Dear Google Analytics - Give Me My Percentages Back

Disraeli said "It is much easier to be critical than it is to be correct." Absolutely. I could probably also serve up a number of famous quotes about how we are all so resistant to change. With Google's announcement that they plan to retire the old version of Google Analytics by January 2012, I predict dozens of blog posts lamenting and criticizing this inevitable change.

Including this one. It's Dec 23rd, so while I'm not going to go into excruciating detail here, I am however going to point out a huge gaping gawking obvious feature that Google needs to add back in.

Percentages. Lovely, dear,** time-over-time percentages**, that I used to be able to glean without opening up a percentage calculator in an adjacent browser window. (I never claimed my math was very good.) These percentages get hard copied into tons of search reports we sent to our clients.

OLD:

The new version of Google Analytics makes it a total drag when it comes to easily comparing performance over time. There are no time-over-time percentage comparisons. Only individual ones. Um... I selected time-over-time to for the purpose of comparing, yet Google Analytics returns zero comparative data!

NEW:

I see lots of fancy schmancy graphs and tables in the new version, but where are the HARD COMPARISON NUMBERS AND FACTS this marketer is looking for? I don't know. The new versions shows two reports side by side, without merging any numbers. I want them back. Hope someone at Google is reading this...

*Happy Holidays *and see you all in 2012. Including that darn new version of Google Analytics.

Written by Sarah Mackenzie.