Migrating from Google Analytics

Switching from Google Analytics to Tally is straightforward. Here's what to expect and how to handle the transition.

What transfers

Tally is a fresh start — we don't import historical Google Analytics data. This is by design:

GA data is aggregated and sampled, making clean import difficult
Tally tracks different metrics (focus time, scroll depth) that GA doesn't
A clean break gives you accurate, consistent data from day one

Tip: Run both trackers in parallel during the transition. GA won't interfere with Tally, and you can compare data side-by-side while building history.

Step-by-step migration

1. Deploy Tally

Follow the Installation guide to get Tally running.

2. Add the Tally tracker alongside GA

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXX"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());
  gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXX');
</script>

<script
  src="https://your-tally-server.com/t.js"
  data-site="yoursite.com"
  data-token="your-token"
></script>

3. Verify data is flowing

Visit your site, then check the Tally dashboard. You should see your visit appear in realtime within seconds.

4. Remove GA (when ready)

After running both for a few days and confirming Tally captures everything you need, remove the GA tracking code.

Metric mapping

Here's how Tally's metrics map to what you're used to in Google Analytics:

GA "Users"          
    
   Tally "Unique Visitors" (session-based)
GA "Pageviews"      
    
   Tally "Page Views" (identical)
GA "Bounce Rate"    
    
   Tally "Bounce Rate" (single-pageview sessions)
GA "Avg. Session"   
    
   Tally "Avg Duration" (exit event based)
GA "Source/Medium"  
    
   Tally "Referrer Source/Medium" + UTM
GA "Country"        
    
   Tally "Geo" (GeoIP, same data)
GA "Browser/OS"     
    
   Tally "Devices" (UA parsing, same data)

What you gain

Scroll depth — See how far people actually scroll on each page
Focus time — Know how long a page was actually visible (not just loaded)
Next-page flow — See where visitors go after each page
No sampling — Every event is recorded, not sampled at high volumes
Instant data — No 24-48 hour processing delay
Full data ownership — SQLite file on your server

What you lose

We're honest about what Tally doesn't do (yet):

No funnel analysis
No cohort analysis
No A/B testing
No heatmaps or session recordings
No real-time segmentation

If these are critical to your workflow, Tally may not be a complete replacement yet. But for most personal sites and small businesses, pageviews + referrers + engagement metrics cover 95% of what you actually use.