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You’re building a business with AI. You’ve got your site up. Now you need to know what’s working.
GA4 is a nightmare. The interface fights you. Reports take forever to build. And the data you finally extract is sampled, incomplete, and formatted in ways that make AI analysis painful.
I switched to Plausible two years ago and haven’t looked back. Here’s why it matters for AI-powered businesses specifically:
Clean data structure. Plausible exports flat, consistent data that Claude and ChatGPT can actually analyze. GA4’s nested event schemas and session scoping confusion? AI models choke on that mess.
No GDPR headaches. European regulators keep ruling Google Analytics violates GDPR. According to noyb, data protection authorities across the EU have found GA4 transfers to US servers violate privacy laws. If you’re building a business that serves international customers, that’s a liability you don’t need.
More accurate tracking. Ad blockers hit GA hard. PageFair’s research shows ad blocker usage keeps climbing, and GA’s tracking domains are among the most blocked. Plausible isn’t part of the adtech ecosystem, so more of your actual traffic shows up.
Faster pages. GA loads 45KB+ of JavaScript. Plausible loads under 1KB. When you’re building content sites with AI, page speed affects rankings.
This guide shows you exactly how to set up Plausible and integrate it with your AI workflow. You’ll have clean analytics data feeding into Claude within an hour.
Quick Navigation
| Section | What You’ll Do |
|---|---|
| Setup (5 minutes) | Get Plausible running on your site |
| Track Conversions | Set up goal tracking for your business |
| AI Analysis Workflow | Feed data to Claude for insights |
| Plausible vs GA4 | Why this matters for AI businesses |
| Self-Hosting Option | Run it yourself for unlimited sites |
Why Plausible for AI-Powered Businesses
When you’re building with AI, your analytics tool needs to work with AI.
Here’s the problem with GA4: the data export is a mess. Nested event parameters, session vs. user scoping confusion, sampled data at higher volumes, complex export formats. When you paste GA4 data into Claude, you spend more time explaining the data structure than getting insights.
Plausible data is flat and consistent. You export a CSV, paste it into Claude, and immediately start getting useful analysis. No cleanup required.
| Factor | Plausible | Google Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Script size | ~1 KB | 75+ KB |
| Cookies | None | Multiple |
| GDPR consent required | No | Yes |
| Dashboard complexity | Single page | Dozens of reports |
| Data ownership | You own it | Google owns it |
| AI-ready exports | Yes | Requires cleanup |
| Open source | Yes | No |
The company behind Plausible is a bootstrapped EU team. No VC funding. No pressure to monetize your data. They make money from subscriptions. Period.
This matters: when you’re not paying, you’re the product. Google’s business model is advertising. Every data point you send them improves their ad platform.
Setting Up Plausible (Step by Step)
Get this done in 5 minutes. Here’s exactly what to do.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to plausible.io and start the 30-day free trial. No credit card required.
Step 2: Add Your Domain
Enter your site’s domain (e.g., “yourbusiness.com”).
Plausible generates your tracking script:
<script defer data-domain="yourbusiness.com" src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script>
Step 3: Install the Script
Add that single line to your site’s <head> section.
Hugo users: Add to layouts/partials/head.html or your base template:
{{ if not .Site.IsServer }}
<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com" src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script>
{{ end }}
The conditional prevents tracking during local development.
WordPress users: Install the official Plausible Analytics plugin. Go to Plugins > Add New, search “Plausible Analytics,” install, activate, enter your domain. Done.
Other platforms: Paste the script into your site’s header HTML injection area. Most platforms (Webflow, Ghost, Shopify) have this in settings.
Step 4: Verify It Works
Visit your site in a new tab. Check your Plausible dashboard. You should see yourself as an active visitor within seconds.
Not seeing data? Clear your cache, temporarily disable ad blockers, and verify the script is in <head> not <body>. Plausible’s troubleshooting guide covers edge cases.
Goals and Conversions
This is where Plausible earns its keep for your business. You need to track what matters: signups, purchases, lead form submissions.
Pageview Goals (No Code Required)
For thank-you pages, confirmation pages, or any URL that indicates a conversion:
- Go to your site settings in Plausible > Goals
- Click “Add Goal”
- Select “Pageview”
- Enter the page path (e.g., “/thank-you” or “/purchase-complete”)
- Save
That’s it. When someone hits that URL, Plausible logs a conversion.
Custom Event Goals
For button clicks, form submissions, or actions that don’t have dedicated URLs:
- Add the goal in Plausible (Settings > Goals > Add Goal > Custom Event)
- Name it (e.g., “Signup” or “Download”)
- Add the JavaScript trigger to your site:
<button onclick="plausible('Signup')">Sign Up Free</button>
For form submissions:
document.getElementById('lead-form').addEventListener('submit', function() {
plausible('Lead Captured');
});
Compare this to GA4 where you need Tag Manager, triggers, variables, and debugging sessions. Plausible’s event tracking takes 2 minutes.
