summary tables will only be used for high traffic sites.

    Other causes: Resolving plugin conflicts with WordPress Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin

    1. Allow tracking yourself: Make sure your own IP and user role are not blocked otherwise this will not work. These settings can be found here Dashboard > Statistics > Settings > Advanced
    2. Install & activate: First, go to WordPress Plugins Repository and install the “Health Check & Troubleshooting” plugin. Activate it.
    3. Access the tool: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Tools > Site Health > Troubleshooting.
    4. Enter troubleshooting mode: Click on the “Enter Troubleshooting Mode” button. This will disable all plugins and use a default theme, but only for you as the logged-in user. Other visitors will see the site as normal.
    5. Test plugins individually:
      – First reactivate Burst Statistics or Burst Pro.
      – Reactivate each plugin one by one.
      – After each activation, check the site’s functionality to identify which plugin causes the conflict.
    6. Identify & resolve: Once the problematic plugin is identified, you can:
      – Deactivate and delete it.
      – Seek an alternative plugin.
      – Contact the plugin developer for support.
    7. Exit troubleshooting mode: Once you’ve resolved the conflict, go back to the Site Health > Troubleshooting tab and click “Exit Troubleshooting Mode”.

    Conclusion

    By configuring your caching plugins correctly, adjusting permissions or adjusting security settings, you can resolve most Bursts’ tracking issues. If problems persist, inspect REST-API settings and consult with your hosting provider. Remember to always keep ‘burst’ and ‘timeme’ excluded from JS cache in other plugins for smooth operation. Is your issue error still not resolved after following these steps? Open a support thread on the WordPress forums.

  • Italian Supervisory Authority denies use of Google Analytics

    The Italian supervisory authority has reprimanded the use of Google Analytics as it violates the GDPR because it transfers data to the USA, even when anonymized, as explained below:

    The Italian SA came to this conclusion after a complex fact-finding exercise it had started in close coordination with other EU data protection authorities following complaints it had received. The Italian SA found that the website operators using GA collected, via cookies, information on user interactions with the respective websites, visited pages and services on offer. The multifarious set of data collected in this connection included the user device IP address along with information on the browser, operating system, screen resolution, selected language, date and time of page viewing. This information was found to be transferred to the USA. In determining that the processing was unlawful, the Italian SA reiterated that an IP address is personal data and would not be anonymized even if it were truncated – given Google’s capabilities to enrich such data through additional information it holds. Source: garanteprivacy.it

    the Italian SA reiterated that an IP address is personal data and would not be anonymized even if it were truncated – given Google’s capabilities to enrich such data through additional information it holds.

    Google Analytics response

    Italy thereby follows suit with the strict stance of Germany & France and others. The Italian authority has stated to all websites using Google Analytics or similar services to revisit the use of tracking services or find a suitable alternative. It has given a 90-day (September 2022) deadline when it will revisit ad-hoc inspections on these matters.

    Recent proposals from Google to circumvent this issue, even as recent as June 2022 negotiations, have not been fruitful and Google’s proposals of anonymization and encryption do not solve the issue of the transfer and entry of data in the United States. A country’s GDPR does not consider a country with appropriate data protection.

  • Can I leave a Feature Request?

  • Why is Burst Privacy-Friendly?

    This article will explain the primary mission and purpose of Burst Statistics: To follow best practices for your user’s privacy while still being able to have meaningful data to improve your business or personal blog.

    What is Privacy-Friendly?

    Privacy-Friendly does not mean it’s always permitted before consent. Depending on your region and guidelines, Burst Statistics might need consent. An example is the United Kingdom, where any Analytics tool needs consent, independent of the configuration.

    In Germany, for the DSGVO, Burst Statistics can be set before consent because it meets the requirements of anonymization, minimization and hosting the data locally, instead of a third-party, e.g., Google Analytics, for example.

    In the Netherlands, explicit consent for statistics is not required if the stored data is anonymized.

    Generally speaking, in a lot of EU countries you don’t need consent for statistics if it is self hosted, and anonymized, as Burst does.

    Privacy-Friendly for Burst Statistics is minimizing data, anonymization, and keeping data locally, while being flexibile with Consent Management integrations.

    A misunderstanding about Cookies

    Burst does offer a cookieless option but cookies are not the issue, per se. Cookies are controllable and easily removed by the end-user. They can be removed by third-party browser extensions and make the web user-friendly. But some cookies contain personal data and relationships between your device and you as a user and can be stored on your device without consent.

    Some cookies do not require consent. These cookies do not interfere with the user’s privacy in any way, or the user’s privacy is overruled by the function of a cookie. These cookies are rare and solely used to protect the user against fraud and theft, for example, a cookie from a payment provider. There’s an alternative approach, but is it any good?

    A misunderstanding about Cookieless Tracking

    Of course, why even bother with a discussion about cookies if you can remove them altogether? Besides the technical implementations and implications, there are two reasons to consider using cookies in the future:

    1. Privacy Laws are not about cookies. Cookies are just a medium for collecting data and tracking. In Europe, cookies are referenced in the ePrivacy guideline, but the “General” Data Protection Regulation has a much more comprehensive range regarding data collection and sharing. “Cookieless Tracking” still has “Tracking” to worry about.
    2. As mentioned earlier, cookies are easier to control, remove and understand by the public. If all tracking is pushed towards server-side API calls, the end-user has no say in collecting and sharing their data if the website operator does not comply with the privacy law.

    If a website doesn’t not ask consent for cookies. You can always remove the cookies. If the website does not ask consent for cookieless tracking, there’s no way for you to remove the stored data.

    Developed by Burst Statistics

    Burst Statistics is designed to meet the needs of everyone dealing with privacy guidelines while working with third parties to collect statistics, e.g. Google Analytics, Matomo Cloud, Yandex, Clicky etc. We want to offer a statistics tool that is built for privacy and ease of use for everyone. In the beginning, it will offer the essential metrics and flexibility to configure your metric calculation with everything owned by you. Burst Statistics is not a processor or third-party.

    The aim is to collaborate with our users to build the best alternative for your current statistics tool without worrying about privacy or complicated integrations with native WordPress plugins like WooCommerce.

  • How can I compare metrics?

    The statistics dashboard has a default of a 7-day range, with the last day being the last full day available. The compare block will by default compare the metrics of the last 7 days to the previous 7 days.

    For example, if today is 15th of June:

    • The compare block will show the data of  8 – 14th of June.
    • The differences are shown as percentages, which can be positive or negative in relation to the data of 1 – 7th of June.

    Explaining the Metrics

    These are the current, essential metrics available in the comparison block. We will explain them shortly from top to bottom;

    Pageviews

    • A pageview is every page visited by a website visitor.
    • The amount of pageviews per session is the average of the pages visited by your website visitor during a session.

    Session

    • A session is a website visit of one visitor that contains 1 or more pageviews until midnight. A session ends after an exit or a significant time out on a page. A website visitor can have multiple sessions on a day.
    • The time per session are (hours)(minutes)(seconds) on average for one session.

    Unique visitors

    • Unique visitors counts the unique entries of a website. As the above graph shows one session more than unique visitor. One unique visitor had 2 sessions
    • New visitors are visitors that have not yet visited your website, but they can also use a new browser, incognito window or device. 

    Bounce rate

    Want to know about Bounce Rate, and how you can configure it? Read this article.

    Extending the Comparison Range

    You can easily change the range of the data by using the date picker. To extend the range to 90 days: