Google has updated its analytic platform and this should be a cause for celebration. The updates that have been released on Google Analytics should be a cause for celebration, provided you learn how to harness the power that they provide. Here are four new features that should have a positive impact on how websites are run.
1. Multi-channel Funnel Reports
One of the most bizarre issues in online marketing has been attribution. This is the question of which channel gets credit for a conversion success where there is a possibility of the client having used any of a number of existent channels. The new multi-channel reports will provide a thirty day view of any and all interactions that the client has had with the site. This means that every channel that is involved in the conversion process gets credited.
The benefit of this is that different departments running simultaneous marketing campaigns targeted at the same conversion portal get their credit. Business owners will now have a more accurate view of ROI on marketing campaigns.
2. Auto-event Tracking
Tracking events occurring on a page has always been a challenge, as it required the webmaster to create custom lines of code to monitor each event. However, GA now uses event auto-tracking for Google Tag Manager. This means that the process of listening for events occurring on pages is now fully automated.
The benefit is that users can monitor occurrences of specific events much easier and there is no need to affect any of the other metrics being monitored. For example, you can track the number of people who downloaded a white paper from a page. This is useful for deploying measurement campaigns on websites.
3. Personalized Dashboards
GA is now capable of handling the creation of a multiplicity of customized dashboards. The user is able to create up to twenty customized dashboards and personalize these with a selection of the widgets that he considers to be relevant to his/her needs. These boards are completely customizable as it is possible to customize the widget selection and the format.
This is a useful tool for websites that are run by a number of different departments. Each department is able to customize the dashboard to provide them with the metrics that they consider to be most relevant to their needs. However, for this to work they need to be on the same login.
4. Simplified Navigation through Search Tools
GA has made navigation a much easier to accomplish task with activation of a number of search tools. Menu search will assist people in finding the exact report they seek out of the multitude available. Account search tools increase usability of GA for users with multiple profiles.
These usability updates make it easier for a user to harness the immense power that GA provides. Navigation between different profiles while maintaining report settings is now possible. These usability changes will also make it easier for new users to master the use of GA. However, it is always better to hire a professional SEO Consultant to do it for your business.