Merge pull request #1030 from plausible/refresh-privacy

refresh

Author: metmarkosaric

_articles/plausible-open-source-and-privacy-first-web-analytics-plugin-for-wordpress.md

@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 ---
 layout: article
-title: "Plausible Analytics for WordPress: no cookies, no consent banner,
-  accurate data"
-description: A lightweight, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative for
-  WordPress. No cookies, no consent banners, accurate data and a simple
-  dashboard that shows what matters.
+title: "WordPress analytics plugin: no cookies, no consent banner, accurate data"
+description: A lightweight WordPress analytics plugin without cookies or consent
+  banners. Privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics with accurate data
+  and a simple dashboard that shows what matters.
 permalink: /wordpress-analytics-plugin
 ---
 Most WordPress analytics plugins either slow your site down, require a cookie banner, or hand your visitors’ data to Google. Plausible does none of those things. You get accurate, privacy-friendly stats in a lightweight plugin that takes minutes to set up.

_articles/plausible-privacy-focused-google-analytics-alternative.md

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 ---
 layout: article
 title: "Privacy-focused web analytics: no cookies, no personal data, no consent banner"
-description: Web analytics without cookies, consent banners or personal data collection. GDPR, CCPA and PECR compliant out of the box. Your data stays in the EU.
+description: Privacy-friendly web analytics without cookies, consent banners or personal
+  data collection. GDPR, CCPA and PECR compliant out of the box. Your data stays in the EU.
 permalink: /privacy-focused-web-analytics
 ---
 Most analytics tools treat visitor privacy as an afterthought. [Plausible](https://plausible.io) was built the other way around.

_articles/simple-actionable-and-privacy-compliant-analytics-for-ecommerce-and-saas.md

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 ---
 layout: article
 title: "Web analytics for ecommerce and SaaS: simple, powerful and privacy-friendly"
-description: Plausible is a simple, privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics for ecommerce and SaaS. No cookies, no consent banners and accurate data that isn't blocked by ad blockers.
+description: Web analytics for ecommerce and SaaS that doesn't rely on cookies or
+  consent banners. Simple dashboard, accurate data not blocked by ad blockers and
+  a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics.
 permalink: /for-ecommerce-saas
 ---
 If you run an ecommerce store or a SaaS business, you need to know what's driving traffic and conversions. The question isn't whether to track analytics, it's whether Google Analytics is actually giving you reliable data and whether the complexity is worth it.

_articles/simple_web_analytics.md

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 ---
 layout: article
 title: Simple web analytics for people who just want the numbers
-description: Plausible gives you the metrics that matter in a single dashboard.
-  No menus, no custom reports, no prior experience needed.
+description: Simple web analytics that shows you what matters, nothing more. One
+  dashboard, no complex menus, no cookies, no consent banners. See your data the moment
+  you install it.
 permalink: /simple-web-analytics
 ---
 Most analytics tools give you more data than you need and make it hard to find what matters. [Plausible](https://plausible.io/) takes a different approach: one page, the metrics that count, no setup required.

_articles/what-is-audience-segmentation-and-how-to-use-plausible-for-an-in-depth-analysis.md

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ---
 layout: article
-title: "Segment your website traffic without the complexity"
-description: Break your visitor data into meaningful segments without cookies,
-  consent banners or bloated reports. Accurate, privacy-friendly audience
+title: "Audience segmentation for web analytics: filter and segment without the complexity"
+description: Audience segmentation tools that don't need cookies or consent banners.
+  Break your visitor data into meaningful segments and get accurate, privacy-friendly
   analysis in one simple dashboard.
 permalink: /audience-segmentation
 ---

_posts/2022-01-16-is-google-analytics-illegal.md

@@ -2,16 +2,17 @@
 layout: post
 title: Is Google Analytics illegal? Several European Data Protection Authorities
   say so
-description: "Google Analytics is illegal according to the Austrian, French,
-  Italian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and other European Data
-  Protection Authorities. "
+description: "Several European Data Protection Authorities ruled Google Analytics
+  illegal due to EU-US data transfers. Here is why, what changed since and what
+  it means for your website."
 slug: google-analytics-illegal
 date: 2023-07-06T05:06:21.605Z
+last_modified_at: 2026-05-12
 author: marko-saric
 image: /uploads/is-google-analytics-illegal.png
 image-alt: Is Google Analytics illegal?
 ---
-Is Google Analytics illegal? Yes, say the Austrian, French, Italian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and other European Data Protection Authorities. Here's why.
+Is Google Analytics illegal? Multiple European Data Protection Authorities have found it to be in violation of GDPR due to EU-US data transfers. Here is the full picture, including what changed with the EU-US Data Privacy Framework in 2023.
 
 1. Ordered list
 {:toc}
@@ -60,6 +61,14 @@ You can read a more detailed [legal analysis here](https://gdprhub.eu/index.php?
 
