Growing a Website to 800,000 Visits and Going Google-Free
Backstory
Growing a site to hundreds of thousands of visitors always seemed far away. I couldn't count how many projects I'd released that faded out after a month or two.
These projects were released before I had a day job, which meant I was too focused on money rather than building something cool. This led to a cycle of projects ending with the same result - blood, sweat, and tears down the drain.
However, after starting a job in January 2020, things began to change. In March that year, I released a website that tracks item prices within a game, utilising their free, easy-to-use API for real-time values. My job was to retain this data, storing it in a database that would eventually hold more than 90 million rows.
My whole drive was simple - build a cool website in my limited time outside work. The site grew much faster than expected, reaching over 210 concurrent visitors. Traffic came mainly from SEO and YouTuber videos.
Going Google-Free
Hearing "become Google-free" seems distant, with Google so heavily involved in our daily lives. But after a long time, I finally made the move.
Google Analytics
For years, this was my go-to for tracking website performance. It's free, simple, and provides useful KPIs - what's not to love? Actually, quite a lot. I was blinded by the thought that "if it's free, we must be the product."
After hearing about how Google sells visitor data (which is why Analytics is free), I started looking for alternatives. I had thoughts like:
- "Why should I care? Doesn't Google get enough of us already?"
- "Does my data really matter to them?"
- "Will my visitors care?"
- "If I stop, others will continue using Google Analytics anyway"
By thinking this way, I - like many others - wouldn't move and would continue aiding Google in tracking visitors.
This is when I discovered Fathom Analytics. Run by a small team who want to prevent our data being sold to Google. The platform is outstanding - fast and loads much quicker than the bloated service provided by Google. Their interface focuses on the main factors that matter.
As our traffic grew, so did server costs. To host the volume of data we had, we needed $230 a month for hosting. Google Ads allowed us to cover these costs and monetise without asking from our audience.
Instead of relying on Google Ads, I started emailing companies that aligned with my audience. Emailing out of the blue is usually scary, but it resulted in multiple interested companies - solely because our audiences overlapped.
Google Workspace
Having Gmail with a custom domain felt like a godsend. However, privacy concerns became daunting after the Google Analytics situation - this is when I found Hey.com.
Hey is pricey, but it prevents tracking from third parties when opening emails. It also has a great interface, with features like separating emails and "screening" new senders.
All in all, becoming Google-free has certainly cost more. But I can sleep well knowing my audience and I are no longer the product, and my money is going to well-made companies by individuals instead of corporations.