New version of Google Analytics Reporting Interface - What’s new?

What’s new in the new Google Analytics?

Google has sent all existing Analytics clients an email about the release of the new version of the Google Analytics reporting interface. The email covers notes on the upgrade and helpful links to get a grip on the new interface. Here is the basic rundown.

Google will automatically upgrade our accounts to the new reporting interface and there is no action required on our part. (Phew, thanks Google) In fact, many accounts have already been upgraded and you should check yours to see the changes.

I must say that the new look appeals to my eye and I like it a lot. It does take a while to find your way around but I think you will like the overall feel to it. If you cannot find your way around it, then you will still be able to access your old reporting interface for at least a month by clicking “Previous Interface” below the “View Reports” link for any profile in your account.

Google made sure that your data and configuration settings remain regardless of your choice of interface which means your data continues to be tracked in the same way as it was prior to this redesign.

I love Google’s standpoint on the redesign: “Your reports have been redesigned for clarity, greater visibility of important metrics, and ease of use.” - It simply says that we (Google) are proud about it, and therefore you will like it. I’m not sure you might agree, but I do.

Anyway, let’s look at what’s new in the new version?

Here are just a few of the features you’ll notice:

- Email and export reports: Schedule or send ad-hoc personalized report emails and export reports in PDF format.
- Custom Dashboard: No more digging through reports. Put all the information you need on a custom dashboard that you can email to others.
- Trend and Over-time Graph: Compare time periods and select date ranges without losing sight of long term trends.
- Contextual help tips: Context sensitive Help and Conversion University tips are available from every report.

The new interface includes everything the previous interface had and more. In addition, links within reports make it easier to navigate related information and explore your data.

If you’re having trouble finding your way, here are some helpful resources and notes for a smooth transition:

- Report Finder Tool: will help you see where data from the previous interface is located within the new version (it is also linked to from within your reports on the left navigation menu): http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/static.py?page=v1v2map.cs

- Product tour: http://services.google.com/analytics/tour/index_en-US.html

- FAQs for more details about the new version: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/static.py?page=FAQ.cs

- Help Center: includes articles related to the new version: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/

- Support: if you encounter any issues with the new version that you can’t resolve with the help center, you can contact our support team through the Contact Us link at the bottom of the help center web page, or receive higher-touch support through a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant. Find one here: http://www.google.com/analytics/support_partner_provided.html

- Analytics Help Forum: If you would like to discuss the new version or get tips from experienced users, please visit the Analytics Help Forum in English within Google Groups at: http://groups.google.com/group/analytics-help

A few notes about the new version:

- The new version works best with Flash 7 or higher. Most browsers have this installed already, if yours does not, please download it at Adobe.com <http://www.adobe.com/>.

- Google Analytics now uses the same geo-data source as AdWords, therefore, map and geo-location report results may vary slightly between the previous interface and the new interface. For those of you with filters designed for geo-data, you may want to verify the results and edit if necessary.

- Limiting the Available Reports for a profile by specifying which Report Dashboards and Report Categories are available has been removed from the product in favor of the new customizable Google Analytics dashboard. If you would like to limit the availability of data within a certain profile for certain users, we recommend removing those users from the profile and instead scheduling an email to deliver data to them.

That’s it.

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