Why Your Website Traffic in the Storagely Dashboard May Differ from GA4
Storagely uses Matomo Analytics to power the website traffic data you see in your dashboard. You might notice differences between your Storagely dashboard numbers and what appears in Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
This article explains why those differences happen — and why the traffic data in Storagely is still accurate and reliable.
Quick Summary
- Storagely uses Matomo, not GA4, to report website traffic.
- Matomo and GA4 define visits/sessions differently, which leads to different totals.
- Storagely filters traffic based on specific domain and page URLs, which GA4 may not.
- You don’t have access to Matomo, but our team can investigate if you spot discrepancies.
- The traffic data shown in your Storagely dashboard is correct based on Matomo’s tracking logic.
🧠 “Visit” vs “Session”: What’s the Difference?
📍 Matomo (Used by Storagely)
- A visit is counted when someone lands on your website and interacts (e.g., views a page).
- The session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity.
- We filter only for your facility’s specific domain or URLs.
- Only tracked pages (with the Matomo tag) are included.
📍 Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
- Uses a different model: sessions are event-based.
- GA4 sessions can end:
- At midnight
- When the source/campaign changes
- Includes broader traffic (like bots, external sources, or unfiltered events).
- GA4 may include more visits that don’t meet Matomo's stricter tracking filters.
🌟 Why Storagely Uses Matomo Instead of GA4
We chose Matomo as our analytics platform because it offers several key advantages over Google Analytics 4 — especially for operators who value accuracy, privacy, and simplicity.
✅ Key Benefits of Matomo
Benefit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Privacy-first | Matomo is fully GDPR- and CCPA-compliant and doesn’t require cookie consent banners. |
More accurate filtering | We can filter traffic by exact domain, page, and parameter — giving you cleaner data. |
Own your data | Unlike GA4, Matomo gives us full control and ownership over the analytics data we collect. |
Less sampling | GA4 often samples data on high-traffic sites; Matomo reports exact visit counts. |
Customizable tracking | We can set precise tracking rules to focus only on what matters for your business. |
No Google dependence | Matomo is a fully independent platform, which means fewer ecosystem constraints and no hidden data sharing with ad networks. |
By using Matomo, we're able to give you a cleaner, more focused view of the traffic that truly matters to your facility’s website — without the noise of broad, unfiltered session data from external campaigns or bot traffic.
🧩 Common Reasons for Discrepancies
Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
Different Definitions | GA4 and Matomo count sessions differently, leading to mismatched totals. |
Filtered Domains | We only track traffic to your exact domain and specific pages using Matomo. |
Missing Tags | If a page isn’t tagged with Matomo, it won’t be counted — even if GA4 tracks it. |
API Differences | Storagely uses Matomo’s VisitsSummary.getVisits API to pull accurate visit totals. |
GMB and Other Sources | GA4 might include traffic from sources like Google My Business or paid campaigns. |
🛠️ What Changed in September 2025
In September 2025, we made a major update to improve how visits are counted in your dashboard:
- Before: We used a Matomo API that returned only ~10 recent visits (Live.getLastVisitsDetails).
- Now: We use the VisitsSummary.getVisits API, which returns the full and accurate total for your selected date range and domain.
This change ensures that your website traffic data reflects the true numbers Matomo reports.
🔍 Why Your GA4 Numbers Don’t Match Ours
Storagely (Matomo) | Google Analytics 4 (GA4) |
|---|---|
Visit = meaningful interaction | Session = event stream |
Ends after 30 mins of inactivity | Ends at midnight or source change |
Filters by domain and page | May include multiple domains or all traffic |
Strict tracking (tag required) | Includes all recorded events |
Fully privacy-compliant | Uses broader event-based tracking |
💡 What You Can Do
Even though you don’t have access to Matomo, we’re here to help.
If you see traffic in GA4 or Google My Business (GMB) that looks significantly higher than what’s in your Storagely dashboard:
- Let us know! We’ll investigate on your behalf using Matomo.
- Make sure you're comparing the same date range and same domain in GA4.
- If you’re checking GMB, remember that clicks don’t always result in valid visits (e.g., bots, quick bounces).
🧭 Final Takeaway
While it’s common to see different numbers between GA4 and Storagely:
If you need help reconciling your reports or believe something looks off, our team is happy to review the data and provide insights.
As always, if you have any questions during this process, our Customer Success Team is here to help. The best way to reach us is by submitting a support ticket.