This is the sixth and final post in a FAQ series focused on the basics of Google Analytics. In my previous FAQ post, I discussed the Conversions section of Google Analytics. Today I’m going to briefly touch on a couple of additional features of Google Analytics.

Q: How do I use Google Analytics? – Additional Features

A: Custom Reports & Intelligence

Custom Reports

One of the biggest advantages of Google Analytics is that it allows you to create custom reports. Custom reports let you filter results based on a number of factors (basically anything included in any of the regular reports plus custom filters), and then view any of the metrics included in Analytics (including custom goals). You can also add content drilldowns to further segment your reports. You’ll find the custom reports link in the top navigation.

Intelligence

Intelligence is a relatively new feature of Analytics. There are automatic alerts built into the app, including page views, average time on site, visits, bounce rates and other metrics (some of which are segmented). But you can also create custom alerts for anything you define. Setting up an alert is simple: just set your alert conditions and decide whether you want an email notification if an alert is triggered, and you’re all set. Alerts can be set for all traffic or traffic segments, and you can set alerts for such things as changes in visit numbers, goals or similar metrics.

Intelligence can be a powerful tool for tracking potential problems on your site, or sudden spikes in traffic or conversions. Getting accurate, fast information about changes to your site means better response time and more assurance that sure your visitors and customers are kept happy.

I hope this series on Google Analytics has helped you feel a little more comfortable with the program. Google Analytics is an incredible tool, so I encourage you to use it! Here at Checkerboard Strategic Web Development we set up all of our clients on Google Analytics to monitor website traffic. If you’d like to learn more about our services, call us at (612) 283-4846!