Categories: Technology ServicesWeb Analytics

6 New Features of Google Analytics

Oooh it’s purdy. Google has pulled out the web 2.0-fu and decided to gradient and candy up Google Analytics. However, they’ve done it with style, giving the interface a nice color pallet, (notice those link colors? What else is that color? That’s right) page restructuring and iconography. What’s new? Well, let’s take a look:

1. (almost) No Flash

And about bloody time. With mobile and tablets taking up so much attention in the business world, it’s nice to see Google breaking away from Flash. Graphs are now iframed SVG graphics that look great on my phone.

Go ahead, load up analytics.google.com on your phone or tablet and marvel in how you can see all of the charts.

Then notice that bubble charts are still flash based. Argh.

2. Precision Mode

Google has done away with the yellow “this report is based on x visits” box. Instead, you now have a slider that lets you choose between faster processing and greater precision, letting you select a greater sample size. Sadly, it looks like they may have also lowered the threshold that they report based on.

3. Dashboard Sharing

Quoth David Eckman: “Yaaaay!”

Their system shares the configuration of the dashboard, not the data, so you can create a dashboard under any account, and share it with any other. This is huge for GACP’s since that means we can set up sets of dashboards and move them into client accounts instantly.

4. Updated Visualization Options

Motion charts are back, and a little easier to deal with. They still let you piece together absurd amounts of information (since you can set one metric for the x axis, one for the y axis, and one for bubble size), but they do it a little better now. Sadly they’re still Flash, so no mobile phone usage.

5. Cached Reports

Another “about time” one. Now, when you load a report, navigate away, then return, you do not have to reload the report. Only reload the cached data.

6. Interface Tweaks

There are some obvious ones here, like the use of blue text instead of grey creating great contrast, cleaned up navigation, and more. However, the really great tweaks come in some of the more functional changes, such as a loading bar for reports, or cleaned up graphs.

Despite this being a seemingly superficial update, there are actually a lot of really great additions to GA. Check it out and let us know what you find.

Kent Clark

Some have compared him to the Dalai Lama, others to Kublai Kahn. When he isn't teaching third world children how to purify water with nothing more than a plastic bottle and a garden hose, he is creating mad waves for surfers off the west coast with little more than a paddle. Some say there is a boat involved, others that he walks on water. Little is known about his background. he appeared from nowhere 15 years ago and claims heritage from a land with neither want not need. He makes little comment, stating only that it was a pretty cool place. Fire does not burn him, cold does not hurt him. Words could... but they don't. When he passes, pedals fall off branches. When he speaks, hair tugs at skin, pulling just slightly in his direction. He does not sleep but he does dream. He has muscled his way into the lives of the famous and whispered his way into their hearts. And in the wee hours he plays oboe softly, as if to sooth the night to sleep.