5 ms·

What's does Google Analytics even bring to the table for projects like this?

atoav 4y ago
Everybody uses it, so there must be a reason it is needed /s
dividedbyzero 4y ago
I've asked that question quite a few times as well, and for most of the people I've had this conversation with, GA simply IS how you get metrics and insights, whether you're interested in anything advanced or just the number of pageviews, GA is how you get that in the same way as a hammer is how you get that nail into the wall. Plus it's well-known and relatively easy to troubleshoot (since there is a youtube video for pretty much any edge case), all the tech people know GA so chances are you won't have to troubleshoot much. There's also the ecosystem of tools and third-party products that tie into GA or GA BigQuery exports, that's also very important for some people as you can build some pretty impressive yet scary rube goldberg machinery out of GA and a bunch of these.
- toto444 4y ago
  Your comment sounds like an ad. I think what OP meant is 'why would one want to collect user data on a page that is a collection of 10 links?'. Just add a pageview counter if you really want some numbers.
  - pc86 4y ago
    And for most people, "add GA" is how you add a pageview counter.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- titaniumtown 4y ago
  (This comment was sponsored by Google)
- polalavik 4y ago
  Also, I'm not a software/web dev by day (perhaps, obviously). But is it not the case that google analytics tag is also needed for google url inspector? I could be remembering wrong, but I thought it needed to be there to use google url inspector.
throwaway742 4y ago
It's easy and people are lazy.
- porbelm 4y ago
  Yeah I've harkened back to the good old days of webalizer, it's not that difficult to get a view of your demographics unless you want insanely detailed tracking crap or SEO details which are also crap and not needed unless you're a psychotic number cruncher (middle manager)
- josefresco 4y ago
  It's not longer very easy for small biz, but it's free so...
DocTomoe 4y ago
Mostly vanity, for most people. Essentially it's a grotesquely mutated website counter. "17348 people have seen the site I made".

Everybody uses it, so there must be a reason it is needed /s

I've asked that question quite a few times as well, and for most of the people I've had this conversation with, GA simply IS how you get metrics and insights, whether you're interested in anything advanced or just the number of pageviews, GA is how you get that in the same way as a hammer is how you get that nail into the wall. Plus it's well-known and relatively easy to troubleshoot (since there is a youtube video for pretty much any edge case), all the tech people know GA so chances are you won't have to troubleshoot much. There's also the ecosystem of tools and third-party products that tie into GA or GA BigQuery exports, that's also very important for some people as you can build some pretty impressive yet scary rube goldberg machinery out of GA and a bunch of these.

toto444 4y ago
Your comment sounds like an ad. I think what OP meant is 'why would one want to collect user data on a page that is a collection of 10 links?'. Just add a pageview counter if you really want some numbers.
- pc86 4y ago
  And for most people, "add GA" is how you add a pageview counter.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
titaniumtown 4y ago
(This comment was sponsored by Google)
polalavik 4y ago
Also, I'm not a software/web dev by day (perhaps, obviously). But is it not the case that google analytics tag is also needed for google url inspector? I could be remembering wrong, but I thought it needed to be there to use google url inspector.

throwaway742 4y ago

It's easy and people are lazy.

porbelm 4y ago
Yeah I've harkened back to the good old days of webalizer, it's not that difficult to get a view of your demographics unless you want insanely detailed tracking crap or SEO details which are also crap and not needed unless you're a psychotic number cruncher (middle manager)
josefresco 4y ago
It's not longer very easy for small biz, but it's free so...

DocTomoe 4y ago

Mostly vanity, for most people. Essentially it's a grotesquely mutated website counter. "17348 people have seen the site I made".