Google Analytics new version

I have a Google Analytics account but I can’t say I’m a big fan. The main reason is that it’s too hard to use. Fortunately this seems to change as they have announced a new version.

The main difference (I quote from their blog post) is this:

We’ve redesigned the reporting interface for greater customization and collaboration. This should make it easier for businesses and website owners to find and share the data you need to make informed decisions. The new version presents data more clearly and in context, so you can look at a single report to gain insights rather than having to pull up several reports to understand what action to take.

There are also some improvements (again I quote):

• Email and export reports: Schedule or send ad-hoc personalized report emails and export reports in PDF format.
• Custom Dashboard: No more digging through reports. Put all the information you need on a custom dashboard that you can email to others.
• Trend and Over-time Graph: Compare time periods and select date ranges without losing sight of long term trends.
• Contextual help tips: Context sensitive Help and Conversion University tips are available from every report.

I’ll have to see whether it will be that much better that I’ll start to use it. However it seems they have responded to the feedback provided by lots of people. Google analytics was just too annoying to use and this new version may change that.