 **Update July 3rd 2023:** Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) has issued the first major fine (€1 million) for using Google Analytics declaring "companies must stop using Google Analytics". [Details here](https://www.imy.se/en/news/companies-must-stop-using-google-analytics/).
 
+### Update: The EU-US Data Privacy Framework
+
+The same month as the Swedish fine, the EU adopted an adequacy decision for a new EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), intended to provide a legal basis for EU-US data transfers after the Privacy Shield was invalidated. Google has since certified under the DPF.
+
+However, the DPF does not resolve all the underlying concerns. The CLOUD Act, which allows US intelligence authorities to demand data from US companies regardless of where it is stored, remains in force. Noyb has already filed legal challenges to invalidate the DPF on the grounds that the surveillance powers that led to the earlier rulings have not fundamentally changed. The outcome is not yet decided.
+
+If you want certainty rather than waiting for the next court ruling, using a European-owned analytics tool that does not transfer data to the US removes the legal question entirely.
+
 ## Discuss Google Analytics and these specific rulings with your lawyer
 
 Before these rulings, we've listed many reasons [why you should remove Google Analytics from your site](https://plausible.io/blog/remove-google-analytics). These rulings are just the cherry on top. We don't want to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt as a marketing technique. If you're targeting Europeans, you should consider how these rulings affect you and the US-owned services that you're using. 
@@ -74,11 +83,11 @@ Here's an independent [legal assessment on GDPR-compliant web analytics](https:/
 
 If you are looking for a genuine EU alternative to Google Analytics, do give Plausible a chance. We're an independent and bootstrapped project incorporated in Estonia. Our team is based in Estonia, Germany and Belgium. All visitor data we collect is hosted in Germany on servers owned by a German company (Hetzner). We use a Slovenian-owned provider for our global CDN (Bunny).
 
-These rulings make Plausible an even more interesting [Google Analytics alternative](https://plausible.io/vs-google-analytics) to an even more significant number of sites. Thousands of sites, startups and some of the world's leading brands have already switched from Google Analytics and other services. Plausible is built for scale and can serve sites with hundreds of millions of monthly visitors.
+Thousands of organizations have switched to Plausible, including brands like Oatly, Basecamp and Ghost, institutions like Harvard University and MongoDB, and government organizations like the Scottish and Welsh governments. It is a [genuine Google Analytics alternative](https://plausible.io/vs-google-analytics) built for scale, serving sites with hundreds of millions of monthly visitors.
 
-We're a profitable and sustainable open source project with more than 12,000 paying subscribers. More than 200,000 different websites use Plausible and we're counting four billion pageviews per month. We've put together [a list of people tweeting about using Plausible](https://twitter.com/PlausibleHQ/timelines/1311218983912308736) if that helps you.
+Plausible is an independent, bootstrapped project with {{ site.data.site.subscriber_count }} paying subscribers and {{ site.data.site.pageviews_tracked }} pageviews tracked.
 
-We also feature a [Google Analytics import](https://plausible.io/docs/google-analytics-import) so you can import you historical stats from Google Analytics to Plausible.
+We also feature a [Google Analytics import](https://plausible.io/docs/google-analytics-import) so you can import your historical stats from Google Analytics to Plausible.
 
 ## Privacy-first web analytics
 
@@ -95,15 +104,15 @@ In 2021, we moved to Hetzner, so all of the data we collect is hosted in Germany
 * All of the data that Plausible tracks and collects is kept fully secured, encrypted and hosted on renewable energy powered server in Falkenstein, Germany. Hetzner, a European company, owns the server. This ensures that all of the website data is being covered by the European Union's strict laws on data privacy. Your website data never leaves the EU.
 * For the CDN and DNS, we use Bunny, another European-owned provider from Slovenia. Using a global CDN means having a fast loading script no matter where your visitors are based. We're proud to have [one of the most lightweight JavaScript snippets](https://plausible.io/lightweight-web-analytics) in the analytics industry. Our script will not add any bloat to your website or cause any performance issues.
 
-You don't have to worry about Schrems II and that it invalidates the EU-US Privacy Shield when using Plausible. Your website and visitor data is exclusively processed with servers and cloud infrastructure owned and operated by European companies.
+You don't have to worry about EU-US data transfer regulations when using Plausible. Your website and visitor data is exclusively processed with servers and cloud infrastructure owned and operated by European companies.
 
 As always with Plausible, we're transparent and open source. Don't like the European Union and the European-owned cloud providers we use for our infrastructure? You can [self-host our analytics](https://plausible.io/self-hosted-web-analytics) with any cloud provider and in any country you wish. Even in the USA.
 
 You can read more about what makes Plausible a [privacy-first web analytics tool](https://plausible.io/privacy-focused-web-analytics) and a more technical overview in [our data policy](https://plausible.io/data-policy).
 
