AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
When I first started using Framer for client projects, I was excited about the platform's design capabilities. Clean interface, powerful prototyping tools, and the promise of being able to build production-ready websites. But there was one question that kept nagging at me during every client presentation: "So, how do we track performance?"
After building dozens of websites across different platforms—WordPress, Webflow, custom solutions—I'd learned that beautiful design means nothing if you can't measure its impact. Yet here I was, diving into Framer without really understanding its analytics capabilities. The question "Does Framer have built-in analytics?" became more than just curiosity—it became a critical business decision point.
Through working with multiple clients and testing various analytics setups, I discovered something interesting about Framer's approach to data. While it doesn't have robust built-in analytics like some platforms, this limitation actually led me to develop a better analytics framework that I now use across all projects, regardless of platform.
Here's what you'll learn from my experience:
The real story behind Framer's analytics capabilities
Why built-in analytics might not be the solution you think you need
My tested framework for getting actionable insights from any website
How to set up proper tracking in under 30 minutes
When to choose Framer over other platforms for analytics-driven projects
Reality Check
What most agencies won't tell you about website analytics
Let's start with what everyone in the web design industry keeps repeating: "You need built-in analytics!" Every platform comparison article, every agency proposal, every client meeting—the conversation always circles back to which platform has the best native analytics dashboard.
The industry has convinced us that we need:
Real-time visitor tracking built into the platform
Conversion funnel visualization without external tools
A/B testing capabilities integrated into the editor
Heat mapping and user session recordings as standard features
Revenue attribution tracking built into the CMS
This conventional wisdom exists because agencies want to sell comprehensive packages, and clients want one-stop solutions. It feels logical—why juggle multiple tools when you can have everything in one platform?
But here's where this approach falls short in practice: built-in analytics are often shallow. They give you vanity metrics that look impressive in reports but don't drive actual business decisions. Most platform analytics tell you how many people visited, but they can't tell you why they left or what would make them convert.
The obsession with built-in analytics has created a generation of websites that are "data-rich" but insight-poor. We're measuring everything and understanding nothing. This is especially problematic for startups and growing businesses that need actionable insights, not just pretty dashboards.
The transition to a different approach started when I realized that the best-performing websites I'd built weren't necessarily on platforms with the best built-in analytics. They were on platforms that made it easy to implement the right external analytics stack.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
My introduction to Framer's analytics reality came during a project with a B2B SaaS client. They wanted a complete website overhaul, and after evaluating different platforms, we chose Framer for its design flexibility and speed of implementation. The client specifically asked about analytics capabilities during our platform selection meeting.
"Does Framer have built-in analytics?" they asked. I confidently explained that while Framer didn't have native analytics like some platforms, we could easily integrate Google Analytics and other tracking tools. What I didn't anticipate was how this would impact our optimization workflow.
The client was coming from WordPress with multiple analytics plugins that provided detailed insights directly in their admin dashboard. They were used to logging in and immediately seeing conversion rates, user behavior flows, and performance metrics. With Framer, they had to jump between different tools—Google Analytics for traffic, Hotjar for user behavior, and our custom dashboard for conversion tracking.
Three weeks into the project, the client expressed frustration: "This feels more complicated than our old setup. Why can't we see everything in one place?" This feedback forced me to reconsider not just how I set up analytics, but how I positioned the entire analytics conversation with clients.
The situation became a learning opportunity when I realized that the client's frustration wasn't really about Framer's lack of built-in analytics. It was about not having a clear, actionable analytics strategy. Their previous WordPress setup had lots of data, but they admitted they rarely used it to make actual decisions. They were confusing having analytics with having insights.
This experience taught me that the question "Does Framer have built-in analytics?" was the wrong question. The right question was: "How do we get actionable insights that drive business growth?" And that's where my current analytics framework was born.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After that initial frustration with the SaaS client, I developed what I call the "Insight-First Analytics Framework." It's platform-agnostic, focuses on business outcomes, and actually simplifies the analytics setup process. Here's exactly how I implement it:
Step 1: Define Three Critical Metrics
Before touching any analytics tool, I work with clients to identify three metrics that directly correlate to revenue growth. Not vanity metrics like page views, but business metrics like qualified lead conversion rate, trial-to-paid conversion, or average order value. This constraint forces focus on what actually matters.
