Google Analytics users are part of a passionate community. Many of you go beyond using the product and actively seek a connection with Google team members and other GA users to stay at the edge of what's next. For example, more than 80,000 readers subscribe to the Google Analytics blog through our RSS feed , our videos on YouTube have been viewed more than 3.5 million times and well over 100,000 people follow us on Twitter .

At the end of 2011 we announced the Google Analytics Core Reporting API as a replacement for the Data Export API. We also announced a 6 month deprecation period for the Data Export API version 2.3, after which all v2.3 queries will return a v2.4 response. Well, it's almost been 6 months since the announcement was made. If you haven't already moved to our shiny new APIs, and we know there are quite a few of you out there who haven't,

We're excited to announce 3 upcoming Google Analytics User Conferences in Europe. The first will be in Brussels on May 3rd, the second will be in Stockholm on May 8th and the third will be in Barcelona on May 10th. You can find further information, such as the agenda and speakers, on the links below. In our experience these events quickly sell out. So act fast if you want to take part, otherwise it is possible that you have to wait another year for the next event!

At Google, we are passionate about speed and making the web faster, and from first hand experience, we are glad to see that many website owners share the same goal. A faster web is better for both users and businesses - faster pages lead to better user experience and improved conversions. The first step in optimizing any process is to establish and obtain an accurate set of measurement data. In the context of optimizing the user experience on the web,

Today, we're sharing some research on marketing attribution that we conducted in partnership with Econsultancy , a leading digital market research firm. The insights - Marketing Attribution: Valuing the Customer Journey - provide a snapshot of how marketers and agencies are conducting attribution, the impact it has, and the barriers holding them back. If you're not familiar with digital attribution,

We've been listening to your feedback about the new version of Google Analytics, and are excited to release an updated user interface featuring enhancements to nearly all aspects of the design of Google Analytics. User interface updates Based on input from our users, partners, and customers, we have launched several improvements to our user interface.

Welcome to the holiday episode of Web Analytics TV! Web Analytics TV, as you well know by now, is powered by your amazing questions. In this merry episode we had questions from France, Australia, Sweden, India, Germany, The Netherlands and the US. If you're new to this show, our process is simple. Step 1: You ask, or vote on, your favorite web analytics questions. Vote on next week's questions using this Web Analytics TV Google Moderator site.

Shoes of Prey , an online retailer that sells custom-made shoes globally, have made significant improvements in their online conversion rates thanks to insights gleaned from their Multi-Channel Funnels reports. Through taking action based on these insights they were able to increase their conversion rate by 40%, increase same-day purchases by 20%, and better understand how to manage their social media strategy.

As investment in digital marketing increases, data and insight continue to be critical assets for marketers and content owners. If 2012 is the year to develop your measurement and optimisation skill set, we have a range of resources to help you.

From our initial limited release of Flow Visualization in October to our recent release to all customers, we have received a lot of positive feedback from our customers. The idea of using Sankey diagrams and applying them to traffic through a website seems to resonate with you. Thank you! We've heard all your suggestions and we're busy cooking up great stuff in our labs for you. Stay tuned.... But,

[The following is a follow-up post for a video )see above( that we made about websites that are difficult to use. Please watch, share and comment!] Poor "nick4ever". All he wants to do is buy a loaf of bread from the supermarket, but the store's policies and procedures get in the way of him accomplishing this seemingly simple task! What appears to be a completely absurd situation is actually something that many online shoppers have to deal with on a regular basis.

At last Thursday's webinar on Goals, we we explored one of the most fundamental analytics topics: how to translate your business objectives into measurable actions on your website. You sent in your questions, and we heard from many users that you want more guidance on turning all that data into insights. Please read on for answers to your top questions, and watch the recording of the webinar here: How do I do data analysis?

It's quite common for organizations to have complex reporting requirements that combine multiple data sources. In these cases, an efficient way to get at Google Analytics data is to use the API. But for those without the development resources needed to access the API there are many Google Analytics Apps available that can offer a solution. The following mini case study is about Analytics Canvas, a 3rd party Google Analytics App.

The web is getting faster, and not just the speed of the pages, but also the speed of change. Before, it was fine to build a website and modify it only when new products were launched. All of us avid Analytics users know that's just not good enough. We need to be constantly on the lookout for problems and opportunities. Currently, Google Analytics does a great job analyzing past performance.

Back in June, we announced a pilot program to allow users to surface Google Search data in Google Analytics by linking their Webmaster Tools accounts. We've been busy making some improvements and tweaks based on user feedback, and today we're excited to make this set of reports available to all users. The Webmaster Tools section contains three reports based on the Webmaster Tools data that we hope will give you a better sense of how your site performs in search results.

Updated: 8/17/11 at 2:10 PM PST Beginning today, there will be a small change in how sessions are calculated in Google Analytics. We think this update will lead to a clearer understanding of website interactions. We also want to explain how these changes might impact your reports. What's changing? Currently, Google Analytics ends a session when: More than 30 minutes have elapsed between pageviews for a single visitor. At the end of a day. When a visitor closes their browser.

Back in May, we announced Version 1.2 of the Google Analytics SDK for Android . Today we're happy to announce that Google Analytics SDK for iOS version 1.2 has been released. This new version supports Ecommerce tracking as well as the new debug and dry run modes, just like its Android counterpart. Ecommerce Tracking With Ecommerce mobile tracking, you can capture transaction and product information, send the data to Google Analytics,

Social media is a great way for marketers to spread awareness about their products, stay in touch with and interact with their loyal customers. Barbara Pezzi , Director of Web Analytics and Search Optimization, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, is back to share with us how Fairmont measure and analyse their social media efforts with Google Analytics .

With our recent Social Plugin Tracking launch you now have the ability to track how users engage with any social plugin such as Google's +1 button and Twitter's Tweet button. Now it's time for the lowdown on how to set this feature up to work for you. If you are a developer, you should pay particularly close attention. If you've added +1 buttons to your site and your Analytics implementation is up to date,

Cross-posted from the AdSense and Google Webmaster blogs . It's been a busy week for us here at the Googleplex. First we released +1 buttons to Google search sites globally , then we announced the beginning of the Google+ project . The +1 button and the Google+ project are both about making it easier to connect with the people you trust online . For the +1 button, that means bringing advice from trusted friends and contacts right into Google search,