Static Sites vs WordPress: Analytics Without Breaking the Bank - Part 4 - Irhad Babic – Engineering, Management, AI & Product Strategy

When I rebooted my blog, one of the questions I faced was whether to include analytics, and if so, which tool to use.

In the WordPress days, I always had some form of analytics running. Sometimes it was Google Analytics, sometimes Jetpack’s built in stats. The idea was the same: I wanted to know how many people visited, where they came from, and which posts they actually read.

But those experiences came with baggage. WordPress sites already felt heavy, and adding more scripts on top didn’t help. Plus, the privacy debate around analytics has grown louder in recent years. Many developers in the static site world recommend skipping Google Analytics entirely and using lighter, privacy focused tools.

So when I rebuilt my blog with Hugo and Netlify, I had to decide: what should I use this time?

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The Case for Analytics

Before diving into tools, I had to answer a more basic question: do I even need analytics at all?

There’s an argument to be made for skipping them completely. After all, this blog is primarily a personal project. It’s not an e-commerce site where I need conversion funnels, and it’s not a SaaS dashboard where user behavior drives product decisions. If my goal is simply to write, why track anything?

For me, the answer is simple: feedback matters. Writing is one thing, but writing in a vacuum is harder. Even the most basic metrics (pageviews, popular posts, traffic sources) tell me what resonates. If one article gets shared and another one doesn’t, I want to know. That way, I can refine my topics and double down on what’s useful to readers.

Analytics aren’t about obsessing over numbers. They’re about learning, adjusting, and growing.

The Options I Considered

When you’re running a static site, you have plenty of analytics options. The most common ones are:

1. Google Analytics

The classic. It’s free, powerful, and widely used. You get real time tracking, audience breakdowns, traffic sources, engagement metrics: the works. The downside? It’s heavier than the alternatives and raises privacy concerns.

2. Plausible

Lightweight, privacy-friendly, and growing in popularity. The interface is clean, and you only see the essentials. But it comes with a cost: starting at around $9/month. That’s not much, but it adds up across multiple side projects.

3. Umami

An open source alternative that’s free if you self-host. It’s lightweight and privacy-friendly, but it requires setup and ongoing maintenance. That felt like overhead I didn’t want for a personal blog.

4. GoatCounter, Matomo, and Others

Each has its fans. GoatCounter is ultra-minimalist, Matomo is powerful but heavy. They all require tradeoffs in either setup, features, or cost.

Why I Stuck with Google Analytics

In the end, I chose the path of least resistance: Google Analytics. Here’s why:

No noticeable speed penalty

I tested with and without GA. Page loads felt identical. On a static site hosted via Netlify’s CDN, the performance impact is negligible.

It’s free

I’m running multiple pet projects right now. Each one has its own costs: domains, hosting, services, and tools. Adding a $9/month analytics subscription just for this blog didn’t make sense. GA does the job at zero cost.

It’s powerful

GA may not be trendy anymore, but it’s still unmatched for depth. Even if I only check the basics (visitors, pageviews, top posts), I know the more advanced features are there if I need them later.

It integrates with everything

Almost every marketing or reporting tool in existence integrates with GA. That means if I ever decide to expand this blog into something more structured (say, adding a newsletter or testing monetization), I already have the right foundation.

The Trade-Offs

This choice isn’t perfect. I know GA comes with downsides.

Privacy concerns: Not everyone is comfortable with Google tracking their behavior, even on small sites.

Bloat: GA includes far more features than I’ll ever use, which is why many people prefer simpler alternatives.

Setup complexity: GA 4 isn’t the most user friendly system to configure.

But for me, the pros outweighed the cons.

Looking Ahead

Will I always use Google Analytics? Maybe not. As the blog grows, I might switch to something lighter, especially if I want to emphasize privacy or if costs become easier to justify. Tools like Plausible or Umami remain on my radar.

For now, though, GA gives me exactly what I need: clear insights into what’s working, at no cost, without slowing the site down.

Takeaway for Readers

If you’re rebooting a blog or starting fresh, don’t get lost in the analytics debate. Ask yourself three questions:

Do you actually need analytics, or are you just following habit?
If yes, do you need depth (GA) or simplicity (Plausible/Umami)?
What tradeoffs are you willing to make: cost, complexity, or privacy?

The best tool is the one you’ll actually check and use.

Final Thoughts

One of my goals with this blog reboot is to keep things simple. WordPress taught me how quickly tools can become distractions. Analytics could have been another rabbit hole, but by sticking with Google Analytics, I kept it practical.

It’s not the most fashionable choice, but it’s the right one for me.

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Coming next: Part 5 covers my complete writing and publishing workflow using Cursor, Markdown, Git, and AI assistance.

What analytics solution do you use for your blog? Have you found the right balance between insights and privacy? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Static Sites vs WordPress: Analytics Without Breaking the Bank - Part 4