Tag Archives: Developer

Supercharge your Google Analytics with SkyGlue

The following is a guest post from SkyGlue, a Google Analytics Technology Partner. 

SkyGlue is a powerful add-on tool for Google Analytics that helps web analysts to get more out of Google Analytics. With SkyGlue, you can automate Event Tracking for your website, zoom in on visitor analytics, and export and integrate your Google Analytics data with your own database or CRM. 
Automatic Event Tracking: Custom data collection without IT help
Your website probably offers many ways for visitors to interact with your content, so you need to know what your visitors do on your site, and not just which pages they visit. Although you collect important data about interactions like clicks, downloads, and modal popups using Google Analytics Event Tracking, it requires a fair amount of additional setup. And if you don’t have the IT resources to set up Event Tracking, it means that you’re missing out on collecting this important data. 
SkyGlue helps you gain independence from IT resources by automating Event Tracking with on-the-fly customization using SkyGlue web portal. By adding one line of JavaScript to your website, the SkyGlue app can track interactions with any HTML element on your website and then send this data to your Google Analytics account.  
SkyGlue Event Tracking visual overlay
Visitor analytics + Data export
SkyGlue supports multiple approaches to visitor tracking and offers special reports that let you see the entire sequence of visits and interactions. Integrated fully with Google Analytics advanced segments, these reports let you zoom-in on selected groups of visitors, helping you understand your customers’ behavior, discover patterns, identify technical glitches, improve customer service, and find ways to increase conversion and retention rates. You can also use SkyGlue to export your Google Analytics data on a daily basis, and integrate it with your own CRM and other data sources.
abc_appliances_updated.jpg
SkyGlue Individual Visitor Report (not based on real data)
SkyGlue puts some of Google Analytics most powerful features in the hands of every analyst. Use it to automate Event Tracking, get access to visitor analytics reports, and export and integrate Google Analytics data with other data sources. 
SkyGlue is free to try and takes only a few minutes to set up - check it out and see customer reviews in the Google Analytics Partner Gallery. 
For more information, visit the SkyGlue website and read real-world examples of how SkyGlue has already helped many business and organizations get more out of Google Analytics.  
- The Google Analytics Developer Relations team

Check the Forward Compatibility Map before modifying LocationGroups in CampaignCriterion (v201409, v201502)

Do you use LocationGroups in CampaignCriterion? If so, read on to learn about a new key in the Forward Compatibility Map to identify whether a Location Group is compatible with the AdWords user interface or the API.

Through the Campaign Settings tab of the user interface and the AdWords API CampaignCriterionService, you can create a LocationGroups campaign criteria to target locations within a specific radius around all of your campaign's location extensions.


The user interface also allows you to further restrict the LocationGroups criterion to location extensions within geographical targets or Cities-DMA regions. However, the AdWords API does not currently support modifying these additional settings.

To indicate in the AdWords API that someone created a configuration of the latter form through the user interface, the CampaignCriterion.forwardCompatibilityMap has a new key called LocationGroups.locationId.

Key
Read-Only
Value Description
IMPORTANT
Service
CampaignCriterionService
Entity
CampaignCriterion
Key Name
LocationGroups.locationId
Yes
The Location criterion ID chosen for the LocationGroups criterion from Geographical Targeting or Cities-DMA Regions. For example, an ID of 2752 indicates targeting around location extensions within Sweden.
If this key appears in CampaignCriterion .forwardCompatibilityMap, then re-adding the LocationGroups after removal or using a copy of the LocationGroups may result in a loss of configuration information.

We’re working to support the geographical targets and Cities-DMA regions option in future API versions.

Be on the lookout for an upcoming addition to the Forward Compatibility Map regarding which feed ID will be used for proximity targeting.

Questions? Visit us on the AdWords API Forum or our Google+ page.

Nadine Sundquist, AdWords API Team

Sunset of v201403 of the DFP API

It's that time again - time to say goodbye to another version of the DFP API. In accordance with our deprecation schedule, v201403 has been deprecated and is scheduled for sunset on Tuesday, June 30 2015. At that time, any requests made to v201403 will return errors.

If you're currently using v201403, there's still time to migrate to the latest and greatest v201502. To do so, check the release notes to identify any breaking changes, grab the latest version of your client library, and update your code!

Things to look out for include:

This is not an exhaustive list, so as always don't hesitate to reach out to us on our API forum with any questions.

 - , DFP API Team

Important upcoming breaking changes to DFP reporting

Now that it’s spring again (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), it’s time for DFP’s annual spring cleaning! In this edition, we’ll be doing some pruning of our ReportService. What does this mean for you? We’re sunsetting some reporting dimensions, attributes, and metrics in existing versions (before the version is fully sunset), so your reports will break if you don’t migrate before the shutoff dates. I know what you’re wondering: “should I panic?”. Absolutely not. This type of behavior rarely occurs, so as long as you phase out usage for these particular fields, you should be fine moving forward.

