Digital Marketing Agency | Portland PPC SEO Services | Anvil Media -
  • Services
    • Paid Media
    • SEO
    • Social Media
    • Content Marketing Services
    • Website Development
  • Outcomes
    • Clients
    • Portfolio
    • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
    • Awards
    • Industry Expertise
  • Insights
    • Blog
    • Articles
    • Cheat Sheets
    • White Papers
    • eBooks
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
  • About
    • Our Philosophy
    • Our Culture
    • Executive Team
    • News & Events
    • Careers
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Anvil Newsletter
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in

Google Analytics Spotlight: Advanced Segments

by Anvil on September 2, 2009Website Analytics

Google Analytics Spotlight: Advanced Segments

by Anvil on September 2, 2009Website Analytics

Here’s a quick Google Analytics tip that I’ve recently found very useful. It might be 101, but I’ve been known to overcomplicate things in Google Analytics to the point that I often overlook the easy tips. I’m a huge fan of the relatively new advanced segments feature, and creating your own custom segments can really drill down your data nearly anyway you want. But don’t overlook the default segments in there as well, there are some great treasures.

First things first:

  1. Use Firefox. Lots of great tools to pimp out your Google Analytics accounts.
  2. Install Greasmonkey.
  3. Add the GARE script from ROI Revolution. It has some cool features. If you want to play around with it, start at their site. I’m not going to go everything here. What we really want is the ability to deselect that pesky “All Visitors” while looking at more than 2 advanced segments.

Once you have that done, you’re Google Analytics account will have a spiffy little logo at the top – this will let you know you did the above steps properly.

Googel Analytics with ROI RevolutionAlright, so here’s my favorite way to use those default segments. Let’s say you have an unusual traffic pattern and need to figure out what caused it.

Google Analytics VisitsSo…this is easy as pie really.

Go to your advanced segments drop down menu, and select all relevant sources. Typically this will be Paid Traffic, Search Traffic, Referral Traffic and Direct Traffic. Notice in the picture that even though All Visits is highlighted in orange, it’s no longer checked – so it won’t show up in this next report.

Default SegmentsAnd then your normal visits graph will look like this instead:

Visitor SegmentsAnd Voila! clear as day, your direct traffic is the culprit. From there you can look into what location those visitors were coming from, time of day, whatever you may need to help understand why you saw such a large spike, especially if you weren’t expecting it.

Happy Analyzing!

  • Contact Us
    Contact Us
  • Search
  • Recent Posts
    • What Happens When Strategy Leads: How Digital Strategy Consulting Can Transform Your BusinessMay 16, 2025
    • Behavior Is the AlgorithmApril 16, 2025
    • Think of Automation Like an Employee—Because It Works Like OneMarch 31, 2025
    • Targeting on Facebook Ads for BeginnersJuly 14, 2022
  • Categories

Related Posts

  • Universal Analytics is Going Away – 3 Need to Know Tips to Prepare for the Switch to GA4
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
  • Top Digital KPIs and Metrics Every Marketer Should Know
Ready to get started?

Take the next step toward growing your business. Tell us a little more about your goals and schedule an appointment.

Talk to Us

Blog

  • What Happens When Strategy Leads: How Digital Strategy Consulting Can Transform Your Business by Anvil Media on May 16, 2025
  • Behavior Is the Algorithm by Anvil Media on April 16, 2025

Twitter

Anvil Media, Inc. @anvilmedia

Testimonials

Anvil Media’s expertise in the PPC and SEO industry is unparalleled.Oregon State University

©Anvil Media, Inc. 2025
310 NE Failing St. Portland, OR 97212

  • Digital Marketing Services
  • Outcomes
  • Insights
  • About
  • Contact
  • Legal
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked in
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Pinterest