For an introduction to Google Analytics, see my earlier post. In this entry I will focus on an advanced feature of Google Analytics: Advanced Segments.

What are segments?

Segments are non-destructive filters that you can apply to your data for advanced analyses. Segments are non-destructive in that they do not affect the actual process of recording data from your website. Actual filters applied to a particular website profile, on the other hand, permanently affect the data that is recorded. For example, if I want to know statistics related to visitors from South America, I can create a segment that will display only information for these visitors. Data from all visitors in all countries is still recorded. By creating a filter for the same purpose, I could also see information related only to South American visitors, however Analytics wouldn’t record the data for any visitors outside of South America. In short, segments are filters that are applied after all the data has already been collected. Both segments and filters are valuable for particular applications, however this post will focus solely on segments.

How are segments used?

Segments are extremely powerful for running comparative analyses. Segments allow you to split up your Analytics data into different groups, and you can in turn compare these groups with each other. Google Analytics includes several basic segments like New and Returning Visitors. Your segments can be accessed and applied by clicking the “Advanced Segments” box in the upper right hand corner of the screen. By splitting your data between visitors that have previously been to your site and those who haven’t, you can discover important behavioral differences.

Example:

Our website OnlineStore.com just redesigned the checkout process. Without segments applied, the data looks good. The number of visitors exiting the site after adding items to their cart has dropped… good news? When we split our data into new vs returning segments, we find that the number of new visitors exiting from the cart page has dropped a fair amount, but the number of returning visitors exiting from the cart has risen dramatically. Our changes to the checkout system have clearly alienated our returning customers. Further analysis shows us that our returning customers’ purchases are about twice as large as purchases made by new customers. While a basic analysis would suggest that our changes were positive, analysis with segments has shown us that our cart redesign needs further consideration.

Google Analytics also features the following preset segments:

• Paid Search Traffic
• Non-paid Search Traffic
• Search Traffic
• Direct Traffic
• Referral Traffic
• Visits with Conversions
• Mobile Traffic
• Non-bounce Visits

The “Visits with Conversions” segment is an important tool that allows you to track usage statistics for your most valuable visitors.

Custom Segments

Google Analytics’ preset segments are valuable and easy to use, however custom segments are necessary for more complex analyses. To create a custom segment, click on the advanced segments box in the upper right hand corner of the screen and click on “Create a new advanced segment”. The following page lets you choose any dimension or metric as the basis for the segment. If you are unfamiliar with metrics and dimensions, see my post on custom reporting in Google Analytics. Your custom segment isn’t limited to one metric or dimension; you can create segments combining two or more different criteria for specialized data analysis.

Example:

OnlineStore.com has gone global. We need to know how our customers in Japan are finding our website. We create a custom segment with the dimension “Country” “matches exactly” “Japan”. We then add an “AND” statement, and include the metric “Goal1 Completions” as “Greater than or equal to 1″. We’re done. When applied, our segment will now show us all statistics related to Japanese visitors who convert Goal1, which in this case would indicate a purchase.

There’s no limit to what custom segments can show you. Test out the many available metrics and dimensions to gain a fuller understanding of how your analyses can be improved using custom segments.

What are Photoshop Scripts?

Scripts serve as a great tool to assist designers in increasing their workflow by automating repetitive tasks, customizing commands and even adding new features. Although they debuted way back with version 7, it is surprising how few people even know they exist. Originally scripts were an optional plug-in available via download, but today they come built into the program with a few useful scripts preloaded.

Scripting allows you to combine the power of Photoshop’s tools with custom programming. The feature allows users to write scripts using JavaScript, VB Script, or AppleScript, to do what you can’t with your mouse and keyboard—or simply don’t feel like spending your time on. The scripts are fairly basic, but for those of us not up to the challenge of learning to write custom scripts—there are plenty of freebies available online.

Why Scripts, Not Actions?

