The new Web + App property in Google Analytics

In early August 2019, Google released a new version of its Analytics software—a so-called Web + App Property. Some well-known industry experts are already calling this version "Analytics v2."

Fig. 1: Quote about the Google Analytics update

We took a thorough look at the new version during our daily web analytics work and were able to gather some initial insights.

Google loves to roll out unannounced updates or introduce new features. That's usually not a big surprise. But with this new version, many people were genuinely surprised by what it had to offer.

What does the new Google Analytics Property have to offer?

The new version combines the standard website property with the app property. This means all users now have the opportunity to manage and analyze data from both a Google Analytics for Firebase project and a website right within a single Google Analytics property.

As web analyst Mario Hillmers pointed out on his blog on the same topic, Google hasn't just merged a property from two different projects here. Google has laid the foundation for future, unified data collection.

What does "unified data collection" mean?

Google is providing users with a completely new data schema for this purpose. Anyone who previously worked only with Google Analytics' web property was used to dealing with sessions and pageviews. Meanwhile, Google Analytics for Firebase is built on events and parameters—and that's precisely the fundamental difference.

The new data schema now leans toward Firebase, placing a much stronger focus on events and parameters.

Why is Google taking this step?

Back when Google introduced gtag.js, they already emphasized their focus on unified data tracking. With the release of standardized metrics, the first step toward unified data collection is complete. From now on, your data is gathered in one central place. Switching back and forth between different tools is a thing of the past, which makes comprehensive analysis so much easier.

According to analytics expert Krista Seiden, one reason for the sudden change is that Google Analytics for Firebase and Universal Analytics really only differ in their structural setup. Looking at the data in terms of KPIs and reporting, they turn out to be quite identical. Bringing both systems together was a natural, logical move.

What makes this new App + Web Property so special?

First and foremost, it's definitely the unification of both systems. With a consistent presentation, Google hopes to help webmasters and businesses understand customer behavior even better through a single dashboard of integrated reports.

A fresh look for integrated reports

If you've worked exclusively with Google Analytics in the past, you'll quickly notice that the interface looks quite similar to the "old" one. However, some web-specific additions have been made to the reporting section.

Fig. 2: analytics.google.com

Overall, the interface is designed so that users always land on overview pages first. If you want to dive deeper into the details, you can then select individual reports.

This layout is slightly reminiscent of the new Google Search Console, which shares a similar structure. The focus is on the big picture: users get a clear overview upfront before drilling down into detailed analyses.

If you're not yet familiar with the new Search Console, we recently published a handy guide covering the new features in Google Search Console in more detail.

The new interface is organized into categories. Let's take a quick look at a few of them:

Users will see a list of the following "categories":

• Reports

• Events

• Explore

• Configure

In the "Reports" section, you'll find all the overviews and subsequent individual reports that show you who your visitors are and which pages they visited using which technologies.

The "Events" section contains all the data needed to evaluate the actions visitors took on your site.

In "All Events," you'll see a complete list of all recorded events in the new interface. From there, clicking on any event takes you directly to its detailed report—covering things like purchases or specific button clicks.

Fig. 3: Detailed view of events

Under "Explore," users can create custom reports similar to those in the Universal Google Analytics interface. You'll also still find tools like the User Explorer or path analysis right here.

Finally, the "Configure" section contains all settings that allow for even more targeted user-based analysis, such as audiences. This feature is a particularly exciting upgrade. In the past, Google Analytics let you build segments to analyze different target groups. In the new Web + App interface, the "Audiences" section lets you configure much more specific audiences, laying the groundwork for deeper analyses across other dimensions in the future.

Fig. 4: Overview of all defined audiences

One of the biggest shifts—especially for Universal Analytics users—is the absence of "Views and Filter Configuration." At the moment, the new property "only" offers configuration at the account and property levels.

Fig. 5: Overview of the "Admin" section

Conclusion

For experienced Universal Analytics users, the new Web + App Property interface might feel a little cluttered at first, and there's definitely room for improvement right now. Still, it's worth keeping in mind that this version is still in beta and was only released about two months ago. This new property represents one of the biggest—if not the biggest—updates in the history of Google Analytics.

It will be exciting to see how Google develops the connection between Universal Analytics and Google Analytics for Firebase over the coming months. If you're interested in web analytics and Google Analytics, we'd love to support you with setting up your Google Analytics account and with all things web analytics. Feel free to reach out to us!