Merged Metrics

Remember when Doubleclick for Publishers was called DART? I, too, get nostalgic about our old ad server, but it’s been a couple of years since we transitioned to the new DFP platform, and it’s just about time when the merged reporting columns are no longer useful (these columns only existed so you could continue reporting on delivery that spanned DART and DFP). In all versions after v201502, we will no longer provide merged reporting columns and dimension attributes in the API, that is, anything starting with 'MERGED_' or contains '_LIFETIME_MERGED_.' After August 1, 2015, these columns and dimension attributes will stop returning data entirely and will return INVALID_COLUMNS in all versions that still include them.

There are three scenarios in which you’re using these columns:

  1. Just for fun.
  2. Because you forgot you’re using them.
  3. Because you have lifetime line items that have carried over from DART (in which case you’ll have to recreate these). To give you an example, if the metric you care about is impressions, you can get the DART delivery portion by subtracting the portion of delivery from DFP Premium (AD_SERVER_IMPRESSIONS) from the MERGED value (MERGED_AD_SERVER_IMPRESSIONS) which represents the aggregate DART and DFP Premium volume. Additionally, you should make the switch to the non-merged columns and dimension attributes as soon as possible.

Dimension Filters

But wait, there’s more! Our next API version (v201505) will be the last to support some of our infrequently used dimensionFilters.

  • MOBILE_LINE_ITEMS
  • WEB_INVENTORY_UNITS
  • MOBILE_INVENTORY_UNITS
  • WHOLE_NETWORK
  • PARTNER_STATS_TYPE_ESTIMATED
  • ACTIVE_ADVERTISERS
  • PARTNER_STATS_TYPE_RECONCILED
  • WEB_LINE_ITEMS
  • ALL_SALESPEOPLE

In each of the cases above, the filters either no longer provide meaningful information (as is the case with mobile vs. web line items and ad units with platform unification complete), or weren’t being used at all.

Similar to the changes above, after August 1, 2015, these dimension filters will return an INVALID_DIMENSION_FILTERS error in any version that still includes them.

So if you’re using any of the reporting features above, consider this an early heads up (and an opportunity) to refactor some of your code for spring cleaning.

As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know on the forums.

 - , DFP API Team

Ads Take a Step Towards “HTTPS Everywhere”

Since 2008 we’ve been working to make sure all of our services use strong HTTPS encryption by default. That means people using products like Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Drive will automatically have an encrypted connection to Google. In addition to providing a secure connection on our own products, we’ve been big proponents of the idea of “HTTPS Everywhere,” encouraging webmasters to prevent and fix security breaches on their sites, and using HTTPS as a signal in our search ranking algorithm.

This year, we’re working to bring this “HTTPS Everywhere” mission to our ads products as well, to support all of our advertiser and publisher partners. Here are some of the specific initiatives we’re working on:
  • We’ve moved all YouTube ads to HTTPS as of the end of 2014.
  • Search on Google.com is already encrypted for a vast majority of users and we are working towards encrypting search ads across our systems.
  • By June 30, 2015, the vast majority of mobile, video, and desktop display ads served to the Google Display Network, AdMob, and DoubleClick publishers will be encrypted.
  • Also by June 30, 2015, advertisers using any of our buying platforms, including AdWords and DoubleClick, will be able to serve HTTPS-encrypted display ads to all HTTPS-enabled inventory.
Of course we’re not alone in this goal. By encrypting ads, the advertising industry can help make the internet a little safer for all users. Recently, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) published a call to action to adopt HTTPS ads, and many industry players are also working to meet HTTPS requirements. We’re big supporters of these industry-wide efforts to make HTTPS everywhere a reality.

Our HTTPS Everywhere ads initiatives will join some of our other efforts to provide a great ads experience online for our users, like “Why this Ad?”, “Mute This Ad” and TrueView skippable ads. With these security changes to our ads systems, we’re one step closer to ensuring users everywhere are safe and secure every time they choose to watch a video, map out a trip in a new city, or open their favorite app.

Neal Mohan, VP Product Management, Display and Video Ads
Jerry Dischler, VP Product Management, AdWords

Google Mobile Ads Unity Plugin v2.2.1

We have launched the Google Mobile Ads Unity Plugin v2.2.1. The updated v2.2.1 Unity package is available for download on GitHub here.

Multiple ad positions

Google Mobile Ads Unity Plugin v2.2.1 introduces support for additional banner position locations. The full list of banner positions is as follows:

  • Top
  • Bottom
  • TopLeft
  • TopRight
  • BottomLeft
  • BottomRight

The additional positions are specified by setting the AdPosition value when instantiating a bannerView:


//Create a banner at the top-right of the screen.
BannerView bannerView = new BannerView(adUnitId, AdSize.Banner, AdPosition.TopRight);

iOS Ads SDK 7.0.0 Compatibility

With the v7.0.0 release, the iOS Ads SDK became a module framework and Google Mobile Ads Unity Plugin v2.2.1 complies with this change. For modules to work, you must enable them in the project build settings. Search for "modules", and set Enable Modules to YES. The Link Frameworks Automatically option should be set to YES as well.

Unity 5.0 and ARC

Unity 5.0 has moved out of beta and brings with it support for Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) for iOS. v2.2.1 of the Unity plugin takes advantage of ARC with no additional changes in project settings or code.