Photoshop Scripts are way more powerful than actions or batching and can be as smart as you make them. Some examples of the powers of scripting include:

• You can add conditional logic, so that the script automatically makes “decisions” based on the current situation. For example, you could write a script that decides which color border to add depending on the size of the selected area in an image: “If the selected area is smaller than 2 x 4 inches, add a green border; otherwise add a red border.”
• A single script can perform actions that involve multiple applications. For example, you could target both Photoshop CS2 and another Adobe Creative Suite 2 Application in the same script.
• You can open, save, and rename files using scripts.

Installing a Photoshop Script

Installing scripts is super simple. First download the script (or create your own), then save it into the specified scripts folder.

• PC: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop\Presets\Scripts\
• MAC: Applications > Photoshop > Presets > Scripts.

After copying a script to this folder you’ll need to Quit and then Restart Photoshop before the script appears in the File> Scripts menu.

Examples of Pre-loaded Scripts

Photoshop comes with a few useful scripts right out of the box. Once the program is installed, you can find them under File > Scripts. One example includes:

Layer Comps to Files
This one does exactly what it says, outputting your Layer Comps to separate files. Layer comps are an easy way to create “snapshots” of your comps in various states. Using the script, you can output the comps to various files types PSD, JPG, and GIF. If you have clients who like to see everything in PDF format, there’s also “Layer Comps To PDF” which outputs the layer comps into a single PDF document with multiple pages.

Examples of Free Add-On Scripts

As mentioned previously, you can find tons of free scripts online. Some scripter sites will even write custom scripts for you on request. A few timesaving scripts include:

Remove Copy From All Layers
If you create multiple comps and layers sets in your files and are anal like me, having the word “copy” in half your layers is an annoying Photoshop feature. It takes time to go through each layer and manually remove the word “copy”. Luckily, someone else thought the same thing and created a script to remove them all at once. It removes the word copy and also the number next to it, so “mylayername copy 12″ becomes simply “mylayername”.

Download the script here

NOTE: CS5 now has a built in option to turn this off, so you don’t need the script. You can set it in your layer palette options.

Text Export
This script will export all your layers to a text file so you can easily convert to HTML without having to copy and paste. For example, if you have 3 text layers:

(Layer 1) Lorem ipsum
(Layer 2) This is a headline
(Layer 3) Submit

You run the script and you get a text file with these contents:

Lorem ipsum
This is a headline
Submit

Download the script here

Links and References

Here are a few useful links to learn more about Photoshop scripts:

Trevor Morris Photographic

Jeff Tranberry

Adobe, Photoshop Scripts

PS-Scripts

Kirupa Tutorials

In my previous post, I reviewed how to get started using Google Analytics. In this entry I will discuss how set up and use custom reports.

Custom Reporting

Custom Reporting is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly analyze any metrics of your choosing by nearly any dimension.

Creating a New Custom Report
Clicking on the “Create new custom report” link brings you to a page with lots of blue and green boxes. Anything in blue is referring to a metric, and anything in green refers to a dimension. The easiest way to think about metrics and dimensions is to think of metrics as numbers, and dimensions as text. Anything that can be represented by a number, like pageviews ,or bounces, or clicks, is a metric. Anything that can’t be described by a number, like visitor language, or keywords, or sources, is a dimension.

Custom reports tell you the metrics for a given dimension. If I want to know how many visits came from Europe, I select “Continent” as my dimension, and “visits” as my metric. You can also define subdimensions, which become the dimension that the metric is analyzed against once you click on an item from the primary dimension. In my example, logically I will select “Country” as my subdimension. When I access the report, it tells me that I had 50 visits from Europe. I click on Europe to drill-down to specific countries, and I see that England accounted for 49 of the 50 visits.

Sample Custom Report Structure
I want to know how many purchases my Google ads are driving, and how much it is costing me -
I select “Goal Completions” (assuming you set your goal to be a purchase), “CPC”, “Cost”, “CTR”, and “Cost per conversion” as my metrics, “AdGroup” as my dimension, and “Keyword” as my first subdivision.