Funnel Tracking
Track multi-step processes, signup flows, checkout sequences, onboarding:
- Define each step as a goal
- Plausible shows you where users drop off
This tells you exactly where to focus optimization efforts. If 80% of users abandon at step 3 of your signup flow, you know what to fix.
Plausible vs Google Analytics
GA4 makes sense if you’re an enterprise with a dedicated analytics team and deep Google Ads integration needs.
For everyone building an AI-powered business from scratch? It’s overkill that creates problems.
The Complexity Problem
A study by Orbit Media found 90% of marketers find GA4 harder to use than Universal Analytics. That’s not a learning curve. That’s a design problem.
Plausible: one dashboard, everything visible, no configuration needed. Install it and immediately understand what’s happening.
The Privacy Problem
Data protection authorities in Austria, France, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have ruled Google Analytics violates GDPR.
Plausible sidesteps this entirely:
- No cookies
- No personal data collection
- Data stays in the EU (servers in Germany)
- No consent banner required
Your visitors prefer sites that don’t interrupt them with cookie banners. Every “Reject All” click potentially breaks your GA4 analytics anyway.
The Accuracy Problem
Plausible’s research shows sites requiring cookie consent see massive data gaps when users reject tracking. Add browser-based blocking (Firefox, Safari, Brave) and ad blockers, and your GA4 data is incomplete.
Plausible isn’t part of the adtech ecosystem, so it doesn’t trigger the same blocking rules. More actual traffic shows up.
The Speed Problem
GA4: ~45KB of JavaScript. Plausible: under 1KB.
Page speed is a ranking factor. If you’re building optimized content sites, every kilobyte matters.
Key Features for Business Owners
Here’s what Plausible actually gives you, and how each feature helps you make money.
Real-Time Dashboard
One page shows everything:
- Current visitors (see traffic spikes from campaigns in real-time)
- Traffic sources (know which channels are working)
- Top pages (see what content drives engagement)
- Geographic and device data (understand your audience)
I glance at Plausible and know what’s happening in 5 seconds. GA4 is a 15-minute expedition.
Campaign Tracking (Built-In)
Plausible automatically parses UTM parameters. No setup required.
When you run paid campaigns, add UTMs to your URLs and they show up categorized in your dashboard. You’ll see exactly which ad sets drive traffic and conversions.
Google Search Console Integration
Connect Search Console to see search queries, click-through rates, and rankings, all in your Plausible dashboard.
For deeper SEO work, you’ll still use full Search Console. But for daily checks, having keyword data alongside traffic data saves time.
Scroll Depth Tracking
Automatically tracks how far visitors scroll on every page. No Tag Manager configuration.
This tells you if people read your content or bounce after the first paragraph. Critical for content optimization.
AI Traffic Identification
Plausible now identifies traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek, and other AI assistants.
If you’re optimizing for AI Overviews, you need to track AI referral traffic. This is increasingly important as more people use AI to browse.
API Access
Full stats API for pulling data programmatically. This is the feature that makes Plausible powerful for AI-built businesses. You can automate data flows into your AI analysis workflows.
Plausible Pricing
Usage-based pricing tied to monthly pageviews. Check Plausible’s pricing page for current rates.
Entry point: Around $9/month for 10k monthly pageviews.
Annual billing: Saves roughly 2 months (pay for 10, get 12).
Free trial: 30 days, no credit card required, full access.
Is It Worth It vs. “Free” GA4?
Yes. Here’s the math:
- Less time wrestling with reports = hours saved monthly
- More accurate tracking = better business decisions
- No GDPR concerns = no legal liability
- Faster pages = better rankings
- Clean data for AI analysis = actionable insights
For most businesses, under $20/month is nothing compared to the value of knowing what’s actually working.
If you’re running 10+ sites or need more than 1M pageviews, self-hosting becomes attractive. See that section below.
Platform-Specific Installation
Already covered Hugo and WordPress above. Here are the other common platforms.
Ghost
Settings > Code Injection > Site Header. Paste your script.
Shopify
Online Store > Themes > Edit Code > theme.liquid. Add the script in <head>.
Webflow
Project Settings > Custom Code > Head Code. Paste the script.
Next.js / React
Install next-plausible:
npm install next-plausible
This handles automatic page tracking and provides React hooks for custom events.
Google Tag Manager
Plausible has an official GTM template. Search “Plausible Analytics” in the template gallery.
My take: If Plausible is your only analytics tool, skip GTM. Direct installation is simpler and faster.
Self-Hosting Plausible
If you’re building multiple sites or want complete control, self-hosting makes sense. The code is open source under AGPL license.
When Self-Hosting Pays Off
- Running 5+ sites (hosted pricing adds up)
- High traffic volumes (no pageview limits)
- Want complete data ownership
- You’re comfortable with basic server management
Quick Setup
Requirements: A $5-10/month VPS with Docker, basic command line skills.
- Clone the hosting repo
- Configure your domain and email in the config file
- Run
docker-compose up -d - Point your domain to your server
Plausible’s self-hosting guide has detailed instructions.
