Google Analytics: MVPs and Game-Changing New Features

Google Analytics
MVPs and Game-Changing New Features
as presented at
Museums and the Web 2014
Baltimore, MD
4/2/14
Brian Alpert
Web 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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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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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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Advanced segment: engaged visits
These visits
 Were
deeper
than three
pages.
 Were
longer than
three
minutes.

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Advanced segment: highly-engaged visits
These 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: Cutroni
SEER 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-
analytics-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.

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 Categories
TV Lovers Green Living Enthusiasts
Movie Lovers
News Junkies & Avid Readers/Business & Economic News
Junkies
Technophiles Movie Lovers/Comedy Movie Fans
News Junkies & Avid Readers Beauty Mavens
Music Lovers/Rock Music Fans TV Lovers/TV Comedy Fans
Music Lovers Do-It-Yourselfers
Music Lovers/Indie & Alternative Rock Fans Movie Lovers/Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movie Fans
Sports Fans Travel Buffs/Beachbound Travelers
Music Lovers/Electronica & Dance Music Fans Pet Lovers/Dog Lovers
Shutterbugs Music Lovers/Folk & Traditional Music Enthusiasts
Music Lovers/Rap & Hip Hop Fans Music Lovers/Spanish-Language Music Fans
Cooking Enthusiasts Sports Fans/Winter Sports Enthusiasts
Music Lovers/Pop Music Fans Thrill Seekers
Travel Buffs Sports Fans/Basketball Fans
News Junkies & Avid Readers/Entertainment & Celebrity News Junkies Auto Enthusiasts/Performance & Luxury Vehicle Enthusiasts
Gamers Sports Fans/American Football Fans
Shoppers/Shopaholics TV Lovers/Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV Fans
Political Junkies Music Lovers/Country Music Fans
Home Decor Enthusiasts Movie Lovers/Romance & Drama Movie Fans
Gamers/Hardcore Gamers Sports Fans/Cycling Enthusiasts
Cooking Enthusiasts/Aspiring Chefs Movie Lovers/Horror Movie Fans
Music Lovers/Metalheads Shoppers/Bargain Hunters
Sports Fans/Soccer Fans Travel Buffs/Luxury Travelers
Pet Lovers Pet Lovers/Cat Lovers
Music Lovers/Jazz Enthusiasts Movie Lovers/Family Movie Fans
Art & Theater Aficionados Music Lovers/Blues Fans
Auto Enthusiasts Sports Fans/Baseball Fans
Nightlife Enthusiasts Shoppers/Value Shoppers
Savvy Parents Sports Fans/Hockey Fans
Health & Fitness Buffs Travel Buffs/Snowbound Travelers
TV Lovers/TV Drama Fans Sports Fans/Golf Enthusiasts
Outdoor Enthusiasts News Junkies & Avid Readers/Local News Junkies
Music Lovers/Classical Music Enthusiasts Auto Enthusiasts/Motorcycle Enthusiasts
Movie Lovers/Action & Adventure Movie Fans Sports Fans/Boating & Sailing Enthusiasts
Shoppers/Luxury Shoppers Fast Food Cravers
Gamers/Casual & Social Gamers Sports Fans/Skiing Enthusiasts
Avid Investors Travel Buffs/Family Vacationers
Foodies Cooking Enthusiasts/30 Minute Chefs
TV Lovers/Game, Reality & Talk Show Fans Sports Fans/Running Enthusiasts
Fashionistas 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/Televisions
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles (New) Financial Services/Investment Services
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles (Used) Home & Garden/Home Appliances
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Brand/Ford Home & Garden/Home Appliances/Small Appliances
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Brand/Toyota Home & Garden/Home Decor
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Type/Motorcycles Home & Garden/Home Decor/Lights & Fixtures
Autos & Vehicles/Motor Vehicles/Motor Vehicles by Type/Motorcycles/Motorcycles
(Used) Home & Garden/Home Furnishings
Autos & Vehicles/Vehicles (Other)/Bicycles & Accessories Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Bedroom
Autos & Vehicles/Vehicles (Other)/Campers & RVs Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Garden & Outdoor
Computers & Peripherals/Computer Accessories & Components Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Home Office
Computers & Peripherals/Computer Accessories & Components/Memory & Storage Home & Garden/Home Furnishings/Living Room
Computers & Peripherals/Computers/Desktop Computers Home & Garden/Home Improvement
Computers & Peripherals/Computers/Laptops & Notebooks Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Flooring & Decks
Computers & Peripherals/Computers/Tablets & Ultraportable Devices Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Paint
Computers & Peripherals/Printers, Scanners & Faxes Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Plumbing Fixtures
Consumer Electronics/Audio Home & Garden/Home Improvement/Tools
Consumer Electronics/Audio/Car Audio Real Estate/Residential Properties
Consumer 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/Cameras
Real 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 Software
Consumer Electronics/DVD & Blu-Ray Players Software/Audio & Music Software
Consumer Electronics/Game Consoles Software/Business & Productivity Software
Consumer Electronics/Game Consoles/Sony PlayStation Software/Design Software/Drawing & Animation Software
Consumer Electronics/Home Theater Systems Software/Design Software/Photo Software
Consumer 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 Shows
Arts & Entertainment/Celebrities & Entertainment News Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows
Arts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Anime & Manga Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design
Arts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Cartoons Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Architecture
Arts & Entertainment/Comics & Animation/Comics Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Design/Graphic Design
Arts & Entertainment/Entertainment Industry/Film & TV Industry/Film & TV Awards Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Painting
Arts & Entertainment/Events & Listings/Concerts & Music Festivals Arts & Entertainment/Visual Art & Design/Photographic & Digital Arts
