Reporting in Google Analytics

So many of us have tried to simplify the data that is available in Google Analytics to best suit our requirements. The reason is very simple, for someone new to Google Analytics the amount of raw data available is intimidating. Let's be honest, Google is a behemoth when it comes to raw information. So how to make sense of all the information?

Google Analytics has got great many combinations of default reports, along with various options to customize those default reports to give you meaningful insights, insights that really matter to you. Some of the basic useful ways to customize a default Analytics reports are:

1) Secondary Dimension: The key value that provides an additional level of sorting and/or aggregation in your report.

You can add a secondary dimension to any default report.

2) Segments: A segment is a subset of your existing Analytics data. In simpler words, its a breakdown of your main data of Primary Dimension to various default segments or custom segments (which you can create - by segment builder). You can get to know more about segments here . You can add a maximum of 4 segments at any given time. The best part: you can import your custom segments to Analytics.

3) Advance Search: If you are viewing any report in Analytics, and just below the graph at the right hand side you find the Search box followed Advanced, then you can use that option to create some truly amazing reports. You can use this feature to filter any dimension or to even filter any metric of that report.

4) Saved reports: So up to now, using the above methods (secondary dimension, segments, advance search) you have modified the default Analytics report to create new report which is of meaning to you. Great!! But what about the next time when you have to view this same customized report? Well, you can save this customized report from the SAVE option in the action bar. And next time you have to view this same customized/saved report, go to the left panel, click Customization > Saved Reports.

5) Custom Reports and Dashboard:

• A) Custom Report: As the name suggests you can create your own meaningful custom report containing only those dimensions and metrics that are meaningful to you, removing all the other clutter which crowd the default reports. The best part of custom report is, unlike the default/standard report where you can have only 2 dimensions, this new Custom report that you create from scratch can have 5 dimensions. Meaning, multiple additional level of sorting and aggregation available for your newly created report. You can even schedule these custom reports to be emailed to your Boss daily so that you can clock out early from the office.
• B) Dashboards: If the default dashboard is no sufficient enough or useful for you, Google Analytics gives you the functionality to create your own dashboard with only those widgets which are meaningful to you. You can have 12 widgets in a custom dashboard. It can give you a clean minimalistic look to focus on metrics which truly matters for you. Create a custom dashboard from here.

PRO TIP: When using a secondary dimension or custom reports some times your report may turn out to be completely blank. Most probable reason behind this would be that some of the dimension and metric used in that report may not be compatible with each other. To resolve this, you may use the Google Developer Center tool: Dimensions & Metrics Explorer . This tool can help you to identify the best valid combinations of Dimensions and metric which should and should not be used together, do check it for more information.