OX2 Web Analytics blog

Wow, that title was quite the mouthful

But it’s all true, folks! Google announced during the Washington edition of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit that Google Analytics gets a whole new set of bells and whistles

Below is a brief coverage of the information Google Analytics Authorized Consultants were given prior to the announcement.

The news was broken by Avinash Kaushik of Google. Thanks Avi!

First of all, there is a new interface, with small cosmetic changes to the menus and report borders. Reporting areas are more clearly defined and easier to read. So no huge differences on the surface but expect a few changes to the administration console. 

Then, there is the ability to build custom reports. if you were able to use a particular data point in filters, you can now use it to drag and drop metrics into a report of your own! This does not mean the old reports you have come to know and love will be meaningless. But at least you will have the possibility to rearrange data as you see fit and, most of all, as it best fits your business objectives!

Next, there will be actual segmentation! You will no longer be limited to 2 degrees of segmentation and a segmentation variable. Starting with this new release, you will be able to define user segments based on multiple criteria and filter your reports through this segmentation system!

Now brace yourself, hell did *not freeze over: the Google Analytics API is finally here! Let me repeat that for emphasis: the Google Analytics API is finally here! 

So get ready to write some code and pull data directly from GA! 

What else am I allowed to tell you? Let’s see…

Oh yes, you’re going to love.. motion charts! If you are not familiar with motion charts, try this spreadsheet. 

Customers can select their own metrics to compare and then view how those metrics interact over time. By animating data, Motion Charts make discovering insights much easier and more obvious than when viewing data in traditional graphs and columns.

Finally, there’s Adsense integration! (and there was much rejoicing)
Webmasters will now be able to better place Adsense content to optimize revenue.

As far as I’m concerned, Christmas just came 2 months early!

More details on the entire new feature set including screen shots and videos demonstrating the new features will be available on the Google Analytics blog at http://analytics.blogspot.com.

And of course, if you want early access, you just need to ask your favorite Google Analytics Authorized Consultant! (first come, first served)

Link: More Enterprise-Class Features Added To Google Analytics