Just one of the countless ways that Google helps marketers in their daily tasks is with Google Analytics. Google’s online analytic software has given marketers a valuable tool in researching reports and results that affect their most important decisions day in and day out. The problem that many marketers have with it however is the confusion of navigating various reports and data in a timely, organized manner. It is something that Google Analytics has never really been exceptional with, which is why they have announced the release of what they are calling Shortcuts. This feature is a new addition to Google Analytics that will make it a bit more user friendly.
In their blog post, Google describes Shortcuts by stating:
We’re pleased to announce the addition of Shortcuts to Google Analytics. Shortcuts help you get to the exact view you want of your data in GA in record time. Rather than having to go through the “find report, add segment, change, sort” process daily, with Shortcuts you can do it once, save it, and come back to it in a single click.
It will ultimately allow marketers to better navigate GA, making the entire experience a bit less annoying and more helpful. The idea is that marketers can now label those reports, be they standard or custom, which are most important to them, creating Shortcuts to them. Certainly the improvement is not a huge one, but it will definitely improve upon the way marketers feel about using Google Analytics. They will save time, and better organize GA use.
The new Shortcuts addition will serve markers by saving a lot of information within a single Shortcut, as Google explains:
The following information is saved as part of a Shortcut:
- Standard or custom report for context
- Currently viewed tab on the report
- Sort order
- Advanced segments
- Graphed metric
Notably not saved is the date range and sample size. This is because they are very dependent on the data you are looking at.
Most will say that they really have not had problems with Google Analytics in the past, and it is probably true. Google is improving upon their software so that it can perform much better for the marketer, tying up any loose seams that they found within GA.
Analytic software is absolutely essential in the marketing world, so it is prudent that it not be too confusing or time consuming. Marketers need to find out what they need to know as quickly as possible, as timing and organization are everything in marketing. Shortcuts will allow for much more precise and timely research, which will ultimately improve upon marketing results.
In their blog post, Google details exactly how shortcuts can be used. They explain the step by step process to creating and using these shortcuts. They also note a few more important facts:
- Shortcuts can be emailed and exported like any other standard report.
- Deleting a Shortcut will remove that report from any scheduled emails, as with deleting a custom report.
- Shortcuts apply at the profile level, like the rest of reports in Google Analytics.
This is a continued step in making your experience with Google Analytics as efficient as possible. We hope you find Shortcuts a useful feature.
