Melanie Wahl - December 9, 2011
Have you been looking through your Google Analytics account trying to make sense of Metrics and Dimensions? Or are you beginning to create your own custom reports and figuring out which metrics and which dimensions you want to include?
- The following are a few basic points about Google Analytics’ Metrics:
- Metrics are shown with dark blue text on a light blue background.
- The data associated with a Metric is displayed below the Metric name in a column.
- Metrics focus around numbers. This includes numbers (metric examples: visits, entrances, and clicks), time (metric examples: Time on Site, Time on Page, and Time after Search), and percentages (metric examples: % Exit, Bounce Rate, and CTR).
The following are a few basic points about Google Analytics’ Dimensions:
- Dimensions are shown with white text on a light green background.
- The data associated with a Dimension is displayed in a row, with each box corresponding to a Metric’s column.
- Dimensions need to be paired with Metrics for meaningful data analysis to occur.
- A few common Dimensions are: Keyword, Medium, Time On Site, Exit Page, and Request URI.
- This includes numbers (metric examples: visits, entrances, and clicks), time (metric examples: Time on Site, Time on Page, and Time after Search), and percentages (metric examples: % Exit, Bounce Rate, and CTR).
Dimensions are shown in green and metrics in blue, as shown in the following image.
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Now that you understand the difference between Metrics and Dimensions, enjoy using Google Analytics to the fullest with custom reporting.
