Matomo Geolocation Tracking for Local Data Insights

Matomo offers a powerful feature in the form of “Geolocation Tracking” that displays the location of visitors, based on different data sources. This tool can track the geolocation of a website visitor through GPS, Wi-Fi signals, or IP addresses. The businesses can gain insights into User Behavior, interests, and actions with their location and improve their strategies as per user location. 

Significance of Local Data Insights for Businesses

Local data insights are highly proficient for business growth. By tracking user geolocation, you can personalize your content, products, and services to meet local preferences and requirements. Hence, you can enhance user experience, better Conversion rate, business development, and effective impact of their online presence by targeting local data analysis for specific regions or countries. 

How Matomo Geolocation Tracking Works?

1 –  IP Address Geolocation:

You can collect visitors’ local data through IP Addresses in a geolocation database with Matomo Analytics. However, the accuracy is based on the quality and updated data in the database. Matomo offers UserCountry.getLocationFromIP for tracking location through IP address. For that, you’ll have to navigate to administration select UserCountry from the API field, and finally press the getLocationFromIP call. 

2 – GPS Coordinates:

There is no hurdle in tracking mobile geolocation tracking of a visitor for local data collection. You can use GPS coordinates (also known as latitude and longitude) of a device for tracking the exact location of users on mobile apps.

3 – User-Supplied Location Data: 

Matomo can also track geolocation data when visitors manually add their information such as when filling out a form or creating an account. So, Matomo can use that data for monitoring user locations.

Matomo’s Geolocation Plugins

GeoIP2 – Matomo uses MaxMind’s GeoIP2 database for tracking geolocation data through IP Addresses. We can use this Plugin in Matomo for more accurate data and up-to-date collection based on country, city, and other location details.

IP2Location –  Analysts use the IP2Location database to enable a more accurate location lookup in Matomo’s visitor log. This plugin works more efficiently with the IP2Location BIN database. 

How to Install Geolocation Plugin?

• Search for the suitable plugin that is essential to your requirements. 
• Download its zip file.
• Now, you’ll have to enter your CMS admin dashboard.
• Navigate to Plugins => Add New => Upload and upload it without unzipping it.
• Activate the plugin 
• Set up Visitor Geolocation and test if it is working properly.

Manage Geolocation Plugin:

• Set the low, medium or high geolocation accuracy Settings for your plugin.
• For more proper data collection choose MaxMind GeoIP or DB-IP with plugin
• Choose the plugin that keeps the user data secure and save
• Your plugin must comply with GDPR or CCPA regulations

Geolocation Reporting in Matomo:

Matomo provides an in-depth analysis of the geolocation distribution of visitors. You can have reports on Visitors, location, and provider pages based on the countries, regions, and cities. The significant metrics like number of total visitors, unique visits, page views, and conversions can now be analyzed with the specified user location.

User Behavior Analysis by Location:

The geolocation setup investigates the behavior and interactions of users based on their particular location. This helps calculate which country or region spends the most time on your website. It becomes easier to analyze the popularity of products and content in a specific geographical location than in another area. We can estimate which country visitors are converting the most on your site. By understanding location-based user data, we can localize our content, products, or services. Thus, we can improve user engagement and business on our site for those areas where we gain more traffic. 

Tips for Accurate Geolocation Data Tracking

• Update your geolocation data on a daily basis.
• Implement latest changes to GPS, WiFi access points and more.
• For privacy concerns, get user consent before accessing location data.
• Filter out erroneous data points and solve the issues
• Keep in mind the environmental issues like tall buildings or dense foliage that may impact accuracy

The Geolocation tracking in Matomo is a reliable feature to identify the location of users by monitoring their IP Addresses. Developers can gain more accurate data without the risk of privacy issues by using MaxMind and DBIP databases. With this metric, we can create and modify the most relevant content and services to our users by knowing the popularity and conversion rates to any particular country, continent, region or city. So, utilizing this location-based user data, we can gain proficient user interaction and engagement that will ultimately drive our website or business to the apex of success.