Matomo needs a piece of JavaScript on every page that reports views and interactions. How it gets there is decided by the platform: some allow your own code anywhere, others only in certain places or only from approved sources. On top of that comes data that only the platform knows, such as the contents of a cart or the area of an intranet.
Four ways to connect Matomo
| Way | How Matomo gets in | Later changes | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking code | directly in the page template | with a platform release | simple websites that only need page views |
| Matomo Tag Manager | one container, built in once | in Matomo, without a release | almost every platform, as soon as you measure more |
| Platform plugin or app | installed from the platform’s store | with plugin updates | shops and CMS, if the plugin is maintained |
| Server | the platform reports to Matomo’s Tracking API | in the platform’s code | orders, apps and systems without a browser |
The ways do not exclude each other. Often the Tag Manager brings tracking to the pages, and a plugin or the server delivers the data only the platform knows.
Choosing the right way
- What does the platform allow? SharePoint Online only runs scripts from approved sources, a shop restricts code in the checkout, a CMS allows almost anything. That decides which ways are possible at all.
- Which data do you need? Any way works for page views. Search, forms, cart and orders need data from the platform, via a data layer, a plugin or the server.
- Who maintains the tracking? If every change sits with IT and its releases, changes rarely happen. With the Tag Manager, an analytics team can adjust things itself.
- How does consent arrive? Every platform has its own way of reporting the visitor’s decision, and the tracking has to know it. More on this in Matomo and privacy.
- Is the plugin maintained? The last update, supported versions of platform and Matomo and who develops it say more than the feature list.
What the Tag Manager can do and how a container is built is covered in Matomo Tag Manager. How to name events so they fit together across all platforms is in Event tracking.
Platforms
- Intranet with SharePoint and AEM: tracking via an SPFx extension despite the Content Security Policy, in AEM via the page component or a client library, with search and without personal data.
- Shopify: a custom pixel instead of theme code, consent via the Customer Privacy API and what to test in the shop.
- Shopware 6: plugins from the store, e-commerce via the Tag Manager, orders from the server and Shopware’s cookie consent.
- WordPress and WooCommerce: Matomo for WordPress or Connect Matomo, orders from the server and the Complianz trap.
Data back into your systems
Integration also means bringing Matomo data to where your team works. The Reporting API delivers every report as JSON, CSV or XML for BI tools and your own applications. Dashboards can be embedded, reports sent by email. More on this in Dashboards, Email reports and the service Integrations and APIs.
Sources
As of 12 November 2026