Google Analytics Introduces Trend Change Detection: A New Way to Monitor Data

Google has announced the introduction of trend change detection, a new feature on Google Analytics. This new category of insight will notify users of the web analytics service of “subtle but long-lasting and important changes in data.” While Google Analytics 4 has a similar feature called anomaly detection which looks out for sudden and erratic shifts in data, trend change detection will allow more minute analysis of data over extended periods of time.

Trend Change Detection Announcement and Reception

The announcement about trend change detection was first made by Google Analytics in an X post on Feb. 13. Google also released details about the feature in a help centre article on its website. The article covers everything from how it works to troubleshooting. The announcement got a mixed reaction online. While many in the marketing industry welcome this new component of Google Analytics, some aren’t as impressed. Curtis Moldrich, Digital Editor at Car magazine feels the need for better real-time analytical features as he wrote, “Where is real-time by page?”

What is Trend Change Detection?

Trend change detection scans user data over a long period of time to observe various trends. It is then able to detect subtle differences in regular patterns of data and notify users about them. According to Google, its analytics tool utilises a signal segmentation algorithm to find if a change in trends has happened over a certain amount of time. The algorithm divides the sample data into different parts, allowing trend change detection to analyse both short and long-term patterns. According to Google, when it “identifies a change in the direction of time-series data for a given metric, Google overlays a circle on the date when the change occurred.” Users can then hover over the particular date to get more information about the change such as when it occurred and the current and previous rate of change.

Google Analytics’ trend change detection is currently able to detect four kinds of changes in data. These include an increase to a decrease, a decrease to an increase, a greater increase or decrease, and a lesser increase or decrease. In its help centre article, Google offers a bit of guidance on how to utilise this feature and deal with expected and unexpected changes.

Not all changes in trends are negative. For example, a company selling sweaters may see a rise in sales during winter. Positive trends like this are expected and do not necessarily require any action on behalf of the user. There can also be negative trends which are expected. For instance, the same company making a profit selling sweaters in the winter may see a decline in sales during peak summer. However, due to the nature of a business cycle, such is to be anticipated. Trend change detection’s real value comes from detecting unexpected changes which are undesirable. An app might be malfunctioning after getting an update, or there might be latency issues on a website. Issues like these cause hindrances to the overall user experience and might lead to loss of traffic for businesses. However, through the new Google Analytics feature, they would be alerted of negative changes in trends and would be able to fix the problem.

Google Analytics states that users will be able to use trend change detection through an insight card in the insights and recommendations section of its home page, in reports and advertising snapshots, and the insights hub.

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Google Analytics has introduced a new way for businesses to monitor their performance and improve their overall product through trend change detection. Marketers can make use of this new feature along with anomaly detection to keep regular oversight on their platforms and detect and troubleshoot any issues that arise. This will also improve SEO optimisation standards across various industries and ultimately lead to a more refined online experience for the general public. At CogentIBS, we value your presence within our community. Share your feedback in the comment section and subscribe to our newsletters to stay tuned for timely tech insights.