Compare table row data with Row Evolution Graphs

You can use the power of row evolution graphs within any of your table reports to compare different metrics over time. When reviewing two or more metrics or dimensions alongside each other, you can identify commonalities more easily. Some examples of where this could be useful are for analysing the relative differences between pageviews for particular pages or identifying search keywords that are better at bringing people to your website.

Compare table rows to identify similarities and differences

If you would like to compare the data from a row evolution graph with data from another row in the same table, while viewing the row evolution popup, click Pick a row to compare. This will take you back to the table, where you can repeat the original steps of hovering your mouse over the row you are interested in and then clicking the row evolution icon again to bring up the evolution graph report with your row comparison.

If you’d like to select multiple rows for comparison, hold down the shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the row evolution icon to prevent the popup opening until your final selection. It is generally recommended that you compare no more than four different rows of data at a time to aid comprehension.

In the example above, you can see a comparison of pageviews between two pages: /cart/ and /checkout/. This might give you an indication of how many people make it through to your checkout page in comparison to simply viewing their shopping cart.

However, this wouldn’t account for the fact that some people may load either page more than once. In this case, you may want to review the number of Unique Pageviews instead. To do this, you can click on the dropdown menu for Available metrics at the bottom of the popup and select Unique pageviews instead. You can do this for any row comparison to switch between available metrics.

Compare Metrics to Identify Relationships

While viewing a row evolution graph, it is possible to compare multiple metrics simultaneously. To do this, you can press the shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the sparkline chart for the additional metric that you’d like to compare with your currently selected one.

The example below shows this feature in use on a row evolution graph for a specific page to compare pageviews against unique pageviews revealing the difference between repeat and one-off pageviews.

Another example of a situation where this feature could be helpful is looking at Avg. time on page and Bounce Rate metrics alongside each other after you’ve made significant changes to a page. While not a comparison between the two metrics, the two metrics combined should give you a good idea of whether the changes you’ve made have had a positive effect on your page or not.