Comments on: Reading reports in Google Analytics: Recency

By: Eva

Eva — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:15:17 +0000

Hi Robbin, just found your article while I am trying to figure out the difference between <0 days ago and same day on Recency report. Yes it has really changed a lot since you wrote this post and I look forward to your new post on same topic! And hope you can bring light to the confusing same day vs <0 days ago visits. Thanks!

By: Robbin

Robbin — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:59:55 +0000

Amit, the recency reports have changed a lot since I wrote this, specifically wrt the issue of new and returning visits.

By: Amit

Amit — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:10:43 +0000

Hi… I know it is quite an old post but could not find a recent one and hope you would reply…U seem to have put in quite some efforts but my reports are different.

The sum of visits in recent chart are much more than the actual visits for the same period..Please give me ur email id so that i can send you the snapshots for the same.

I would appreciate an early reply and would be g8 to discuss some other anomalies in google analytics.

Thanks
Amit Mittal
amitmittal.iiml@gmail.com

By: GoosPoos

GoosPoos — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:51:05 +0000

I’m using GA for year-and-half now, but seems learning new things everyday (This is how I tell “things are very complicated… ” ). Anyway, nice article though.

By: Robbin

Robbin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:38:03 +0000

Hi Sally. In general, you can’t presume when it comes to Advanced Segments vs. profiles, but on this one, you are correct. You can use the Advanced Segment set for returning visits only.

By: Sally Kavanagh

Sally Kavanagh — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:17:42 +0000

A very clear explanation of a tricky situation to describe. Presumably using the returning visitor segment is just as effective as setting up a returning visitor profile? My issue is that I need to provide some analysis on some historical data and so the segment option is the only one available to me.

By: blaine

blaine — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:12:15 +0000

Thanks for posting this! great stuff. Good work, i read it all and it was very clear

By: Robbin

Robbin — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:02:43 +0000

I hate when the people at GA tell me, “Well, it’s not a bug.” (About this, or other issues.) OK, it’s not a bug, it’s technically correct. But it still sucks. As you say, not terribly useful.

By: Dodger

Dodger — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:39:32 +0000

Gods, they’ve bungled the UI on this one.

BTW A way to phrase it that might not make Salvatore there and others still confused afterwards is this:
“This graphic measures the frequency of the gap between visits from the same (percieved) user, in days.”

And then, while it’s not terribly *useful* to contain the new users as having a gap of 0, it’s technically *true* strictly speaking (well, that or infinite, depending on how you look at it).

By: John Clayton

John Clayton — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:18:38 +0000

Thanks for a great article. Does Google’s new beta demographics remove the need to create a filter to remove new visitors? I’m interested in returning visitor behaviour. Would seeing up the filter give me an accurate count on returning visitors?