5 hidden features of Google Analytics

Google has made no secret about its plans to disrupt large enterprise software vendors. Google Docs has taken chunks out of Microsoft Office's market share, and now Google Analytics is making significant progress in becoming a viable alternative to larger analytics apps from vendors such as Omniture.

As part of that progress, Google's Analytics team has been unrolling robust features at a rapid pace, making it easy for these capabilities to go unnoticed. Below are five features that may not be front and center, but can help any media website owner better monitor and act on traffic.

1. Keep track of your writers

Google Analytics enables publishers to easily segment traffic based on location, operating system and dozens of other factors.

Using a URL string, publishers can also monitor the metrics of specific sections and writers and see details such as time on site, bounce rate, page views and more.

When combined with Google Intelligence (see below), editors are easily able to keep track of their content and staff without ever having to login to Google Analytics.

[Watch the video tutorial.] 

2. Receive email alerts

Let's face it: It's counterproductive to constantly log in to monitor your Web statistics. For large companies, it can also a security hazard to give every employee a login.

Solve both problems with Google's Intelligence Reports, a new feature that monitors traffic and sends an email when a metric is experiencing an unusual day based on past traffic.

With Intelligence Reports you can also set goals and thresholds manually, and have Google email you when they are (or aren't) met.

[Watch the video tutorial.]

3. See your stats in real-time

Many first-time users of Google Analytics criticize its lag in reporting traffic. However, with a few clicks you can view the traffic up to the latest hour.

[Watch the video tutorial.]
 

4. Create motion charts

For many staffers, especially the Liberal Arts majors, knowledge of spreadsheets and line charts may not be a strength. Spruce up your traffic report with Google Analytics' motion charts feature.

Motion charts can help you easily identify trends, or just make your afternoon Web meeting much more enjoyable.

[Watch the video tutorial.]

5. Block internal traffic

Let's assume that most of your editorial team has your homepage automatically load when they open their browser. They also probably routinely check content they have created throughout the day.  Unless you set up the appropriate filters, this traffic can water down your "real" users.

[Watch the video tutorial.]