Google Analytics: MVPs and Game-Changing New Features

Google Analytics

MVPs and Game-Changing New Features

as presented at

Museums and the Web 2014Baltimore, MD

4/2/14 Brian AlpertWeb Analytics and SEM Analyst

Smithsonian Institution@balpert

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What do we have here?• Introduction• MVP Feature 1: Improved Segmentation

– Cohorts• MVP Feature 2: Event Tracking• Automation: Supermetrics Dashboard / Case Studies• New, Game-Changing Features

– Demographics and Interests– Universal Analytics

• Other Stuff• GA Best Practices/ Tips and Tricks• Resources

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Feverishly Google Since 2012 Google has been feverishly revamping the

world’s most popular web analytics tool. 70+ launches in 2013 alone! New reports New features New navigation structure New names for stuff New ways to do stuff Completely new code (we’ll get to that)

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Google Analytics MVPs!

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MVP #1: Improved segmentation “Probably the most

important tool” (Cutroni) Drag and Drop interface Templates make it easier

to create segments (Anonymous) user

segments Cohort analysis Behavior “sequence”

segments Launched 7/13/13 Overview Examples (Cutroni)

Advanced segments are accessed from this pull-down arrow.

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(Not-so) New user interface Drag and Drop one or

more segments into place

Nice touches give an improved experience

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User segmentation is a large step forward “A user is the tool’s best-guess of an

anonymous person.” User segments represent all data

associated with a user. I.E., all visit data the user generated

during the time frame. Built-in

Single-visit users Multi-visit users

Create your own "Users in Massachusetts who spent >

$500." Can follow user groups for 90-days.

User segment: mobile device users from facebook who stayed for >30 seconds.

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User segmentation (cont’d) Offered in various places E-commerce area shows

ability to analyze per user (anonymously)

The segment shown at the bottom can answer the question: What’s the difference in conversion rates for people who went to page X from a banner on the home page, compared to people whose first page was page Y?

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New and awesome! Cohorts! The ability to segment a

unique group of visitors with something in common.

Helps analyze the long-term benefits of groups.

Date of First Visit is the first / only offering.

Segment users (create cohorts) by when they first visited.

"All users who first visited between Feb 1 and Feb 28 as a result of a paid search campaign” (cpc).

Can create cohorts for any 31-day time period

The example can help you understand if a shift in strategy has been successful (or not!) (Kaushik)

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Also way cool – “Sequence” segments Identify specific sequences

of interaction by visit (within single visits) and/or user (over all visits within a date range).

Track the behavior of users across multiple sessions.

Examples Users who viewed two pages

in a row (e.g., two steps in a shopping cart).

Segment all people who visited from a campaign and bought something some time after seeing the campaign.

People who started a checkout process but did not purchase.

This segment will measure users who start a checkout process, but do not finish. (Cutroni)

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The Gallery. THE GALLERY!

Let experts create segments for you!

Well-known GA experts post their segments.

Click “Import from Gallery.” Not just segments!

Custom Reports Dashboards

Bonus segmentation links Example segments (Google) 10 Google Analytics Advanced

Segments That Reveal Search & Social ROI (Search Engine Watch)

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“Social Media Visits” advanced segment

Regular expression: awe.sm|bit.ly|bitly|blogfaves.com|blogger|bloglines|blogspot|delicious|digg|facebook|feedburner|flickr|foursquare|goo.gl|groups.google|groups.yahoo.com|hootsuite|instagram|linkedin|m.facebook.com|meetup|newsgator|ow.ly|paper.li|pinterest|plus.google|plus.url.google.com|reddit|sphinn|stumbleupon|t.co|technorati|tripadvisor|tweetdeck|twitter|typepad|tumblr|wikia|wordpress|youtube

The regular expression (“regex”) can also be edited to include smaller groups, or types of social sites, i.e., facebook and twitter.

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Case Study: Social Media Visits segment

Key Trends and Insights

Social Media segment trends are ‘streaky,’ indicating interest correlating to social media program activity.

