Graphs and visualisations in Matomo

The main reporting area within Matomo is where you’ll review your data from the various sections of the main navigation. Analytics data within the Matomo reporting interface is displayed through four primary visualisations. These are the Evolution Graph, Table, Sparkline Summary Cards and Maps. Each of these is described in more detail below.

Evolution graphs

The Evolution Graph visualisation shows a customisable line graph over the specified time period. You can change the period via the top Date Selector. Each chart will typically load one metric by default. You can also customise this chart by plotting different metrics and adding annotations.

Change plotted metrics

To change the plotted metrics within any Evolution Graph, click the Choose metrics dropdown. This will bring up a list of all metrics which are available for the specific graph. Select the metrics to include in the graph and the page will refresh with your updated data.

Evolution graph options

Use the dropdown options to access additional reporting features:

• Show period: Select the period to display your data in days, weeks, months, or years.
• Export:: Choose to export the data into various formats or export the graph image.
• Annotations: Adding annotations is useful to provide context about changes in your data. Learn more about how to use annotations. Click the annotation icon to show annotations within the selected date range and create your own.

Tables

Tables are another data visualisation format that is very useful for reviewing your data and you can switch between flat or hierarchical reports. Tables typically show a primary dimension such as a page or traffic source on the left, followed by a series of associated metrics in columns on the right. Hover your mouse over rows and metrics to reveal additional data and features.

Switch between hierarchical and flat reports

The flat report lists each page on its own row using the full page path.

To show aggregate rows while in flat view, see Show or hide aggregate rows in reports.

The hierarchical report groups pages according to the website’s URL structure. Metrics for sub-pages roll up into their parent pages, making it easier to explore large websites by section.

In the hierarchical view, click the plus (+) icon to expand a section and view its sub-pages. Click the minus (–) icon to collapse the rows.

A page named index represents the default page within that directory. The metrics shown for a parent page equal the combined totals of its sub-pages. See How to group homepage URLs.

To switch views, click the three-dot menu and select/deselect Make it flat.

Show totals row

To display totals at the bottom of a report, click the three-dot menu and select Show totals row. This includes the total of all rows in the report.

When you apply a search filter to narrow the results, the Filtered total row updates to show the totals for matching results. The report also displays the overall totals for comparison.

Show percentages

By default, the table values are shown in numerical figures. If you hover over the value, it will display the corresponding percentage.

To show all values in percentages, click the three-dot menu and select Show percentages. Hover over a value to view its numerical value.

Search within reports

A search field is available above the table reports. Enter your search term and hit the Enter or click on the search icon to run the search. All rows returned will include your search term. you can search for nature and it would return all keywords matching nature. Learn more.

View historical report about any data point

You can expand the data within any row in the tables to show a historical Row Evolution. Hover over a row and click on the row evolution icon to open a detailed view of the historical values for this specific row.

To compare multiple rows, click on the link to Pick a row to compare and then click the row evolution icon on the additional row you like to compare to load the comparison.

Change number of rows displayed in the report tables

Tables containing a large number of rows are separated across multiple pages that you can navigate with the < Previous and Next > links shown below the table. The current number of rows per page will be displayed in the bottom right dropdown, Rows to display. Choose the number of rows to display in your report.

Reveal extended Table data options

Tables within Matomo will load all available data for the most common metrics. However, many reports provide options to customise the data shown in the table. Click the three-dot menu and select the relevant option to change your report’s display. Specific options will vary between report types.

Insights

Within the Insights visualisation, you can quickly reference the biggest increasing and decreasing metrics of your current report. This is also known as the Movers and Shakers report. Below the report you will be able to choose from a number of comparison periods depending on what makes sense for each specific report, including:

• Previous day
• Same day in previous week
• Same day in previous year
• Previous week
• Previous month
• Same month in previous year
• Previous year
• Previous number of days (Compared to a custom date range)

You can also see the results for a different time period by changing the date in the Date Selector at the top of the page. The data can also be filtered for example show only movers, only the new elements, or only show those that have disappeared from the report. By default, the report is set to show Increaser and decreaser, or you can update it to show either on its own.

The example below shows the most increased visits by Channel Type over a one-month period. You can see the actual number of additional visits and the percentage increase those visits represent.

Graphs

The Vertical bar graph visualisation is useful for a visual comparison of the numeric data values. Whereas, the Pie charts visualisation can easily show you the relative distribution of each item from the table.

Lastly the Tag cloud is great for generating a visual snapshot of your most populous data. Higher value items are shown in bold with an increased font size. The example report below shows how you might use this to identify your top search keywords.

Sparkline Summary Cards

These are most commonly shown on overview pages and provide a high-level summary of the data surrounding a topic. For example, on the Goals page, you will see a summary of the number of conversions, the conversion rate, and overall revenue associated with these goal completions.

Sparkline summary cards are shown with a line chart on the left and a text summary of the data just to the right of it. The line chart spans the date period you have selected with the Date Selector. Within this line chart, the red bubble represents the lowest data point, the green represents the highest data point, and there is a blue bubble at the end, representing your most recent data point.

There are no settings within these summary cards however, there are two significant features. You can hover over the percent indicator for a more detailed description of the data shown. Clicking on a sparkline will update the Evolution graph to display its data.

Maps

The final data visualisation is the Map view which is only relevant when looking at location-based data. By default, this shows a world map. You can drill down, by clicking on a country to see a breakdown of regions, and you can click on these to reveal an Evolution Graph for the selected region. It is important to remember when you are reviewing location data, that this is being pulled from the IP address. This means the accuracy may vary depending on how you have configured your privacy settings.

Learn more in the guide Visitors maps (World, country and region)