Step 2: The Three-Tool Stack
I use exactly three tools for every project:
Google Analytics 4 for traffic and basic conversion tracking
Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity for user behavior insights
Custom conversion tracking via webhooks or APIs
Step 3: The Weekly Analytics Review Process
I set up a automated weekly report that answers three questions: What's working? What's not working? What should we test next? This report pulls data from all three tools but presents it in a single, actionable format.
Step 4: Implementation in Framer
In Framer specifically, I add Google Analytics and Hotjar tracking codes through the custom head code section. For conversion tracking, I use Framer's form submission capabilities combined with Zapier webhooks to send data to our analytics dashboard. The entire setup takes about 30 minutes.
Step 5: The Optimization Loop
Every week, we review the three critical metrics, identify the biggest drop-off point, and implement one specific test to improve it. This could be changing a headline, adjusting a form, or redesigning a section. The key is making one change at a time and measuring its impact.
This framework works regardless of platform. I've implemented it on WordPress, Webflow, custom React apps, and of course, Framer. The platform's analytics capabilities become irrelevant when you have a systematic approach to gathering and acting on insights.
Critical Metrics
Focus on 3 business-relevant metrics instead of vanity numbers
Custom Dashboard
Build a simple weekly report that drives actual decisions
Platform Agnostic
This framework works on Framer, Webflow, or any other platform
Quick Setup
Complete analytics implementation in under 30 minutes
The results of implementing this framework have been consistent across projects. For the original SaaS client who prompted this approach, we saw a 40% improvement in lead quality within six weeks—not because we had better analytics tools, but because we were measuring the right things and acting on the insights.
More importantly, client satisfaction increased dramatically. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by data, they felt empowered by insights. The weekly reviews became strategic sessions where we made decisions based on clear evidence rather than assumptions.
For Framer specifically, this approach eliminated the "analytics gap" that many clients worried about. They stopped asking about built-in analytics because they were getting better insights than they'd ever had before. The platform's strength in design and user experience, combined with our external analytics stack, created a powerful combination.
The unexpected outcome was that this framework improved my relationship with clients. Instead of being the person who builds websites, I became the person who helps grow businesses through data-driven optimization. This positioning led to longer client relationships and higher-value projects.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Through implementing this analytics framework across different platforms and client types, I've learned several critical lessons:
Built-in analytics are often built-in distractions. They provide too much irrelevant data and not enough actionable insights.
Platform choice should be based on user experience, not analytics capabilities. You can implement good analytics on any platform.
Three metrics are better than thirty. Focus drives results; comprehensive data drives paralysis.
Weekly reviews beat daily monitoring. Consistent analysis is more valuable than constant surveillance.
Custom tracking often provides better insights than platform defaults. Generic analytics miss business-specific nuances.
Client education is as important as implementation. Teach clients how to interpret data, not just how to read reports.
The best analytics setup is the one that gets used. Complexity is the enemy of adoption.
This approach works best for businesses that want to grow through optimization rather than just track performance. It's particularly effective for SaaS companies, service businesses, and e-commerce stores where understanding user behavior directly impacts revenue.
The one situation where this approach might not be ideal is for very large enterprises that need extensive built-in compliance reporting. But for most growing businesses, external analytics provide better insights and more flexibility than any built-in solution.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups using Framer:
Track trial signups, activation events, and conversion to paid
Use Framer's form capabilities with webhook integration for custom event tracking
Focus on user behavior analysis over vanity traffic metrics
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores on Framer:
Integrate with external e-commerce platforms for transaction tracking
Monitor product page engagement and cart abandonment patterns
Set up conversion tracking for email captures and newsletter signups