If you are entirely new to Google Analytics, we have a blog post, ‘The Basics of Google Analytics’, which will help you get started. This blog series will provide a selection of concise tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of Google Analytics.
Today we will be discussing one of the most important practices anyone using Google Analytics should consider following – setting up multiple views.
Why do I need more than one view in Google Analytics?
Let’s start with one key point. You cannot edit or change historical data in Google Analytics. This means that if you add filters or change any other settings that alters the way Google Analytics captures data, your historical data will stay the same, only data captured in the future will change.
Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a complete newbie to Google Analytics, we can all make errors. If you make a mistake when changing any settings, you are risking Google Analytics capturing the data incorrectly or not at all. As we have just learnt, this can’t be changed retrospectively.
Let’s imagine a hypothetical scenario. You want to filter out your internal traffic, so your data is not skewed. You attempt to make this change; however, you make a mistake when creating the filter which means Google Analytics fails to make the intended changes and will capture data incorrectly.
This is where a multiple view setup comes in.
Here’s how multiple views can help
By creating multiple views, you can remove the risk of human error so to ensure you don’t lose any data or capture any you don’t want.
We would recommend implementing the following view setup:
- Master View
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- This should be your main view which you use to examine your data, you can configure filters, goals, segments and any other settings you wish.
- Raw Data View
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- This view should remain completely unfiltered. You can use this view to see the effect your changes have made, or even revert to should anything happen to your Master View.
- Test View (Optional)
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- This view can be used for checking changes to settings you’d like to make before applying them to your Master View.
With this setup in place, you can rest assured that you have back-up data which means you won’t lose any data should anything go wrong with your main Master View.
How can I do it in Google Analytics?
Firstly, make sure you are on the view you wish to copy. Next, head to Admin Settings > View Settings and click Copy View on the right-hand side of the page. This will allow you to create a new view using your current view. Give the new view a name, job done! You can follow the setup I described earlier or adapt it to your own preferences.
Final Thoughts
It is worth noting that your new, copied view will not hold any historical data, as your current view may do. Copied views will only accrue new data once they have been created.
Let us know your thoughts on creating multiple views in Google Analytics.
By Joe Timms
Digital Marketing & Data Analyst.
