Google Analytics has recently had a bit of a facelift, and when the dust settled a number of new features had been added. Advanced Segments allows a GA user to segment visitor metrics by a number of specific, definable segments. This means it is now possible to slice user data by those visitors who complete a transcation, spend a specific period of time on the site, or visit the site a specific number of times.
What excites me most about this is how it can be used to refine a business’ KPIs. Often a client comes to us saying “We want to reduce the number of short visits to the site” or “we want to increase repeat visitation to the site”. Sometimes I find myself wondering whether these are desirable goals, do we know that longer visits result in more conversions? Probably not. Using Advanced Segments, we may find out that all of those short visits actually represent users who have been to the site and are returning to very quickly complete a task (sign up, download a brochure etc). Having this knowledge empowers us to set metrics KPIs that are much more focused on an outcome than those based on assumptions.
Now all I have to do is convince more clients to move to Google Analytics, and ditch their overpriced, under performing corporate metrics packages.