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Analytics Strategy

The right analytics setup depends on your stage, your team, and what decisions you need to make. These posts help you choose wisely.

Four tool cards showing Plausible, Fathom, Simple Analytics, and Umami with key attributes including price, privacy approach, setup time, and best-use cases, plus a PostHog note below
analyticstools

Best Google Analytics alternatives for startups (simple and useful)

Google Analytics is free and complicated. There are better options. Here is an honest guide to the best GA alternatives for founders who want clean data without the overhead.

·13 min read
Three tool comparison cards showing Google Analytics, Plausible, and Simple Analytics side by side with key attributes including price, privacy, setup time, learning curve, and best-use recommendations
analyticstools

Google Analytics vs Plausible vs Simple Analytics: what's actually useful?

You need to pick an analytics tool. Google Analytics is free and overwhelming. Plausible is clean and paid. Simple Analytics is even simpler. Here is an honest breakdown of all three.

·8 min read
Vertical funnel diagram showing traffic with a green checkmark, conversion with a red broken marker, and activation and retention muted as downstream steps, with an arrow pointing to conversion as the first fix
analyticsfounders

How to decide what to fix first (when everything feels broken)

Traffic is low. Conversion is low. Activation is low. You have six things to fix and no idea where to start. Here is the framework for choosing.

·11 min read
North star metric concept diagram showing examples across five product types — analytics tool, project management, email tool, marketplace, and content platform — plus the three criteria for choosing the right metric
metricsanalytics

What is a north star metric (and how to choose one for your product)

Most founders track seven metrics and feel pulled in seven directions. A north star metric gives you one number to build around — one that tells you whether your product is actually working.

·10 min read
Seven metric cards arranged in two rows — traffic sources, conversion rate, activation rate, drop-off points, retention, revenue, and focus metric — each showing what it diagnoses and why it matters
metricsanalytics

The 7 most important metrics every startup should track

Most startups track too many metrics and learn too little. These 7 tell you what is actually happening at every stage of your business — and which one is broken.

·11 min read
Side-by-side comparison of vanity metrics (24,891 pageviews, 143K impressions, 4,102 total signups) versus actionable metrics (2.1% signup rate, 28% activation, 18% day-7 retention), with a bottom bar explaining the test
metricsanalytics

Vanity metrics vs real metrics: what actually matters for growth

Your traffic is up. Your follower count is growing. Your dashboard looks healthy. And yet nothing is really changing. The problem is the metrics you chose to watch.

·9 min read
Three-step flow from raw data to insight to action, showing how analytics becomes decisions
analyticsdecisions

How to act on your website data (not just look at it)

You know your bounce rate. You know your traffic sources. But you have no idea what to do about any of it. Here is how to close that gap.

·8 min read