As a website owner, you must have signed up for Google Analytics which helps you understand the performance of your website and what your customers are doing on your website. With changing search parameters, Google has rolled out some major analytics changes that enable you to get a holistic view of the user activity and site performance.
In a recent launch, Google’s Universal Analytics is power packed with some fantastic features which help website or business owners understand how visitors interact to their websites. In fact, Universal Analytics includes a change in the way metrics are collected as compared to Classic Analytics.
On comparing Universal Analytics with the Classic Analytics, you will find that there are several common features. Basic GA features such as the visitor acquisition, behavior, and conversion data are available in both Universal Analytics as well as in Classic Analytics. You will also find that both the versions have event tracking and AdWords account linking.
The features which distinguish Universal Analytics from Classic Analytics –
- Custom Dimensions And Metrics
- Online/Offline Data Sync
- Multi-Platform Tracking
- Simplified Configuration Controls
At the same time, some advanced advertisement tools not included in Universal Analytics include AdSense, Content Experiments, Remarketing and DFA.
Key Highlight of Universal Analytics –
- The newly introduced, analytics.jscode snippet is used to collect data from your website. This biggest advantage of JavaScript is that it is more flexible than its predecessor—Google Analytics ga.js JavaScript.
- The tracking code offered allows you to collect data using any digital device. Taking this further –
- Track websites – analytics.js JavaScript library
- Track Mobile Apps – Google Analytics SDKs (v2.x or higher)
- Track other digital devices such as game consoles & information kiosks – the Measurement Protocol
- Easy to set up and customize tracking code which assists in cross domain tracking in the most accurate manner.
- Through the account Admin page, you can control organic search parameters, referral exclusions and even search time exclusions.
Also, Universal Analytics allows creation of custom metrics in an easy to understand and create manner as compared to the procedure in Classic Analytics which some of the webmasters found cumbersome and difficult to do. This goes a long way in providing key insights to the website and its performance in a much better way.
LogicSpeak:
You will have to decide if you want to remain with legacy methods or adapt to the changing world with newer methods. Taking the right decision in business is very important and you will have to make sure that you always take an informed decision.