High loyalty group share is much higher than similar groups, indicating strong relationship between OP content and its audience.

Impact• Social media visitors visiting the site erratically over time could impede the project goals of fostering a desire to learn more, to continually share and to move visitors along a continuum of learning toward action.

Recommended Steps• If social media/blog efforts are coming in spurts, consider ways to execute a more consistent

schedule. • Engage qualitative effort to gauge possible U-I or search issues, and/or uncover other engagement-

related characteristics.

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Let’s make the ‘Social Media Visits’ segment

The regex, which you can update and/or customize: awe.sm|bit.ly|bitly|blogfaves.com|blogger|bloglines|blogspot|delicious|digg|facebook|feedburner|flickr|

foursquare|goo.gl|groups.google|groups.yahoo.com|hootsuite|instagram|linkedin|m.facebook.com|meetup|newsgator|ow.ly|paper.li|pinterest|plus.google|plus.url.google.com|reddit|sphinn|stumbleupon|t.co|technorati|tripadvisor|tweetdeck|twitter|typepad|tumblr|wikia|wordpress|youtube

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Advanced segment: engaged visitsThese visits Were

deeper than three pages.

Were longer than three minutes.

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Advanced segment: highly-engaged visitsThese visits Were deeper than

four pages. Were in frequency

more than two times in the measured period.

Were longer than two minutes.

These values can be tweaked for your site, of course!

A nice blog post on this topic is here.

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Custom Channels help you understand your audience “Channel Grouping” Located in ‘Acquisition’ Acquisition-Behavior-

Conversion (ABC) cycle How you acquire users How they behave Their conversion patterns

Custom channel examples Paid social media Library sites Photo sites

Rules may involve regex These channels will also

appear in the Multi Channel Funnels reports

Sources: CutroniSEER Interactive

The Acquisition ‘Overview’ report shows acquisition metrics in “ABC” terms: Acquisition Behavior Conversion

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Content Grouping helps you understand behavior A way to create content-specific

segments Blogs Content types (“History”)

You define these. Multiple ways to specify content groups

Tracking code modifications URL, page title, or description Other rules

Groupings of Groups - ! Blog content categories

References http://cutroni.com/blog/2014/01/09/set-google-a

nalytics-content-grouping/ http

://cutroni.com/blog/2014/01/24/use-google-analytics-content-groups/

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Discuss How would you use user segments –

as opposed to traditional visit segments?

How would creating “Date of First Visit” cohorts extend that usefulness?

What custom channels would you add?

What about Content Groups – how could you use them?

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MVP #2: ‘Event’ Tracking Events are super-important, yet under-utilized because

they involve adding code! “Events” are a feature of HTML

Bits of code that triggers javascript to make something happen A prompt, or alert Sending info to Google Analytics (e.g., a link was clicked)

To use “Event Tracking” in GA, you have to: Define and categorize your events Configure and add the code, usually right in the link (but not always) The code is pretty simple, really

Many social-share widgets automatically add Events.

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Common uses for Events Basic (super easy)

External links Internal banners Sign-ups, log-ins, form submissions Downloads

Middle (a little more complex) Gadgets Videos Social sharing button interaction

Advanced (but awesome!) Search engine rank tracking Form completion progress/ drop out Scroll reach (great for blogs)

Source: Lewis (2013)

Source: Bowhouse

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Defining Events is a simple exercise Category

The broad category of the event you are tracking Ex. – External links, Social, Downloads, Videos

Action More specifically what you are tracking Ex. – Click, PDF, Play Video, Submit Form, etc.

Label (optional, but helpful) More specific sub-categories of actions, titles, etc. Ex. – Overview PDF, Gone With the Wind

Value (optional, also good-to-do and easy) A predetermined numerical value for a tracked object An assigned “dollar value” ascribed to an Event An assigned value when a user plays a video to a certain point, etc.

Interaction (optional) True/False category that determines if the action will prevent the visit from being a ‘bounce visit.’

