Google Analytics V2

Finally the much awaited Google Analytics version 2 was finally launched, with several new visualization tools and data sharing tools.

The package is basically an extension of Google's AdWords program, which lets site owners buy words that link to various segments of their site via contextual ads that show up on Google or associate search engine results.

The new Analytics design looks to be more user-friendly and observant. The design has a more of a Web 2.0 feel to it, more in tune with current web trends. Though it's too early to pass judgement, some features appear to be very clear-cut and versatile.

The new tools are supposed to give Web site owners a free and straightforward system to keep track of how users are accessing content of their site including of tracking of content. This includes the tracking of popular content, time spent by users and number of hits by time of day.

The new features are purported to make it easier for web site owners to find and share t data so they can make informed decisions. One thing is definite the new version does present data more clearly and is more applicable, as a single report contains all the necessary data.

New Features

Key new features are:

Customizable Dashboards

The Analytics dashboard is now absolutely customizable and has simplified data presentation. Users can relocate, add, and remove the various data widgets, in a similar fashion to that of iGoogle. The new dashboard illustrates Site Usage, visitor usage, map overlay, traffic sources overview, content overview and goal overview. No more digging through reports, in the new dashboard you can simply put all the information you need and email it to others.

Emailing of reports

One of the major weaknesses of Google Analytics was the lack of a means to email out reports. This feature has now been added to this new release. You can now e-mail or export reports as PDFs that can be scheduled to be sent out automatically every day, week, month or quarter using the in-built calendar.

Improved Segmentation Capabilities

Segmentation capabilities have been also added, which allows you to independently measure the actions of different groups of visitors. This is an awesome concept which will have a great impact on a site's SEO opportunities...... With the Trend and Date Slider you can compare time periods and select date ranges while keeping track of long term trends.

The Ecommerce Tracking lets you trace transactions to campaigns and keywords, get loyalty and latency metrics, and identify your revenue sources.

Funnel Visualization lets you find out which pages result in lost conversions and where your would-be customers go.

Site Overlay lets you see traffic and conversion information for every link as you browse your site, without any downloading.

Redesigned User Interface

The Google Analytics user interface has been redesigned extensively for greater customization and collaboration. Data summaries and improved tracking analysis complement navigational clarity and intuitive connections among related data. It is definitely more user friendly and contemporary Enhanced Map

The new Map is enhanced to allow users to target in on the individual cities of the site's visitors. The map overlay even tracks where your users are, precisely down to the city they live in. With this you can find out where your users come from and identify your most lucrative geographic markets.

Keyword and Campaign Comparison

The new keywords features is a boon for site owners, as it drives traffic through the website by dividing the entrance keywords for each page of the site and showing these keywords in a very accessible manner.

Purported Benefits

Google Analytics is supposed to uncover what keywords attract your most desirable prospects, what advertising copy pulled the most responses, and what landing pages and content make the most money for you with its.

Sophisticated Analytics

Google Analytics provides tightly integrated AdWords support, so you can view AdWords ROI metrics without having to import cost data or add keyword tracking codes.

Easy to use

Google Analytics is easy to use for novice marketers, while delivering all of the capabilities that experienced web analytics professionals expect.

Scalable for any size site

Google Analytics is a hosted service that runs on the same servers that power Google, so you can expect the consistent service for large, high-traffic corporate sites to small sites.

Integrated with AdWords

If you have an AdWords account, you can use Google Analytics directly from the AdWords interface.

Tracks all campaigns

Google Analytics tracks all online campaigns, from emails to keywords, regardless of search engine or referral source.

The new Analytics will be out over the next month. For the first month, both the old and the new versions will be available to ease the transition.

As I mentioned before it's too early to pass judgement on the Google Analytics V2, but being a Google product expectations are high. So lets keep our fingers crossed.