 ## We choose the subscription business model rather than surveillance capitalism
 
-Plausible Analytics is [not free unlike Google Analytics](https://plausible.io/paid-analytics-vs-free-ga). Plausible is not collecting and analyzing vast amounts of personal information from web users and using these behavioral insights to sell advertisements. With Plausible, you 100% own and control all of your website data. This data is not being shared with or sold to any third-parties.
+Plausible Analytics is [not free unlike Google Analytics](https://plausible.io/paid-analytics-vs-free-ga). Plausible is not collecting and analyzing vast amounts of personal information from web users and using these behavioral insights to sell advertisements. With Plausible, you 100% own and control all of your website data. This data is not being shared with or sold to any third parties.
 
 We choose the subscription business model rather than the business model of surveillance capitalism. To keep the project development going, stay in business, continue putting effort into building a better product and cover our costs, we need to charge a fee.
 

_posts/2024-03-18-gdpr-compliant-web-analytics-without-consent-a-guide-by-a-data-protection-lawyer.md

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 ---
 layout: post
-title: "GDPR-compliant web analytics without consent: A guide by a data
-  protection lawyer"
-description: An experienced data protection expert and lawyer explains how web
-  analytics can be implemented in accordance with the strict requirements of
-  ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR.
+title: "GDPR-compliant web analytics without consent: a legal guide to cookieless tracking"
+description: How to implement GDPR-compliant web analytics without cookie banners
+  or user consent. A legal assessment by a data protection lawyer covering the
+  ePrivacy Directive requirements and how tools like Plausible comply.
 slug: legal-assessment-gdpr-eprivacy
 date: 2024-03-21T08:56:38.058Z
+last_modified_at: 2026-05-12
 author: marko-saric
 image: /uploads/is-google-analytics-illegal.png
 image-alt: Web analytics, ePrivacy Directive and GDPR

_posts/2024-09-12-cookie-consent-banners-do-you-need-them-and-how-to-be-gdpr-compliant-while-maximizing-opt-in-rates.md

@@ -2,24 +2,19 @@
 layout: post
 title: "Cookie consent banners: do you need them, and how to be GDPR-compliant
   while maximizing opt-in rates?"
-description: The essentials of cookie consent, legal requirements, and
-  user-friendly strategies to boost opt-in rates while keeping your site
-  GDPR-compliant.
+description: Do you need a cookie consent banner on your website? Learn what the
+  law requires, when you can skip banners entirely and how to design one that is
+  actually compliant.
 slug: cookie-consent-banners
 date: 2024-09-12T12:30:37.294Z
+last_modified_at: 2026-05-12
 author: hricha-shandily
 image: /uploads/cookie-consent-banner-example.png
 image-alt: Example of a cookie consent banner
 ---
-You've probably seen those pop-ups on websites, sweetly offering you cookies. Those are cookie consent banners.
+Cookie consent banners are the pop-ups that ask visitors to accept, reject or customize tracking before it begins. They are required by law whenever your website sets non-essential cookies or collects personal data. This is most commonly triggered by tools like Google Analytics.
 
-Cookies are small data files stored on your device or browser by websites or third parties (such as Google Analytics) to remember information about you. They can track details like your behavior, preferences, activities, shopping cart contents, login information, etc.
-
-Some cookies are persistent and can also track visitor’s activity across different sessions, websites, and devices. While some cookies are considered essential for the functioning of the website, others are for marketing or retargeting purposes.
-
-The consent banner appears to inform you about the use of all such types of cookies and to request your permission before these cookies are set, ensuring compliance with various privacy regulations.
-
-These banners give users the choice to accept, reject, or customize the cookies being used on the site. The main purpose is to inform users and allow them control over their data, ensuring transparency and compliance with various privacy laws.
+Whether you need one depends on what you are collecting and how. In some cases, switching to a privacy-first analytics tool removes the need for a consent banner entirely.
 
 1. Ordered list
 {:toc}
@@ -60,7 +55,7 @@ According to a [guide by a data protection lawyer](https://plausible.io/blog/leg
 * Google Analytics 4 relies on cookies and similar technologies to track detailed user behavior. These technologies require access to the user’s device to store or retrieve data, which means, under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive, Google Analytics 4 must obtain user consent before use.
 * Whereas, Plausible Analytics does not use cookies or similar technologies that store data on the user’s device. It analyzes aggregate data without accessing or storing anything on the device, so no consent is required under Article 5(3).
 
-P.S. This is not official legal advise.
+P.S. This is not official legal advice.
 
 Plausible is [GDPR-compliant out of the box](https://plausible.io/privacy-focused-web-analytics). So you can actually ditch consent banners altogether, which not only annoy your visitors, but also cause about [55% data loss](https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/inaccurate-google-analytics-traffic-sources/), and eventually, business loss. Use our [cookie banner traffic loss calculator](/cookie-banner-traffic-loss-calculator) to estimate how much traffic is invisible in your own analytics.