The GA4 install that nobody opens
You know this person. Maybe you are this person. They set up a store, a tutorial said "install Google Analytics", they pasted the tag, accepted the cookie banner that came with it, opened the dashboard once, saw a sidebar of reports with names like "Explorations", and closed it forever.
That is not a skill problem. GA4 is built for a team with a marketer, someone who sets up events, and someone who builds explorations. It can answer almost anything if you know how to ask. Most people running a site alone do not have the hours to learn how to ask.
What you already have
If you sell on Shopify, it already counts sessions, tells you which ones look like bots, and shows where your orders came from. It counts every order because it took the money. For a one-person shop that covers the question "is anything working".
What to add, depending on the question
- "How many people came, and from where?" A small cookieless counter like Plausible. It is paid, it is private, and the whole dashboard fits on one screen.
- "What are people actually doing on my page?" Microsoft Clarity records sessions and heatmaps for free. Fair warning, you watch the recordings yourself, one at a time.
- "Which box on my form or checkout makes people quit, and what do I change?" That is what Moxel is for.
Pick the one that matches the question you actually ask. If you ask none of them, you do not need analytics this month. Go talk to a customer.
TRY THIS TODAYOpen GA4 right now. If you cannot remember the last time you used it for a decision, remove the tag, and the cookie banner it needed if that was the only reason for one. Then pick one tool above for the question you really have.
We compare all of these honestly, including where they beat us, on the comparison pages.
What the reel said
MOXI make an analytics tool. If you're one person, skip Google Analytics.
TALLYWeird thing to say.
MOXIt's built for a marketing team. Shopify already shows where your orders came from.
MOXJust counting visitors, privately? Plausible. Watching real visits? Microsoft Clarity. Free.
TALLYAnd yours?
MOXNot open yet. It will tell you which box people quit on.
MOXSend this to the friend who installed GA4 and never opened it again.
Asked a lot
- Do I need Google Analytics for a small Shopify store?
- Usually not. Shopify already counts sessions and shows where orders came from. Add a smaller tool only for a question Shopify cannot answer.
- What is a simple alternative to Google Analytics?
- For private visitor counts, Plausible. For watching sessions, Microsoft Clarity. For which form field loses people and what to change, Moxel.
Sources
- ShopifyQL sessions schemaShopify. Developer documentation describing what Shopify's own reports count.
- Clarity overviewMicrosoft Learn.