Post by PickyChicky on Jun 6, 2014 13:18:13 GMT -6
When writing the last post about the Google Tag Manager (GTM), I came across Justin Cutroni's Google+ post about Universal Analytics now being out of beta. Justin is the Analytics Advocate at Google, so I strongly recommend you follow his Google+ page where he posts a ton of valuable Google info -- he's already got nearly 20K followers. The cool thing is that the GTM now also fully supports all of the features of UA, meaning you can use the two in conjunction with each other to improve your marketing and SEO strategies.
As stated at the top of Google's Upgrade to Universal Analytics page, "The Universal Analytics Upgrade is a two step process you can follow to turn all of your Classic Google Analytics properties into Universal Analytics properties and implement a Universal Analytics tracking code." Just be sure to follow Google's instructions for making the transition very carefully since it's recommended that you update your tracking (UA) Codes. The transfer takes minutes to initiate, but you should allow 24 - 48 hours for it to complete.
Also, do make note of Google's caution to "not update your tracking code (Step 2) until your property has finished transferring to Universal Analytics (Step 1)." Otherwise, you may experience a gap in reported data. Updating all of your UA codes will "ensure the highest data quality in your account and [provide] all the benefits of the Universal Analytics Upgrade." It's unclear if the historical data from Google Analytics will transfer over (Google doesn't say anywhere that I've seen), but I'm sure it will.
Considering how Google Analytics became somewhat useless with the loss of valuable keyword data, I'm interested in seeing how Universal Analytics will measure up. One of the biggest benefits is that "Universal Analytics introduces a set of features that change the way data is collected and organized in your Google Analytics account, so you can get a better understanding of how users interact with your online content." This should help those who currently have difficulty deciphering the data and how to use it.
Another added benefit is that you "get a new and more flexible tracking code that lets you collect data from any digital device," including mobile devices. Oh, an FYI from Justin's Google+ page, the new terminology is: (1) Visitors are being renamed Users and (2) Visits are being renamed Sessions.
A few other benefits highlighted from Google's About Universal Analytics page include:
Universal Analytics gives you more configuration options that you can control from your account Admin page:
You can also "create custom dimensions & custom metrics to collect data that's unique to your business. Custom dimensions and custom metrics are like default dimensions and metrics, except you create them yourself. Use them to collect data that Google Analytics doesn’t automatically track."
Google is even testing a new feature, which they discuss in their Improving Your Data Quality: Google Analytics Diagnostics blog article. The Google Analytics Diagnostics feature is currently in beta and will be released to all users once they've completed their testing and improvements based on beta user feedback.
Analytics Diagnostics are aimed at finding data-quality issues, making you aware of them, and helping you fix them (refer to the blog article to see what it will look like to users). It will frequently scan for problems, inspecting your site tagging, account configuration, and reporting data for potential data-quality issues, looking for things like:
So, if you rely on your Google Analytics (GA) data to develop an effective marketing strategy, then you should upgrade to Universal Analytics as soon as possible so you can get your UA codes updated. That way you can start receiving even more comprehensive data than before, including data from mobile users, so you can see the bigger picture when developing and implementing your marketing strategy.
Even if you don't currently use GA, you really should consider making use of Universal Analytics because it will provide the important data you need to ensure you have a solid marketing strategy. Not convinced? Then check out Anna Lewis's Google Analytics Content Reports: Understanding the Key Benefits blog article for more information about the benefits of using Analytics, as well as information that may help you better understanding what's being reported.
As stated at the top of Google's Upgrade to Universal Analytics page, "The Universal Analytics Upgrade is a two step process you can follow to turn all of your Classic Google Analytics properties into Universal Analytics properties and implement a Universal Analytics tracking code." Just be sure to follow Google's instructions for making the transition very carefully since it's recommended that you update your tracking (UA) Codes. The transfer takes minutes to initiate, but you should allow 24 - 48 hours for it to complete.
Also, do make note of Google's caution to "not update your tracking code (Step 2) until your property has finished transferring to Universal Analytics (Step 1)." Otherwise, you may experience a gap in reported data. Updating all of your UA codes will "ensure the highest data quality in your account and [provide] all the benefits of the Universal Analytics Upgrade." It's unclear if the historical data from Google Analytics will transfer over (Google doesn't say anywhere that I've seen), but I'm sure it will.
Considering how Google Analytics became somewhat useless with the loss of valuable keyword data, I'm interested in seeing how Universal Analytics will measure up. One of the biggest benefits is that "Universal Analytics introduces a set of features that change the way data is collected and organized in your Google Analytics account, so you can get a better understanding of how users interact with your online content." This should help those who currently have difficulty deciphering the data and how to use it.
Another added benefit is that you "get a new and more flexible tracking code that lets you collect data from any digital device," including mobile devices. Oh, an FYI from Justin's Google+ page, the new terminology is: (1) Visitors are being renamed Users and (2) Visits are being renamed Sessions.
A few other benefits highlighted from Google's About Universal Analytics page include:
Universal Analytics gives you more configuration options that you can control from your account Admin page:
- Organic search sources
- Session and campaign timeout handling
- Referral exclusions
- Search term exclusions
You can also "create custom dimensions & custom metrics to collect data that's unique to your business. Custom dimensions and custom metrics are like default dimensions and metrics, except you create them yourself. Use them to collect data that Google Analytics doesn’t automatically track."
Google is even testing a new feature, which they discuss in their Improving Your Data Quality: Google Analytics Diagnostics blog article. The Google Analytics Diagnostics feature is currently in beta and will be released to all users once they've completed their testing and improvements based on beta user feedback.
Analytics Diagnostics are aimed at finding data-quality issues, making you aware of them, and helping you fix them (refer to the blog article to see what it will look like to users). It will frequently scan for problems, inspecting your site tagging, account configuration, and reporting data for potential data-quality issues, looking for things like:
- Missing or malformed Analytics tags
- Filters that conflict
- The presence of (other) entries in reports
So, if you rely on your Google Analytics (GA) data to develop an effective marketing strategy, then you should upgrade to Universal Analytics as soon as possible so you can get your UA codes updated. That way you can start receiving even more comprehensive data than before, including data from mobile users, so you can see the bigger picture when developing and implementing your marketing strategy.
Even if you don't currently use GA, you really should consider making use of Universal Analytics because it will provide the important data you need to ensure you have a solid marketing strategy. Not convinced? Then check out Anna Lewis's Google Analytics Content Reports: Understanding the Key Benefits blog article for more information about the benefits of using Analytics, as well as information that may help you better understanding what's being reported.
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