Improvements To Mobile Reporting in Google Analytics

3.6 million households in the UK are believed to use their mobile phones when accessing the internet according to industry regulator Ofcom. This equates to some 17% of the entire population. As such, the significance of the mobile internet market cannot be underestimated. The proportion of internet users accessing the web from their handset has increased rapidly, with such growth expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Indeed, over the next decade, the m-commerce market is expected to be worth almost £20 billion. Figures like this are demonstrative of the general viewpoint on the significance of the mobile movement, with the focus firmly on the progressive development of smartphone technology and the wider proliferation of such devices.

In response to the smartphone boom, mobile internet usage reporting has become a staple part of many a search engine marketing strategy. Greater attention now has to be paid to the mobile user in terms of their online experience, with the ultimate aim of capturing that relatively new market through mobile internet optimisation.

To help us track such developments and build upon our current mobile strategies, Google has added some new features to Google Analytics. The addition of the mobile reporting tab under the visitors section of the GA dashboard allows for a more convenient and in-depth analysis of visitors from mobile phones.

Previously it was simple enough to discern the level of traffic to your site from mobile devices, now however, we are able to go much further.

The mobile tab is broken up into 2 main sections; 'Overview' and 'Devices'.

The first allows for the comparison of traffic from mobile and non-mobile visits. The second however can be further segmented into three new sub sections (in addition to other familiar secondary dimensions such as Operating System and Service Provider).

The Mobile Device Info dimension provides a visually enhanced breakdown of the devices used to reach your site, with an image of each handset available at the click of a camera icon.

The Mobile Phone Branding info informs you of the brand associated with that particular phone, while the Mobile Input Selector displays the input method for the device, whether it be via a stylus or using touchscreen technology.

All this new data is highly beneficial for those looking to optimise their site for various mobile devices. By getting a comprehensive idea of the type of mobile visits reaching the site, and the type which are not performing as well, it is far more feasible to gain a clearer picture of where to improve.