Are you curious about what criteria cannot be used to create a custom segment?
Custom segments are essential for analyzing data in Google Analytics, but there are some limitations to what you can use to create them.
Understanding these limitations can help you create more accurate and effective segments for your website.
One criterion that cannot be used to create a custom segment is ad type.
While you can use filters based on dimensions and metrics to create segments, ad type is not one of them.
This means that you cannot create a segment based on the type of ad that was displayed on your website.
Another criterion that cannot be used to create a custom segment is location.
While you can use geographic dimensions such as city, country, and region to create segments, you cannot create a segment based on the location of a user’s IP address.
This is because Google Analytics does not store this information for privacy reasons.
What Criteria Cannot Be Used To Create A Custom Segment?
When creating a custom segment in Google Analytics, there are certain criteria that cannot be used.
These limitations are important to keep in mind to ensure that your segments are accurate and effective.
Here are the criteria that cannot be used to create a custom segment:
- Ad type: You cannot use ad type as a criterion for creating a custom segment.
- This means that you cannot create a segment based on whether a user saw a display ad or a search ad.
- Dimensions: While you can use dimensions to create custom segments, there are certain dimensions that cannot be used.
- For example, you cannot use the “Hour of Day” dimension to create a segment.
- Metrics: Similarly, there are certain metrics that cannot be used to create custom segments.
- For example, you cannot use the “Bounce Rate” metric to create a segment.
- Sequences of user actions: You cannot create a segment based on a sequence of user actions.
- For example, you cannot create a segment for users who visited a specific page and then completed a specific event.
It’s important to note that these limitations only apply to custom segments.
You can still use these criteria in other parts of Google Analytics, such as in standard reports or when creating audiences for remarketing campaigns.
In summary, when creating a custom segment in Google Analytics, you cannot use ad type, certain dimensions and metrics, or sequences of user actions.
By keeping these limitations in mind, you can create more accurate and effective custom segments to help you better understand your website’s performance.
Examples of Invalid Criteria
When creating a custom segment, it’s important to keep in mind the criteria that cannot be used.
Here are some examples of invalid criteria:
- Ad type: Ad type is not a measurable function of your traffic, so it cannot be used to create a custom segment.
- However, you can still choose to select the Ad Type as the name for your custom segment.
- User ID: User ID is a unique identifier assigned to a user by your system, and it cannot be used as a criterion for creating a custom segment in Google Analytics.
- Session duration: Session duration is a metric that can be used to analyze user behavior, but it cannot be used as a criterion for creating a custom segment.
- Page load time: Page load time is another metric that can be used to analyze user behavior, but it cannot be used as a criterion for creating a custom segment.
- Screen resolution: Screen resolution is a dimension that can be used to analyze user behavior, but it cannot be used as a criterion for creating a custom segment.
When creating a custom segment, it’s important to choose criteria that are relevant to your business goals and that can be measured by Google Analytics.
By avoiding invalid criteria, you can create more meaningful segments that provide valuable insights into your website traffic.
Implications of Invalid Criteria
When creating a custom segment, it is important to note that certain criteria cannot be used.
If you attempt to use invalid criteria, you may end up with inaccurate or incomplete data. Here are some implications of using invalid criteria:
- Data Inaccuracy: If you use invalid criteria to create a custom segment, the resulting data may not accurately represent your website visitors.
- For example, if you use ad type as a criterion, you may exclude visitors who did not come to your site via an ad, even though they are part of your target audience.
- Data Incompleteness: Using invalid criteria can also result in incomplete data.
- For example, if you use sequences of user actions as a criterion, you may miss visitors who performed the desired actions in a different order or at different times.
- Misinterpretation of Results: Using invalid criteria can lead to misinterpretation of results.
- You may draw incorrect conclusions about your audience or campaign performance if you are not using accurate and complete data.
To avoid these implications, it is important to carefully consider which criteria you use when creating a custom segment.
Stick to valid criteria that accurately represent your target audience and campaign goals.
By doing so, you can ensure that your data is accurate, complete, and easy to interpret.
How to Correctly Define Custom Segments
When creating custom segments in Google Ads or Google Analytics, it’s important to understand what criteria cannot be used.
This will help ensure that your segments are accurately defined and provide meaningful insights.
One criterion that cannot be used to create a custom segment is ad type.
Ad type refers to the format of the ad, such as text, image, or video.
While you can view data on ad type in your account, you cannot create a segment based on it.
Another criterion that cannot be used is campaign type.
Campaign type refers to the objective of the campaign, such as search, display, or video.
Again, while you can view data on campaign type, you cannot create a segment based on it.
Similarly, ad group type cannot be used to create a custom segment.
Ad group type refers to the grouping of ads within a campaign, such as keywords, topics, or placements.
You cannot create a segment based on this criterion.
When defining custom segments, it’s important to focus on criteria that are relevant to your business goals and provide actionable insights.
This might include demographic information, interests, behaviors, or geographic location.
By understanding what criteria cannot be used to create a custom segment, you can ensure that your segments are accurately defined and provide meaningful insights.
Key Takeaways
When creating a custom segment in Google Analytics, it’s important to understand what criteria can and cannot be used.
Some criteria that cannot be used include:
- Ad type: This refers to the type of ad that was served to the user, such as a display ad or a search ad.
- Dimensions of the same scope: You cannot pair metrics with dimensions of the same scope, such as pageviews with page titles.
- Sequences of user actions: You cannot create a segment based on a specific sequence of user actions, such as users who added a product to their cart and then abandoned it.
It’s important to note that while these criteria cannot be used to create a custom segment, they can still be used in other ways within Google Analytics.
For example, you can still view data on ad type and user behavior sequences, but you cannot create a segment based on these criteria.
When creating a custom segment, it’s important to choose criteria that are relevant to your business goals and will provide actionable insights.
Some examples of criteria that can be used to create a custom segment include:
- Demographics: This includes information such as age, gender, and location.
- Behavior: This includes information such as pages visited, events triggered, and session duration.
- Technology: This includes information such as device type, browser, and operating system.
By using relevant criteria to create custom segments, you can gain a deeper understanding of your website visitors and make data-driven decisions to improve your website and marketing efforts.