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Event code is easy to parse (really!) Tracking clicks on a link to download a white paper

The full code of the link:

<a href=”/downloads/whitepapers/seo-is-great.pdf” onClick=”_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'whitepaper', 'download', 'SEO Whitepaper', 5, true]);” target=”_blank”>SEO Whitepaper</a>

Other code examples _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', External links', ‘Click', ‘Partner website']); _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Downloads', 'PDF', 'Overview PDF']); _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Videos', 'Play', 'Gone With the Wind']);

Source: Lewis (2013)

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There’s a bit of a conundrum however… Two significant changes affecting Events

Google Tag Manager (GTM) Universal Analytics

The Good Events can be tracked via GTM w/o extra code! Universal Analytics is the future; offers new capabilities and power.

The “Bad” GTM means revamping all your code, and embracing a new way of

doing things. Universal Analytics Events code is also different.

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There’s tons of info on the web Google Event Tracking Guide (Google) Google Analytics Event Tracking Explained for Non-Coders

(Miceli, SEER Interactive)

The Complete Google Analytics Event Tracking Guide Plus 10 Amazing Examples (Lewis, koozl)

A New Method to Track Keyword Ranking using Google Analytics (Cutroni, Google)

Tracking Internal Campaigns with Google Analytics (Cutroni, Google)

14 Google Analytics Product Announcements from the 2013 #GASummit (Sauer, Jeffalytics)

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Google Analytics Automation

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Supermetrics Data Grabber Extracts data from the

Google Analytics API. Easy-to-use and customize. Exceptional charting

capabilities. 14 days free. $348 per year. Limited documentation and

support. Excel for Windows

2003/2007/2010/2011. Excel 2011 for Mac (super

slow though)

http://supermetrics.com

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Supermetrics Custom Dashboard The two spreadsheets work

together. ‘Engagement’ oriented metrics

Visit Frequency Visit Length Visit Depth New vs. Returning Visits Bounce Rate Conversion Rate Search Engines

A foundation to make data actionable “Key Trends and Insights” “Impact on Site/Museum” “Steps Being Taken”

The easily updated, trended data is what makes the dashboard powerful.

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Dashboard Case Studies

All Visits data tells a nice story...

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Minimal loyalty group (purple) downward trend indicates improving content engagement

High loyalty group (blue) upward trend indicates same

Impact of this Data on the Site or Program• This good-looking chart may indicate high content engagement and/or perceived value • This data may correlate to increasing conversion behaviors

Acting on this Data• Identify moderate and high loyalty pages as a means of duplicating, or improving others • Examining conversion behaviors of these segments may yield add'l insights • Correlating high bounce rate pages to one-time visits may yield add'l insights• Test different content types in an attempt to move 'minimal' visitors into 'moderate' group

Key Trends and Insights

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This Impact of this Data on the Site or Program• Organic search listings are driving poorly-targeted traffic• Will result in decreased organic search performance over time

Acting on this Data• Refocus title tags, meta-description tags and page content for important pages• Perform link analysis to see where other SEO improvements can be made

Minimal frequency group upward trend indicates organic listings are not appropriately targeted

Moderate frequency group downward trend indicates same

High frequency group trending slightly downward, in contrast to previous chart’s upward slope

Key Trends and Insights

…But applying segmentation tells a different story

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SI Archives “Definitive Source of SI History” Strategy: increase

engagement with SI history website content.

Tactic: make website history content more measureable.

Measurement: “High Visit Depth”

Percentage of HISTORY visits was 94% higher than ALL visits 1.21% average for ALL visits 2.35% average for HISTORY

visits

History-related visits

All visits

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Archives of American Art Wikipedia Case Study

AAA wanted to make their content more accessible to younger students.

They worked with Wikipedia to expand their offerings.

We compared segments of Wikipedia visitors to other visitors.

Wiki-referred visitors were increasingly less likely to (need to) visit the AAA site many times.

This contrasts with the stable trend of all visits.

All visits, high frequency

Wikipedia visits, high frequency

Is the trend statistically significant?

