In Google Analytics, "views" refer to the specific configurations within a property that allow you to access and analyze filtered or customized data about your website's traffic. Each property can have multiple views, which give you different perspectives on your data, based on filters, goals, and other settings you apply. This way, you can tailor the information to align with your individual needs and objectives, without affecting the raw data.
For example, let's say you run an e-commerce website, and you're interested in analyzing the traffic from different countries. You can create separate views in Google Analytics for each country, such as "USA Traffic," "UK Traffic," and "Canada Traffic." To do this, you would set up filters for each view that include only the traffic from the specified country. This enables you to view data customized to each specific country and make much more focused decisions based on regional performance.
Another use case is creating a "Test View" to try out new filters, goals, or segments without impacting your primary data view. This allows you to experiment with different configurations and settings, then implement your findings in your primary view once you're confident in their accuracy and usefulness.
It's essential to also maintain an unfiltered view of your data, often called "Raw Data View," which retains all of the information without any filters or customizations. This serves as a backup and reference point in case you need to verify data accuracy or investigate discrepancies between filtered views.
By effectively using views in Google Analytics, you can gain more granular insights into your website's traffic, segment your data in a way that aligns with your specific needs, and make better-informed decisions to optimize your online presence.