Regular Expressions for Analytics Filters

A regular expression is a set of characters and metacharacters (characters that have special meanings in regular expressions) that are used to match text in a specified pattern. You can use regular expressions to configure flexible goals and powerful filters.

For example, if you want to create a filter that filters out a range of IP addresses, you'll need to enter a string that describes the range of the IP addresses that you want excluded from your traffic.

Creating Custom Analytics Filters

To create a custom filter:

1. Click 'Analytics Settings.'
2. Click 'Filter Manager.'
3. Click 'Add Filter.' The Create New Filter page appears.
4. Enter a Filter Name for this filter.
5. From the Filter Type drop-down list, select Custom Filter.
6. To select an available custom filter, click the radio button next to the one you want and complete the necessary fields.
7. Under the 'Apply Filter to Website Profiles' section, select the Available Website Profiles to which this filter will be applied.
8. Click Add to move the selected profiles into the 'Selected Website Profiles' list.
9. Click Finish to create this filter and start applying it to incoming data, or Cancel to return to the previous page without saving.

If there are already existing filters for this profile, your new filter will be applied after them. To change the order, visit the Profile Settings page and click Assign Filter Order.

Troubleshooting Google Analytics Filters

Overview of Troubleshooting Analytics Filters

In this module, learn about the most common issues users experience with filters and how to work around these problems.

Troubleshooting Analytics Include Filters

You can apply multiple include and exclude filters to a single profile, but keep in mind that when more than one filter is applied, the filters will be executed in the same order that they are listed in your Profile Settings.

In other words, the output from one filter is then used as the input for the next filter.

As an example, if you want to include only users from California and Texas, you cannot create two separate include filters because they will cancel each other out. The solution is to create one filter that uses a regular expression to indicate that the Visitor Region should be California or Texas.

Best Practices for Google Analytics Filters

Overview of Best Practices for Analytics Filters

• Use the Filter Manager to edit or add filters
• Maintain one unfiltered profile so that you always have access to all of your data.
• Create a filter to exclude your internal company traffic from your reports.