Multiple usability studies have proven that today’s online users visit a website for two primary reasons: to get information and/or to accomplish a goal. In general, they are not reading for leisure, nor are they online to appreciate fancy writing or admire complicated graphics. Simply, they want to access content as quickly as possible and interact with the site, as needed.

Studies also show that website users interact differently with a monitor than they do with the printed page. Web users skim content, ignoring our ingrained left-right viewing habits in order to drill down more quickly. They also read about 25% more slowly on screen leading most users to scan a webpage rather than read it word-by-word.

Writers may be tempted to upload the same lengthy content contained in an annual report or firm brochure because they want to communicate as much to the reader as possible. Unfortunately, doing so is a surefire way to lose your online audience. Instead, you must write copy specifically for the online environment keeping in mind these ten essential rules:

• Know Your User. Identifying your target audience is essential. While this should be fairly obvious, make sure to write for your constituents, not the internal organization itself. All copy should be written at an appropriate level for the audience void of acronyms or jargon that may not be obvious to all target users.
• Be Concise. Get to the point, and remember users are not there to savor your fine writing skills. The general rule is to use approximately half as many words as you would in print. Aim for:
• Short headings: 4 – 8 words
• Short sentences: 8 – 20 words
• Short summaries: 30 – 50 words
• Short paragraphs: 3–10 sentences; 40 – 70 words
• Short pages: 2-3 paragraphs
• Use Headings. Since users skim webpages, they look at headings and subheadings first, then scan for hyperlinks, numerals and keywords. Make sure to use prominent headings and subheadings to partition your content.
• Use Lists. For optimal readability, keep sentences short and use bulleted or numbered lists where possible. (Just don’t use lengthy bulleted items!)
• Put Key Facts First. Begin with the most critical information, including Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Remember, web users are impatient, so you should prioritize your content. If you must include lengthy descriptions or documents, place them deep in the site and provide links where appropriate.
• Be Casual. Always write in first or second person whenever possible. Use “you” and “we” in a more conversational style, as appropriate. Remember, the more formal, the less inviting.
• Use the Active Voice. Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice. The passive voice creates dull, lifeless content.
• Consider the Site Structure. With a proper website structure, your users should know precisely where they are on your site at all times. Still, it is good practice to write web copy that helps readers understand how each page relates to other content elements.
• Encourage Action. Ultimately, you want your website to encourage action, whether it’s registering for a newsletter, providing contact details, or buying your product or service. Always write copy that incites a call-to-action turning passive readers into active participants.
• Edit, Edit, Edit. A good rule of thumb is to edit your copy by 10% even at its last draft. Ask yourself, “Is my message condensed to as few words as possible?”, “Is my content formatted for easy readability?”, “Is this copy necessary at all?” Make sure to edit your content thoroughly before and after you upload it to your website (pre-launch, of course).

My previous post introduced Google Analytics. In this entry I will discuss how to start using the analytics tool. You may want to open Google Analytics in a separate window while you read this.

Overview

Every journey into Google Analytics starts in the same place: the Google Analytics sign-up page. Sign up, and follow the directions. Google needs a bit of code on your site to do the tracking, so if you don’t know how to edit your site’s HTML, you’ll need to enlist assistance. Note that if you plan on using Google Analytics’ e-commerce tracking, event tracking, or virtual pageview features, your code needs to be installed differently on particular pages. The specific instructions are beyond the scope of this post.

From here, the Google Analytics road branches and the possibilities are endless. This post will give you a quick tour of the interface, and will then outline a few sample uses.

The Overview Page

When you first log into Google Analytics, you are brought to your Overview page. This page shows you all of the websites your account is tracking, as well as some basic stats about your websites’ traffic and visitor behavior. The overview page is useful if you are managing multiple websites or want some quick stats, but the magic begins when you select a website and click “View report”.

The Dashboard

You are brought to the page referred to as the Dashboard. The point of the Dashboard is to give you a heads up display of all the statistics that you really care about. It is fully customizable, so you can add or remove stats or reports to your heart’s content. From here you can easily email or export your full dashboard report via the links on the upper grey bar.