• Control Limits Definition• Avinash’s blog post• ‘Instant Cognition

’ (Clint Ivy) blog post

Four of thirteen datapoints are outside of the upper and lower control limit ranges, 30% of the data. Is that enough to say yes, that’s a statistically significant trend? The answer is subjective, but arguably so.

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Archives of American Art Wikipedia Case Study

Followup datapoint to the first Wikipedia-referred visitors were

less likely to ask Smithsonian staff for help via “contact us”

Reduced burden on Smithsonian staff

The same datapoint for two other segments is shown Returning visitors Visitors from search engines

Returning visitors

Wikipedia visitors

Visitors from search engines

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New, Game-Changing Features

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Demographics and Interests reports Demographics

Age (traffic by age ranges) Gender (traffic by gender)

Interests – behavior by Affinity Categories In-Market Categories Other Categories

No PII is tracked! You have to add a line of code to your pages You have to modify your privacy policy

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2799357

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Affinity CategoriesTV Lovers Green Living Enthusiasts

Movie LoversNews Junkies & Avid Readers/Business & Economic News Junkies

Technophiles Movie Lovers/Comedy Movie FansNews Junkies & Avid Readers Beauty MavensMusic Lovers/Rock Music Fans TV Lovers/TV Comedy FansMusic Lovers Do-It-YourselfersMusic Lovers/Indie & Alternative Rock Fans Movie Lovers/Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movie FansSports Fans Travel Buffs/Beachbound TravelersMusic Lovers/Electronica & Dance Music Fans Pet Lovers/Dog LoversShutterbugs Music Lovers/Folk & Traditional Music EnthusiastsMusic Lovers/Rap & Hip Hop Fans Music Lovers/Spanish-Language Music FansCooking Enthusiasts Sports Fans/Winter Sports EnthusiastsMusic Lovers/Pop Music Fans Thrill SeekersTravel Buffs Sports Fans/Basketball FansNews Junkies & Avid Readers/Entertainment & Celebrity News Junkies Auto Enthusiasts/Performance & Luxury Vehicle EnthusiastsGamers Sports Fans/American Football FansShoppers/Shopaholics TV Lovers/Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV FansPolitical Junkies Music Lovers/Country Music FansHome Decor Enthusiasts Movie Lovers/Romance & Drama Movie FansGamers/Hardcore Gamers Sports Fans/Cycling EnthusiastsCooking Enthusiasts/Aspiring Chefs Movie Lovers/Horror Movie FansMusic Lovers/Metalheads Shoppers/Bargain HuntersSports Fans/Soccer Fans Travel Buffs/Luxury TravelersPet Lovers Pet Lovers/Cat LoversMusic Lovers/Jazz Enthusiasts Movie Lovers/Family Movie FansArt & Theater Aficionados Music Lovers/Blues FansAuto Enthusiasts Sports Fans/Baseball FansNightlife Enthusiasts Shoppers/Value ShoppersSavvy Parents Sports Fans/Hockey FansHealth & Fitness Buffs Travel Buffs/Snowbound TravelersTV Lovers/TV Drama Fans Sports Fans/Golf EnthusiastsOutdoor Enthusiasts News Junkies & Avid Readers/Local News JunkiesMusic Lovers/Classical Music Enthusiasts Auto Enthusiasts/Motorcycle EnthusiastsMovie Lovers/Action & Adventure Movie Fans Sports Fans/Boating & Sailing EnthusiastsShoppers/Luxury Shoppers Fast Food CraversGamers/Casual & Social Gamers Sports Fans/Skiing EnthusiastsAvid Investors Travel Buffs/Family VacationersFoodies Cooking Enthusiasts/30 Minute ChefsTV Lovers/Game, Reality & Talk Show Fans Sports Fans/Running EnthusiastsFashionistas TV Lovers/Family Television Fans

Sports Fans/Water Sports Enthusiasts

A partial list, to give you an idea. There are TONS of these categories!

