This document discusses how to create effective Google Analytics dashboards and reports. It provides tips on customizing dashboards with widgets, filters, and segments. Dashboards allow you to monitor key metrics over time, see how visitors interact with your site, and identify areas for improvement. The presentation emphasizes using data analysis to gain insights about user behavior and inform strategic decisions. An example dashboard URL is shared to help users get started with customization.

1. @jennyhalasz
HOW TO CREATE AWESOME
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
DASHBOARDS & REPORTS
Presented by:
Jenny Halasz
JLH Marketing

2. @jennyhalasz

3. @jennyhalasz
TODAY’S MOST USEFUL LINK
http://bit.ly/GADashJLH
To use:
1. Login to GA
2. Paste in the browser
3. Select the account to apply it to

4. @jennyhalasz
PROS OF GA DASHBOARDS
Customizable
Applicable to
any GA
Segment
Set up auto-
email
Printable
reports
Impress your
boss
You only set
it up once
FREE

5. @jennyhalasz
CONS OF GA DASHBOARDS
Not user
friendly
Relies on
you to
know
what you
need
Requires
you to set
up
segments
Only holds
12
widgets
per
dashboard
Can’t
filter by
Metric
values
… but it’s free, so what do you expect?

6. @jennyhalasz

7. @jennyhalasz
How Did
People Get to
Your Site?
What Did They
Do While They
Were There?
How and Why
Did They
Leave?
WHERE TO START?

8. @jennyhalasz
How Did People
Get Here?

9. @jennyhalasz
What Did They
Do?

10. @jennyhalasz
Why Did They
Leave?

11. @jennyhalasz
Edit the Title, instead
of “Pages/Session”
Choose a Layout
Even Customize Your
URL!
Add Filters

12. @jennyhalasz
CHANGING DISPLAY OPTIONS
Choose different
Dimensions or Metrics
Change
row
display

13. @jennyhalasz
USING FILTERS - SIMPLE
“Only
show” or
“Don’t
show”
Selection
criteria

14. @jennyhalasz
USING FILTERS - REGEX
Selection
criteria
 Use | to separate items – creates “OR”
 Use .* as a wildcard
 .*/category means match anything before /category
 category/.* means match anything that comes after category
 Test your expressions on the actual report

15. @jennyhalasz
Set up once, daily,
weekly, monthly, or
quarterly
Email to
anyone
Share with
everyone on
the account
Export a PDF
OTHER FUN THINGS

16. @jennyhalasz
CUSTOM REPORTS

17. @jennyhalasz
CUSTOM REPORTS
Ask questions to determine importance:
? Which things do we want to know?
? What parts of the site are important?
? How can we use these as part of our strategy?
? When does our traffic arrive?
? Where can we improve?
? Who is visiting our site?

18. @jennyhalasz
Metrics: Things
you want to
measure
Dimensions:
Containers
you want to
use
Filters: Things
to include or
not include
CUSTOM REPORTS

19. @jennyhalasz
Metrics:
Things you
want to
measure
Dimensions:
Containers
you want to
use
Filters: Things
to include or
not include
CUSTOM REPORTS

20. @jennyhalasz
Segments – Mobile/Desktop

21. @jennyhalasz

22. @jennyhalasz
THINGS DATA CAN DO
Solidify/Contradict
a hypothesis
Predict a problem
Ensure mistakes
are caught
Open a new
horizon
Maintain status
quo
Teach us about
behavior

23. @jennyhalasz
REMEMBER:
Data is just data.
Analysis leads to insight.
That useful link again:
http://bit.ly/GADashJLH

24. @jennyhalasz
Thank you!
Jenny Halasz
jenny@jlh-marketing.com
@jennyhalasz