Do my site users need to opt-in for data collection?
Is explicit consent required before I can track my visitors? Policy requirements for Google Analytics Advertising Features: “If you’ve enabled any Google Analytics Advertising features,
I spent countless hours researching the ins and outs of every program before using it. I interviewed other Boston businesses and tested out options.
I did the research so you don't have to.
Caveat: these are my preferences. I’m not saying that everything I use is the best for you, but it is the best for me. I keep this list updated regularly, so if you find any apps that you prefer better, shoot me an email at hello@calahhanson.com, and I will evaluate/update the list.
Analytics Tools
Google Analytics
Free and gives detailed stats on your site. Definitely the #1 thing you should have on your site. Make sure you enable demographic and interest reports (you manually have to do this). To learn more about privacy policies on data collection, see my article here.
Search Data
Google Search Console
You should have this installed on your website, as it collects information on what Google searches for to get to your website. Best way to install this is via Google Tag Manager.
Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager
Manage website tags in an organized and simple way
Website A/B Testing
Optimizely
Allows you to A/B test on your website
Analytics Tools
Chrome Extensions
Google Tag Assistant
Check what tags are on websites and if the correct tags are installed properly.
Facebook Tag Assistant
Check Facebook tags on a site
Heat Maps
Hotjar
Allows you to generate website heat maps and recordings of your website visitors.
SEO tool
Aherfs
A great SEO tool
Site Speed Checker
See how fast your site loads and get a rating. If it’s slow, it’s worth optimizing.
Data Warehouse
Data Visualization & Dashboards
Calah Hanson has been helping business executives make smarter marketing decisions by identifying marketing gaps, creating custom strategies to fill in those gaps, and making the most of their resources. She guides companies to change their approach to marketing decisions by implementing a design-thinking, data-driven strategy based on current psychology research and technology behaviors. Her consulting, backed with actionable data and empirical evidence, has resulted in saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars and being confident they are spending their marketing dollars in the best way.
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My Analytics Website Tracking Tools
Making your life easier. I did the groundwork, and I’m sharing the best results. I spent countless hours researching the ins and outs of every