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In-Market Segments…Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles Consumer Electronics/TelevisionsAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles (New) Financial Services/Investment ServicesAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles (Used) Home & Garden/Home AppliancesAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Brand/Ford Home & Garden/Home Appliances/Small AppliancesAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Brand/Toyota Home & Garden/Home DecorAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Type/Motorcycles Home & Garden/Home Decor/Lights & FixturesAutos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Type/Motorcycles/Motorcycles (Used) Home & Garden/Home FurnishingsAutos & Vehicles/Vehicles (Other)/Bicycles & Accessories Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/BedroomAutos & Vehicles/Vehicles (Other)/Campers & RVs Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Garden & OutdoorComputers & Peripherals/Computer Accessories & Components Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Home OfficeComputers & Peripherals/Computer Accessories & Components/Memory & Storage Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Living RoomComputers & Peripherals/Computers/Desktop Computers Home & Garden/Home ImprovementComputers & Peripherals/Computers/Laptops & Notebooks Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Flooring & DecksComputers & Peripherals/Computers/Tablets & Ultraportable Devices Home & Garden/Home Improvement/PaintComputers & Peripherals/Printers, Scanners & Faxes Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Plumbing FixturesConsumer Electronics/Audio Home & Garden/Home Improvement/ToolsConsumer Electronics/Audio/Car Audio Real Estate/Residential PropertiesConsumer Electronics/Audio/Pro Musician & DJ Equipment Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Rent)Consumer Electronics/Audio/Speakers Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Rent)/Apartments (For Rent)Consumer Electronics/Audio/Stereo Systems Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Rent)/Houses (For Rent)Consumer Electronics/Camcorders Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Sale)

Consumer Electronics/CamerasReal Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Sale)/Apartments (For Sale)/Preowned Apartments (For Sale)

Consumer Electronics/Cameras/Camera Lenses Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Sale)/Houses (For Sale)/New Houses (For Sale)Consumer Electronics/Cameras/Digital SLRs Real Estate/Residential Properties/Residential Properties (For Sale)/Houses (For Sale)/Preowned Houses (For Sale)Consumer Electronics/Cameras/Point & Shoots Software/Antivirus & Security SoftwareConsumer Electronics/DVD & Blu-Ray Players Software/Audio & Music SoftwareConsumer Electronics/Game Consoles Software/Business & Productivity SoftwareConsumer Electronics/Game Consoles/Sony PlayStation Software/Design Software/Drawing & Animation SoftwareConsumer Electronics/Home Theater Systems Software/Design Software/Photo SoftwareConsumer Electronics/Mobile Phones Software/Video Software

