Introducing Cohort Analysis with Google Analytics!

This analysis technique is one of the most reliable and opted method these days and many use it but fail to explain how it works and what it all implies. Well, this method is nothing but time-tested segmentation techniques which are applied in order to understand the user behavior. This method is considered to be among the core part of Google Analytics and is a bit of a hack.

Actually Google’s attempt to come up with that of cohort was to make an analysis much more integral for any other Google Analytics reports. In this attempt Google had thus issued a dedicated cohort report. The reports come up in the beta mode under the audience menu. Normally the cohort reports demands for four highly important adjustments namely-

• Type
• Size
• Metrics and
• Date Ranges

As far as the acquisition date is concerned, it is nothing but the date at which any cohort behavior had started. The cohort type is predominantly dependent and confined to just one selection and acquisition date. Adjustments like that of type, size, metrics and date ranges provide a selection as the reports is in a beta mode and choices on such adjustment are again limited.

It was Google which had just recently included a cohort analysis report with the application of tool segmenting capabilities for some time. The purpose of cohort analysis is to help retailers better understand observed online customer behavior. The Google analytics was recently updated and three major changes was observed namely-

•  True User Segmentation where advanced segments will now support true User segmentation
• Sequence filters wherein behavior of users can be tracked across multiple sessions
• A refreshed interface with a more cleaner and logical look

Depending on the requirement, the cohort can be run across various segments. Depending on the analysis type, The Google Analysis calls out for several specific types of analysis that one can do with the reports. It is an interesting tool and has moved a long way from where it had started and many are even expecting that by some year, one can actually be able to export data from the reports directly. The way the Cohort analysis is carried out with Google analytics has made things simpler and after some year expectations from it will grow a lot more.