De-Googled: moving towards privacy-proof business

Introduction: the convenience of going live fast

I started – like so many small business owners – with a single click on “Install WordPress”. Then: connect a Google account, enable Analytics, a Google Ads account, add reCAPTCHA for the forms, Tag Manager for ‘later’, done.

Until I realised: I was playing fast and loose with the privacy of my own visitors. Under the GDPR I’m the one responsible for what happens to their data, but did I actually know what exactly was going to Google? The answer was genuinely embarrassing: hardly anything. Because what is a Google Tag, for instance? How does that invisible anti-spam work, the one that means you don’t have to click buses or traffic lights?

In this article I cover two use cases from my own business about switching to two privacy-friendly alternatives to widely used web services: Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA.

Analytics & Ads: Google’s data Valhalla

With Google Tag (Manager), Analytics and Ads on your site, Google knows exactly who your visitors are, which pages they view, how long they stay and what’s in the shopping cart. They cleverly link that information to everything they already know: searches, YouTube history, location via Android, you name it. That way a complete profile of every visitor takes shape in no time.

Does someone buy something and use their Gmail address? Then the picture is complete. Google uses this profile to show people even more targeted ads, so they buy more. Meanwhile, you as the business owner also pay a hefty sum to reach your own customers. In short: Google earns twice – from your customer and from you. And the price isn’t just money, but above all privacy. And that’s before I’ve even mentioned the flood of data Google hands back to you in Analytics about your own website, where you can’t see the wood for the data-trees. The charts, tables and maps with figures and other metrics come at you from all sides. In short, Google Analytics is neither user-friendly nor visitor-friendly. Can it be done more smartly and safely? Absolutely. (And I’ll tell you more about that shortly.) Ask yourself: do I need to know who does what on my site, or is it enough to know what happens? And if I do need to know who does what on my site, does Google need to know that too?

reCAPTCHA: how much data do you need to know that someone isn’t a spammer?

With Google reCAPTCHA v3 it seems as if you’re protected against spam “invisibly”. Super handy! No more clicking traffic lights or buses! Meanwhile, every time someone fills in a form – or sometimes even just visits the page – this tool sends all sorts of information straight to Google. Think IP address, browser type, how your mouse moves, and even whether you’re browsing via a VPN or privacy service. All of this is used to determine whether you’re human, but in the process it also feeds Google’s own database.

If you or your customer use an iCloud or VPN connection, you can even be wrongly flagged as “suspicious”. And all the collected data ends up with Google, even if your site does nothing with ads at all.

Is that just allowed?

The EU has already rapped Google over the knuckles several times, partly over Google Analytics, Ads and reCAPTCHA – mainly because that data is sent out of Europe, and because users don’t always have enough choice or insight into it. That’s why more and more organisations are switching to privacy-friendly alternatives, protecting both your customers and yourself against unnecessary data-sharing risks.

Privacy-friendly analytics: Plausible Analytics

Plausible Analytics is a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. Instead of an overload of tables and charts, you get exactly what you want to know: the number of visitors, popular pages and where people drop off. No cookies, no profiles, no transfer of data to American servers.

The beauty is: Plausible is super simple to install and to set up. You don’t have to plough through a 50-page manual, don’t have to make complicated links with Tag Manager, and you’ll never face the question “do I need consent for this?” Because Plausible works without tracking cookies, so you can usually leave out the cookie banner for statistics entirely. That makes your measurements more complete and therefore more reliable. You can run it on your own server if you want.

That way, in a few clicks you get insight into what really happens on your site – and you can rest assured your visitor data stays neatly in Europe. Want to see more? Then take a look at Plausible Analytics’ own analytics page: https://plausible.io/plausible.io.

Privacy-friendly bot protection: ALTCHA

ALTCHA is our privacy-friendly alternative to Google reCAPTCHA. Instead of visitors having to prove they’re not a robot by clicking on road signs or bicycles, ALTCHA works completely invisibly in the background. Your visitors don’t notice a thing, but bots are kept out.

All verification happens locally, so no personal data or browsing behaviour goes to Google or other parties outside Europe. ALTCHA uses no tracking cookies and can be installed in a few minutes. On top of that, you can set very precisely where it’s active – so no unnecessary ballast.

That way you keep spam out, without making your visitors pay with their privacy or annoyance. Much nicer for everyone.

Conclusion: privacy, convenience and fairness go together just fine

These are just two examples of how things can be done differently – and there are many more privacy-friendly alternatives that aren’t only safer, but actually make working with your website easier and more enjoyable. Think of your own cloud storage instead of Google Drive, secure email, or automations without having to send your data to the US.

Let’s be honest: as a webshop you often can’t avoid Google Ads, because that’s simply where your audience is. But you can be smart about the data you share. Set up your Google Tag and cookies so they only record what’s strictly necessary, and make sure you only place marketing cookies after explicit consent. That way you meet the rules and respect your customers.

Want to know where your site or IT landscape stands when it comes to privacy and convenience, or are you curious about more alternatives that suit your way of working? Then feel free to get in touch with us. We’re happy to think along about how technology can become sustainable, enjoyable and accessible for you and your customers. Just clear, without the hassle – so you can do business (online) with confidence.