Telecom/Internet Service Providers

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Other Categories…Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Reality ShowsArts & Entertainment/Celebrities & Entertainment News Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Sci-Fi & Fantasy ShowsArts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Anime & Manga Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & DesignArts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Cartoons Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/ArchitectureArts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Comics Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Design/Graphic DesignArts & Entertainment/Entertainment Industry/Film & TV Industry/Film & TV Awards Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/PaintingArts & Entertainment/Events & Listings/Concerts & Music Festivals Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Photographic & Digital ArtsArts & Entertainment/Humor Autos & VehiclesArts & Entertainment/Humor/Live Comedy Autos & Vehicles/Bicycles & AccessoriesArts & Entertainment/Movies Autos & Vehicles/Vehicle BrandsArts & Entertainment/Movies/Bollywood & South Asian Film Autos & Vehicles/Vehicle Brands/Toyota/ScionArts & Entertainment/Movies/Comedy Films Beauty & Fitness/Body ArtArts & Entertainment/Movies/Horror Films Beauty & Fitness/Face & Body Care/Make-Up & CosmeticsArts & Entertainment/Movies/Science Fiction & Fantasy Films Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & StyleArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & Style/Fashion Designers & CollectionsArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Classical Music Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & Style/Fashion ModelingArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Country Music Beauty & Fitness/Fitness/BodybuildingArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Experimental & Industrial Music Beauty & Fitness/Hair CareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Folk & Traditional Music Books & LiteratureArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Jazz & Blues/Blues Books & Literature/E-BooksArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Jazz & Blues/Jazz Books & Literature/Literary ClassicsArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology Books & Literature/MagazinesArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/DJ Resources & Equipment Books & Literature/PoetryArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Music Recording Technology Books & Literature/Writers ResourcesArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments Business & IndustrialArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments/Guitars Business & Industrial/Advertising & MarketingArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments/Pianos & Keyboards Computers & Electronics/Computer Security/Antivirus & MalwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Samples & Sound Libraries Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Audio Equipment/HeadphonesArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Reference/Music Composition & Theory Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Audio Equipment/Stereo Systems & ComponentsArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Reference/Song Lyrics & Tabs Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Camera & Photo Equipment/Cameras & Camcorders/Camera LensesArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Streams & Downloads Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Camera & Photo Equipment/Cameras & Camcorders/CamerasArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Pop Music Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Game Systems & Consoles/Sony PlayStationArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Radio Computers & Electronics/ProgrammingArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music Computers & Electronics/Programming/Scripting LanguagesArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Classic Rock & Oldies Computers & Electronics/SoftwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Hard Rock & Progressive Computers & Electronics/Software/Business & Productivity SoftwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Indie & Alternative Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Business & Productivity Software/Spreadsheet SoftwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Metal (Music) Computers & Electronics/Software/Freeware & SharewareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Punk (Music) Computers & Electronics/Software/Internet Software/Internet Clients & BrowsersArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Urban & Hip-Hop/Rap & Hip-Hop Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Audio & Music SoftwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Urban & Hip-Hop/Soul & R&B Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Audio & Music Software/Audio Files Formats & CodecsArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/East Asian Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Desktop Publishing/FontsArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/Latin American Music/Brazilian Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Graphics & Animation SoftwareArts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/Reggae & Caribbean Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Linux & UnixArts & Entertainment/Offbeat Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Mac OSArts & Entertainment/TV & Video Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Windows OSArts & Entertainment/TV & Video/Online Video Computers & Electronics/Software/Software UtilitiesArts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs Finance/Accounting & Auditing/Tax Preparation & PlanningArts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Comedies Finance/BankingArts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Dramas Finance/Investing

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Privacy considerations Google refers to this as “changing your Analytics tracking code to

support Display Advertising.” You are required to disclose the following in your privacy policy:

The Google Analytics features you've implemented based on Display Advertising (e.g., Remarketing, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, the DoubleClick Campaign Manager integration, or Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting).

Using the Ads Settings, visitors can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize Google Display Network ads.

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2700409

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Technical considerations You can only apply over a 90-day period. This data is based in integration with Google’s DoubleClick

ad-serving network, so… Take these with a grain of salt – you may not be who

DoubleClick thinks you are. These reports are based on a subset of your data since

Google cannot always determine user characteristics. Not yet available in the API. Not yet available in Universal Analytics.

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Example from cyclicdefrost.com Cyclic Defrost is an online magazine that covers independent electronic

music, avant-rock, experimental sound art, leftfield hip hop and everything in between.

The largest visitor segment is 25-34 year-olds.

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Example from cyclicdefrost.com (cont’d) Older visitors (though small in number) engage the content at a higher

rate. This segment skews more highly male than the 25-34 year-olds.

83-16 vs. 77-23

Shows how men and women use the site differently

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Awesome motion chart

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Universal AnalyticsT H E F U T U R E

Source: Dvice.com

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Universal Analytics means user-centric data Moving away from device-specific measurement (a.k.a. cookies). Track users on other network-connected devices

Kiosks Game consoles Point-of-sale systems Catalog sales (?)

