thoughtbot chooses ethical analytics with TWIPLA
Cookie banner gone, core visitor insights kept, privacy principles intact
This renowned design and development agency dropped its cookie banner with TWIPLA without losing the insights it relies on. Now it knows exactly which blog and service pages to improve, and how, fully in line with its vision for a privacy-respecting web.
See how TWIPLA works without a cookie banner1,000+
Client projects
Delivered over more than 20 years.
1M
Yearly visitors
Around a million, mostly to its popular blog.
Zero
Cookie banners
Removed, with no loss of core insights.
TL;DR
- Cookie banner removed, with no loss of the core insights the team relies on
- Privacy-first analytics that match the values thoughtbot advises clients on
- Switched from Google Analytics (2021) and Fathom to TWIPLA in 2023
- 14 tools in one platform, from heatmaps and recordings to conversion tracking
- Insights on around 1M yearly visitors, steering blog and service page updates
- Data collection set country by country to meet regional rules
The challenge
Why thoughtbot turned to TWIPLA
As an agency that advises clients on ethical tech, thoughtbot needed analytics that matched its own values without losing depth. TWIPLA delivered:
- Analytics that legitimately run without a cookie consent banner
- Marketing and strategy insight that never compromises privacy-first principles
- Deep conversion and engagement tracking
- A fast, lightweight, non-intrusive setup that keeps the site performing at its best
- Data collection that adapts by country to meet regional compliance rules
- Clear insight into blog and service page performance, and how to win more clients
The solution
From what happened to what to fix
TWIPLA's 14 tools work as one. Traffic and audience data show what happens on thoughtbot's site. Behavior tools show why, and where to act:
- Session recordings and heatmaps reveal where visitors engage, hesitate or drop off
- Conversion tracking and visitor journey analysis show where prospects fall away
- UX Health Score & Friction Monitoring flags issues traditional dashboards miss
- All without tracking individuals, so visitor trust stays intact
The results
Better content, stronger service pages
"We chose TWIPLA to uphold our privacy standards while still gaining visibility into how people interact with our site. It's helped us remove intrusive tracking, including our cookie consent banner, without losing the core insights that our team relies on." Lindsey Christensen, VP of Marketing, thoughtbot
thoughtbot's site welcomes around a million visitors a year, mostly to its blog. With TWIPLA, the team can:
- See which content resonates and spot pages losing traction
- Refresh pages for SEO, clarity or stronger calls to action
- Feed real-time insights straight into the editorial calendar and marketing strategy
- Find which service pages turn prospects into clients, and which need clearer messaging
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FAQs
A global design and development consultancy that has helped startups and established companies for more than 20 years, building web and mobile apps, modernizing legacy systems and scaling digital platforms. It has delivered over 1,000 client projects and specializes in product strategy, user-centered design and Ruby on Rails. It also maintains popular open-source tools like FactoryBot and Administrate, shares know-how through its blog, books, podcasts, events and conference talks, and champions transparency and ethical tech across the industry.
In 2021, concerns about data sharing, invasive visitor tracking and more visible tracking indicators in major browsers led thoughtbot to remove Google Analytics entirely.
Fathom was a step in the right direction, but it lacked depth on visitor behavior and conversion flows, and some features needed a cookie consent banner. thoughtbot moved to TWIPLA in 2023 for a lightweight setup that delivers meaningful insights without tracking individuals or overriding visitors' right to data privacy.
To learn what resonates with its audience, spot pages losing traction and decide which to update, remove or rework, keeping high-traffic content valuable for both its community and prospective clients. Timing insights also show peak engagement windows, ideal for publishing content, scheduling updates or planning site maintenance with minimal disruption.
Pages such as Ruby on Rails, Hotwire, Maintenance and Mobile. Conversion & Revenue Tracking, Event Tracking & Visitor Journey Analysis, Heatmaps, Session Recordings and UX Health Score & Friction Monitoring show which pages persuade prospects to get in touch, which need clearer messaging or a better structure, and where technical issues get in the way.
TWIPLA tracks without cookies and complies with GDPR, ePrivacy and CCPA, with data hosted in Germany on ISO 27001-certified servers. Privacy settings can be tailored country by country, maximizing insight within each region's rules without losing visitor trust.
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