Date Ranges

On the top-right of the page, you will find a box with a date listed. Clicking this box allows you to define the range for which your website’s statistics will be displayed. If you want to know how many visits you had in May, select the full month of May, and your dashboard will tell you.

Analytics even allows you to compare all of your statistics between two different date ranges. Just mark the “Compare to Past” checkbox, and highlight the comparison date range. Analytics will now show you the percentage difference between the two ranges next to your statistics. These comparisons may be the most valuable feature of Analytics, because numbers in isolation can mean very little. Knowing how many visitors your site had is useful, but knowing how that number is changing week-by-week is even better. It is the changes and trends in your website’s statistics that should guide your site modifications.

Intelligence

The second tab on the top-left navigation menu brings you to the intelligence page. Intelligence is a handy feature of Analytics that automatically alerts you to dramatic abnormalities in your website’s statistics. This feature is great for users who don’t want to check their analytics every day or week.
Let’s imagine that we have a website that averages 10,000 visits per week. Unbeknownst to us, our hosting service has been experience problems in the past week, and our site has been down about 50% of the time. Traffic drops to 5,000 visits, Google Intelligence emails us, we conduct an investigation, and we switch hosting services.

But this feature can have more important functions than just serving as an alarm for major problems. With custom alerts, we can tell Google to alert us when something important (that we define) happens.
For example: We have an advertising account set up with Google that automatically buys $1,500 of ads per week. We don’t want to pay for ads if every user who clicks on them immediately leaves our site, so we tell Google to alert us when the bounce rate of our ads surpasses 50%. Now, without ever checking analytics, we can rest assured that our ad dollars are not being spent in vain.

Visitors

The visitors page is your guide to the behavior of your website’s users. You can see where your users are from, what browser they are using, the speed of their connection, the time they spend on your website, whether or not they have been to your site before, and much much more. This page also contains a Benchmarking feature, which you can use to compare your website’s statistics with those of similar sites. There is a lot of information in the visitor page. Explore around to discover it all.

Traffic Sources

This page contains all the information about how people get to your website. It tells you whether the user typed in the exact web address (direct traffic), linked through from another site, linked through from an ad, or found your site using a search engine. You can even see exactly what keyword searches led to your site. This source information is paired with visit statistics, so that you can determine which sources refer your best visitors.

Content

The Content page gives you access to information about your websites individual pages. Here, Analytics can tell you how many users viewed a particular page, what percentage of users exited the site on a particular page, or how many users entered the site through a particular page. Knowing your top exit pages is an important first-step towards increasing your visitors’ interaction with your site. You can use Analytics’ Visualizer feature to see graphs of the number of exits from a each page divided by the number of total pageviews. If one particular page has a higher ratio of exits to pageviews, changing that page may help keep users on your site.

Goals

“Goals” is an extremely valuable tool that allows you to track actions of interest, such as downloads, purchases, or submissions of a contact form. Once you setup your goals, Analytics can start tracking your goals’ conversions, and you can start to analyze the behavior of your converting visitors.

For example: We are now running an online store. We setup the “Thank you for your order” page as goal that will let Analytics track our purchases. We can even tell Analytics that each goal conversion is worth $17.50, our average profit made on a single purchase. We can now analyze the visits that resulted in purchases. We see that almost all of the visits that resulted in purchase originated from two ads that we have been purchasing through Google AdWords. Furthermore, Analytics can even tell us how much we are making or losing off of our ads by keeping tabs of ad costs and conversion rates.

Once you have setup one or more goals, you can use a valuable feature called Funnels. Funnels are typical paths that visitors take through your website to the eventual completion of a goal. Once you have created funnels, you can see exactly where visitors “drop out” of the funnel, that is, you can see at what stage of the goal completion process visitors leave your site.

In my next post I will talk about a more advanced feature of Google Analytics…custom reporting.