More control over settings and adjustments User ID feature allows you to anonymously track all interactions related to a

logged-in person, across all data sources. (This feature is still in closed beta.) Session time-out setting

More control over dimensions and metrics Custom Dimensions and Metrics “Dimension Widening” (importing dimensions from other data sources)

Better cross-domain tracking and back-end improvements

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Universal Analytics means all new code Ultimately we will all migrate to the new

code, but… You might not want to do it now. Still in phase one of a public beta. You can use both tags at the same time. Your data will be “starting over” Does not currently support:

Demographics and Interests Remarketing Google Display Network Impression

Reporting DoubleClick Campaign Manager integration

Source: Vampyre Fangs

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A word about the technology Universal Analytics works via the Measurement Protocol. Still works by collecting hits, but... You manually determine the way hits are collected / users identified. Then add the GA code into your device to send hits back to Google Analytics. References

http://cutroni.com/blog/2012/11/06/nurturing-your-customers-business-with-universal-analytics/

http://www.jeffalytics.com/introducing-universal-analytics-google-analytics/ https://blog.kissmetrics.com/universal-analytics/

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Add data into Google Analytics! Custom Dimensions and Metrics: Import data from other datasets and create

your own Dimensions and Metrics Office coffee drinkers Types of coffee they like Number of cups per day they consume

Dimension Widening: Join them with the existing data in Google Analytics. Content data (Author, Topic) Product or customer data Advertising data

Cost Data Import: Import the amount of $$ spent on non-Google ads Help calculate the ROI on non-Google ads

Manually upload CSV files or automatically send data via the GA API Resources

http://cutroni.com/blog/2013/10/30/dimension-widening-import-data-directly-into-google-analytics/

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/platform/customdimsmets http://www.lunametrics.com/blog/2013/09/10/access-custom-dimensions-google-analytics/#sr=g

&m=o&cp=or&ct=-tmc&st=(opu%20qspwjefe)&ts=1387574151

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Discuss

Has anyone upgraded to Universal Analytics yet?

How would you use GA in your non-website / mobile settings (i.e., in a kiosk or point-of-sale unit)? Other device(s)?

What new dimensions or metrics would you add, from other data sources?

GA Best Practices / Tips and Tricks

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A Word About Scope No, not the mouthwash! Google defines dimensions and metrics in terms of their scope.

User Session Hit

You can only widen between dimensions and metrics of same scope.

Source: Kaushik

Source: Cutroni

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A more detailed version of the diagram

Source: CutroniSource: Kaushik

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Dimensions and Metrics should be matched Mismatching of

hit- and session-level metrics and dimensions is becoming more commonplace.

Source: Google Analytics Academy

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You can do a mismatch, but… “It would not

be logical to combine a session-level metric like Count of Visits with a hit-level metric like Page Title.”

Source: Google Analytics Academy

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Sometimes you can’t do it even if you try. “It is not

possible to combine a hit-level metric like Time on Page with a session-level metric, like Traffic Source or Geographic Location.”

Source: Google Analytics Academy

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Unfiltered backup profile Create a profile that has no filtering of any kind Leave this profile alone – it serves as a backup Protection against unintended consequence Possible names

Website/view name (backup) Website/view name (unfiltered data)

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Filter-out internal-traffic If you want to exclude visitors surfing from within your network Account >> Admin >> View (Profile) >> Filters >> +New Filter >> External Traffic Only

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Measure only traffic taking place on your site Scraping and re-publishing website content is a common practice. Those sites exist to serve Google Adsense ads and make money. Unfortunately they also

scrape your GA “UA” account number.

Their traffic goes into GA as your traffic!

Include all your domains. Filter pattern

domain\.com domain1\.com|domain2\.com

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Use annotations Super easy – a great way to know at-a-glance what

happened on your site, launches, promos, etc. You think you’re gonna remember – you’re not!

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Resources Google Analytics Blog

http://analytics.blogspot.com/

Avinash Kaushik’s “Occam’s Razor” http://kaushik.net/avinash

Analytics Talk (Justin Cutroni) http://cutroni.com/blog/

Supermetrics Data Grabber http://supermetrics.com/

Automate Analytics Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/automateanalytics/topics

Lunametrics blog http://www.lunametrics.com/blog

Kissmetrics http://blog.kissmetrics.com/

Annielytics http://www.annielytics.com/

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Thanks!(whew!)