The Trade-offs
You handle: Updates, backups, SSL certificates, server security.
You get: No monthly SaaS fees, unlimited sites, unlimited pageviews, complete data control.
My take: A $10/month VPS can handle millions of pageviews across dozens of sites. If you’re building multiple content sites with AI, self-hosting pays for itself fast.
For a single site? The hosted version is worth the convenience.
When Plausible Fits (And When It Doesn’t)
Use Plausible For:
- Content sites, blogs, SaaS marketing sites, portfolios
- Any business where GDPR/CCPA compliance matters
- Sites where page speed affects your rankings
- When you need clean data for AI analysis
- Day-to-day traffic monitoring and content performance
Don’t Use Plausible For:
- Complex multi-touch attribution modeling
- Heavy Google Ads integration requiring native audience building
- User-level tracking and cohort analysis
- Affiliate campaigns needing click-level tracking (use a dedicated tracker instead)
The Hybrid Approach
Some people run both. Plausible for daily insights and privacy-compliant tracking, GA4 for specific advanced use cases.
The scripts coexist fine. Your Plausible data stays accurate for all visitors, while GA4 captures consenting users for deeper analysis.
What I do: Plausible on content sites for traffic patterns and engagement. Dedicated tracking tools for paid traffic and affiliate conversions. Plausible isn’t built for that level of granularity.
Plausible + AI Workflows
This is where Plausible becomes a competitive advantage for AI-built businesses.
Clean data structure + API access = automated insights you can actually use.
The Weekly Analysis Workflow I Use
Every Monday, I run this process:
Step 1: Export last week’s data from Plausible (CSV export or via API)
Step 2: Paste into Claude with this prompt:
Here's my website analytics from last week [paste CSV].
Analyze and tell me:
1. Top 5 pages by engagement (low bounce + high time on page)
2. Traffic sources driving valuable visitors (not just volume)
3. Pages with high traffic but poor engagement (fix these)
4. Week-over-week trends I should act on
5. One specific thing I should do this week based on this data
Be specific. I want actions, not observations.
Step 3: Implement the top recommendation.
This takes 10 minutes and consistently surfaces insights I’d miss staring at a dashboard.
Automated Reporting via API
Plausible’s Stats API lets you pull data programmatically:
curl "https://plausible.io/api/v1/stats/aggregate?site_id=yourdomain.com&period=7d&metrics=visitors,pageviews,bounce_rate" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
What you can build:
- Weekly Slack notifications with AI-generated insights
- Automated content performance scoring
- Dashboards combining Plausible with ad platform data
- Alerts when traffic patterns change unexpectedly
Content Portfolio Analysis
Export your top pages, then ask Claude:
Here are my top 20 pages [paste data with URL, pageviews, bounce rate, duration].
Tell me:
1. Which content types perform best (look at URL patterns)?
2. Which pages have engagement problems I should fix?
3. What topics should I create more content about?
4. Any patterns I'm missing?
AI catches patterns you’d miss, like noticing all your “/guides/” content outperforms “/blog/” content, or that mobile bounces spike on pages over 3000 words.
Combining with Ad Platform Data
If you’re running paid campaigns:
Here's my Plausible traffic data [paste] and my Google Ads data [paste].
Compare UTM-tagged traffic in Plausible with campaign performance in Google Ads.
Find:
1. Campaigns where Plausible shows different engagement than Google reports
2. Landing pages converting ad traffic poorly
3. Geographic mismatches between targeting and actual engaged visitors
This catches discrepancies between what ad platforms claim and what actually happens on your site.
The Limitation
AI analysis requires specific questions. “Tell me something interesting” gets you nothing useful.
Start with business questions: “Which pages should I improve?” “Where should I spend more ad budget?” “What content should I create next?”
For click-level tracking and affiliate attribution, you need a dedicated tracker. See our Click Tracking Guide.
Your Next Step
You’re building a business with AI. You need analytics that work with your AI workflow, not against it.
Here’s what to do now:
- Start the 30-day free trial at plausible.io (no credit card)
- Install on your main site (5 minutes with the steps above)
- Set up one conversion goal for your most important action
- Run the weekly AI analysis workflow I described above
- Compare to GA4 for one month. You’ll see the difference
Within a week, you’ll have cleaner data feeding into your AI analysis than you’ve ever had from Google Analytics.
And you’ll actually check your analytics, because Plausible is pleasant to use.
Related Guides
Tracking & Analytics:
- Click Tracking Guide - For affiliate marketing and detailed conversion tracking
- CallRail Guide - Phone call tracking for lead gen businesses
Building Your Site:
- Hugo CMS Guide - Build fast sites that work perfectly with Plausible
- Content Website Guide - Build sites worth tracking
- AI Site Architecture - Structure content for both users and analytics
Content Optimization:
- AI Content Structure - Use analytics insights to structure better content
- AI Overview Optimization - Track and optimize for AI-driven search
Questions about setting up Plausible for your business?
Contact me. I use reader questions to improve these guides.