Arts & Entertainment/Humor Autos & Vehicles
Arts & Entertainment/Humor/Live Comedy Autos & Vehicles/Bicycles & Accessories
Arts & Entertainment/Movies Autos & Vehicles/Vehicle Brands
Arts & Entertainment/Movies/Bollywood & South Asian Film Autos & Vehicles/Vehicle Brands/Toyota/Scion
Arts & Entertainment/Movies/Comedy Films Beauty & Fitness/Body Art
Arts & Entertainment/Movies/Horror Films Beauty & Fitness/Face & Body Care/Make-Up & Cosmetics
Arts & Entertainment/Movies/Science Fiction & Fantasy Films Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & Style
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & Style/Fashion Designers & Collections
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Classical Music Beauty & Fitness/Fashion & Style/Fashion Modeling
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Country Music Beauty & Fitness/Fitness/Bodybuilding
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Experimental & Industrial Music Beauty & Fitness/Hair Care
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Folk & Traditional Music Books & Literature
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Jazz & Blues/Blues Books & Literature/E-Books
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Jazz & Blues/Jazz Books & Literature/Literary Classics
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology Books & Literature/Magazines
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/DJ Resources & Equipment Books & Literature/Poetry
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Music Recording Technology Books & Literature/Writers Resources
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments Business & Industrial
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments/Guitars Business & Industrial/Advertising & Marketing
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Musical Instruments/Pianos & Keyboards Computers & Electronics/Computer Security/Antivirus & Malware
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Equipment & Technology/Samples & Sound Libraries Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Audio Equipment/Headphones
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Reference/Music Composition & Theory Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Audio Equipment/Stereo Systems & Components
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Reference/Song Lyrics & Tabs Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Camera & Photo Equipment/Cameras & Camcorders/Camera Lenses
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Music Streams & Downloads Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Camera & Photo Equipment/Cameras & Camcorders/Cameras
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Pop Music Computers & Electronics/Consumer Electronics/Game Systems & Consoles/Sony PlayStation
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Radio Computers & Electronics/Programming
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music Computers & Electronics/Programming/Scripting Languages
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Classic Rock & Oldies Computers & Electronics/Software
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Hard Rock & Progressive Computers & Electronics/Software/Business & Productivity Software
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Indie & Alternative Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Business & Productivity Software/Spreadsheet Software
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Metal (Music) Computers & Electronics/Software/Freeware & Shareware
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Rock Music/Punk (Music) Computers & Electronics/Software/Internet Software/Internet Clients & Browsers
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Urban & Hip-Hop/Rap & Hip-Hop Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Audio & Music Software
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/Urban & Hip-Hop/Soul & R&B Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Audio & Music Software/Audio Files Formats & Codecs
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/East Asian Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Desktop Publishing/Fonts
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/Latin American Music/Brazilian Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Multimedia Software/Graphics & Animation Software
Arts & Entertainment/Music & Audio/World Music/Reggae & Caribbean Music Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Linux & Unix
Arts & Entertainment/Offbeat Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Mac OS
Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video Computers & Electronics/Software/Operating Systems/Windows OS
Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/Online Video Computers & Electronics/Software/Software Utilities
Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs Finance/Accounting & Auditing/Tax Preparation & Planning
Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/TV Shows & Programs/TV Comedies Finance/Banking
Arts & 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 Analytics
T 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

49
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/

50
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

51
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
52

53
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

54
A more detailed version of the diagram
Source: CutroniSource: Kaushik

55
Dimensions and Metrics should be matched
 Mismatching of
hit- and session-
level metrics and
dimensions is
becoming more
commonplace.
Source: Google Analytics Academy

56
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.”

57
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.”

58
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)

59
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

60
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

61
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!

62
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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