The source code and a sample app for the plugin are available on our GitHub repo. A changelog for this release is listed here. If you have any questions about Unity integration, you can reach us on our forum. Remember that you can also find us on Google+, where we have updates on all of our Google Ads developer products.

 - , Mobile Ads Developer Relations

Announcing v2.1 of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API

Today we're pleased to announce v2.1 of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API. This release introduces some exciting new functionality, including: All users are encouraged to adopt this new version and begin making use of its enhanced feature set. If you're still working with the legacy DFA API, please note that it will be sunset on September 30th, 2015. We recommend that these users skip v2.0 and migrate straight to v2.1.

As with every new version of the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API, we encourage you to carefully review all changes in the release notes. For those of you looking to get going right away, updated client libraries are now available. If you're just starting out, the getting started guide is a great reference to help you get up and running quickly.

Give it a try and let us know if you have any questions!

 - , DFA API Team

Ads API Workshops on Display Content Now Available

A few weeks back we hosted a workshop for the Display Ads APIs and SDKs where we gave presentations on the DFP API, IMA SDK, and Mobile Ads SDK. If you weren’t able to attend, or want a refresher on something you saw that day, you can check out our presentation videos and slides. If you have any questions about those videos, feel free to ask on our respective forums:

 - , IMA SDK Team

Tackling Quantitative PR Measurement with AirPR & Google Analytics

The following is a guest post by Leta Soza. Leta is the PR Engineer at AirPR where she lives and breathes PR strategy, content marketing, community cultivation, and analytics. Her analytics adoration stems from the firmly rooted belief that you can’t manage what you can’t measure, so bring on the data. She works with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups in order to assist them in proving the ROI of their PR efforts while optimizing their strategies. 

It’s no secret that PR has historically been difficult to measure… quantitatively that is.

PR pros have always had to rely on less than stellar metrics (AVEs, impressions calculations, etc.) to show ROI, and with seemingly no viable reporting alternatives, PR has basically been relegated to the budgetary back seat.

For years, the industry has struggled to prove its value, lagging behind in technological innovation. But as every aspect of business becomes driven by data, vanity metrics are becoming unacceptable and PR is being held accountable for demonstrating its impact on the bottom line.

At AirPR, we’ve made it our mission to provide analytics, insights, and measurement solutions for the rapidly evolving PR industry. Our Analyst product focuses on increasing overall PR performance while seeking to solve systemic industry challenges through the application of big data.

Analyst, our measurement and insights solution, was created to assist PR and communication professionals in understanding what’s moving the needle in terms of their business objectives. 

Interested in how many potential customers came to your website from that press hit? Curious which authors drove the most social amplification during a specific quarter? Want to more deeply understand message pull-through or even attribute revenue? Analyst simplifies getting these answers.

One of the key features of Analyst is our unique integration with Google Analytics. Our integration arms Analyst users with a comprehensive snapshot of the PR activities driving business objectives, as well as the insights to understand the media placements (earned or owned) that are achieving specific company aims, giving PR professionals a single dashboard dedicated to displaying the performance of their efforts. Completing the GA integration creates a comprehensive view of the most meaningful and actionable PR data in aggregate which then allows users to click into any piece of data for more context. 
AirPR Analyst Dashboard (click for full-sized image)

In PR attribution is key, so we leverage Google Analytics data in order to display PR-specific performance and demonstrate ROI. Our aim: To change the way the industry thinks about PR analytics, insights, and measurement and to provide the solutions that support this shift. 

To quote legendary management consultant Peter Drucker, “In this new era of ‘big data’ it is even more important to convert raw data to true information.” Our goal is to deliver actionable and meaningful information. When decision makers understand what’s working, they can increase effort on certain aspects, eliminate others, and make impactful budget allocation decisions for future PR campaigns, much like they do for advertising.

To learn more about AirPR Analyst, check us out in the Google Analytics app gallery.

Posted by Leta Soza, PR Engineer at AirPR 

Introducing DCM Reporting and Trafficking Services in Apps Script

Starting today, the DCM/DFA Reporting and Trafficking API is available as an advanced Google service in Google Apps Script. This service allows users to easily integrate their DCM reporting and trafficking data with Google Docs and Sheets, schedule updates using triggers, and much more.

Accessing the API from Apps Script is simple: just enable the service and it's ready to use. Authentication is handled automatically and editor conveniences such as autocomplete make it easy to start writing code right away. As an example, here's a snippet of code that shows how to list all user profiles available to your Google account: 

function listUserProfiles() {
  // Retrieve the list of available user profiles
  var profiles = DoubleClickCampaigns.UserProfiles.list();

  if (profiles.items) {
    // Print out the user ID and name of each
    for (var i = 0; i < profiles.items.length; i++) {
      var profile = profiles.items[i];
      Logger.log('Found profile with ID %s and name "%s".',
        profile.profileId, profile.userName);
    }
  }
}
To get started, check out the service documentation, which contains additional examples, as well as the full API reference documentation. If you have any questions, visit the API forum or reach out to Google Apps Script support.

 - , DFA API Team