A Review of the New Google Analytics

The interface of Google Analytics has been the same for around four years now, but it has recently launched the new version of the service. This new version is designed to take account of the fact that the services offered by Analytics have dramatically expanded and the number of people using its services has also shot up, prompting the need for a bit of an overhaul. So, is the new version of Google Analytics any good?

It certainly should be good. Google has said that many of the changes in the new version are the result of user feedback, so you would expect to see appropriate changes as a result. They have also said that the aim of the upgrade is to improve functionality and make it ‘easier and faster’ to get hold of what you are looking for.

One of the main changes to Analytics is that it is now possible to have multiple dashboards (which was, incidentally, one of the things users requested). This means you could create one dashboard for your SEO info, another for your goals and so on. You also get more control about the features that display on these dashboards, which is useful. They also display more data, so you can view more information at a single glance. One downside is that there is no way to email the dashboard information to contacts, but generally the new dashboard options are a good addition to the old system.

The dashboards also allow you to display different widgets, which is very useful for displaying important bits of data. So, if you want to know how many people have been visiting your sites, you can use the ‘visit’ widget and even break it down by country. There are also pie chart display options, if you prefer to see things more visually and you can compare dates to see how the impact of your activity has changed over time.

Another good thing about the updated Google Analytics is the upgraded version of the ‘advanced segments’ too, which lets you analyse different aspects of your statistics. For instance, if you were looking at your ‘total visitors’ information, you could use the segments tool to break this down into details such as how many of them were from overseas and the actions of that particular segment of visitors.

Generally, the update has also streamlined its processes and made it simpler to do things, just as Google promised it would. The navigation systems are little altered but they have still improved, which is useful as it means you won’t have to re-learn the entire system in order to do things. Another great feature is the ability to compare trends in search terms, traffic and other aspects. So, if you run a website selling different brands of product, you will be able to compare how many people were bought to your site by individual brands. You can also compare where most of your traffic growth is coming from (such as whether you are getting more visits from Android or iPhone users, mobile users or laptop/desktop users).

There is also an option to view search terms in a cloud format, which is a nice feature but it can be confusing as it is hard to determine patterns from it. However, the ‘Reports’ feature has been made easier to understand. Visually, it’s crisper and cleaner, making it easier to pick out information. It’s also easier to switch between different graphics, which is certainly welcome. Plus, if you are an advanced user and want more detail about the accounts you’re working on, you can use the new ‘custom report’ feature. If you aren’t an expert, then this is unlikely to add much value to your Analytics experience, but the fact that you can get so much information so easily elsewhere means that you’ll still have plenty to work with. If, however, you want to drill down as far as you possibly can, you are sure to appreciate this custom feature.

All of this has the effect of making the new version of Google Analytics more user friendly. As online marketing grows in importance and more people use it – including people who might not be particularly technically-minded – this is important as one drawback of Analytics used to be that it could be confusing to get your head round if you’d never used it before. For example, the new version makes it easier to switch between different options, accounts and reports, making the process simpler and also quicker, which is sure to appeal to beginners and advanced users alike.

Overall, the new version of Google Analytics means that Google is set to stay in a dominant market position when it comes to the analysis of web data. The quality and breadth of information on offer is great and the fact that it is increasingly accessible for beginners means that many more people are sure to start using its services in the near future. There are still a few things that could be improved or ironed out, but for the most part this is a very impressive update from Google.