OX2 Web Analytics blog

As I was saying in my Google Analytics V2 launch post, the bar has been kicked several steps higher for more modest vendors, what with email and scheduling now being built into GA.

For datawarehouse-enabled vendors, the time has come to differentiate from other tools, not by adding a 3D exploration layer, but by adding functionalities and value to the presentation and exploitation of data reports.

Now don’t get me started on data visualization so I’ll just say this: when you need to present data, all that management cares about is whether the info is relevant and mostly, does it all fit on a PowerPoint slide?

Back to Google Analytics. It’s still free.

Version 2 also means it’s only version 2 for the reporting interface.

There is no additional tagging or re-tagging effort required. So implementation and existing data are unchanged.

One of my favorite points about GA V2 is sticky reports : you do not lose your context, meaning that if you change profiles, the same report set and time frame will remain. No need to re-build your reports every time.

Direct comparison with previous timeframes is a great feature: visual A/B testing on trendlines, visually impressive! Oh, and very useful. Did I mention relevance and usefulness of reports?

You can add any report to your dashboard and move elements around your dashboard à la NetVibes/Google IG. Very nifty.

Of course, you can still take one report and cross-segment it with another. Segmentation dropdowns are ubiquitous!

Scheduled emails are great: just define your report, hit the email button and bam, select recurrence (now, every n days,…), format (PDF, CSV, XML…), recipients, and you’re set! not really because now you’ll get more email with data to analyze and report, but hey, we love our jobs as analysts, right?

The new site overlay not only looks awesome with new info boxes that now clearly show you each link’s contributions to your goals!

GA accounts will be V2-enabled in waves so be patient, yours will be upgraded soon.

Keep in mind that it’s beta software. Then again, Gmail was beta for 2 years before they removed the “beta” label
So instead of complaining that feature X, Y, or Z does not work or does not measure up to the equivalent for Omniture, Webtrends or HBX, make sure you report any bugs by logging a ticket. The best quality assurance is YOU

And this concludes my review of Google Analytics V2. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a very intuitive, useful and timely upgrade.

Still the best WA bang for your WA buck. Oh wait, it’s free, i keep forgetting

For more information, read Avinash Kaushik’s post on Google Analytics V2 where he describes the 5 main improvements of GA V2:

• Direct access and interaction with report data
• Enhanced data discoverability (look, no 3D and it’s still relevant!)
• Contextual, sticky reports : no need to re-run the same params once you change profiles
• Heralding signs of full-fledged segmentation (i.e. no longer limited to just one variable)
• Output functionalities : email and scheduling options, new and improved site overlay

As always, constructive comments and criticism are welcome!