Example: Say you want to know, how the visitors coming from referring sources has changed during the course of last three months. You would also like to compare the revenue earned from the traffic and see, which site is bringing more revenue and which site is bringing returning visitors and so on.

The report can be generated from the “Referring sources” section of your Google Analytics account, but the motion charts allows you to see a short video of the data for a date range. You can visually compare the ups and downs as seen in the following image:

Google Analytics Motion charts

How to Create Motion Charts in Google Analytics

Motion charts are not available in all report segments but you can generate motion charts of the following metrics:

1. Traffic Sources: This includes Referring sites, search engines., all traffic sources, keywords, campaigns and adwords.

2. Content: This includes top content, content by title, content drilldown, top landing pages and top exit pages.

3. Visitors: This includes New vs returning, languages, visitor loyality, browsers, operating system, flash versions and so on.

To create a motion chart of any of the above metric, click the “Visualize” button from the report page as shown below:

Create Motion Charts in Google Analytics

In the next page, select the values from the right sidebar which you want to compare. For example, you may want to compare the visits from two search engines or may be from two referring sites. After that, select the metric for comparison from the left sidebar. This metric will determine exactly which set of data you want to compare. Then click the “Play” button to start playing the motion chart.

Customize Motion charts to compare Values

Motion charts allows bubbles and graphs but I think the graphs looks a lot better than bubbles. Also read how to create charts using Google docs and web based tools.

Further reading:

1. Google’s official guide to Analytics motion charts
2. How to Master Google Analytics Motion Charts – Search Engine land
3. Some Must Have Custom Segments for Google Analytics

Here is a short video showing Google Analytics motion charts in action:

Using Google Analytics Motion Charts To Visualize And Compare Traffic Data Performance originally published on Ampercent

Embed Real Time Analytics is an online tool that can generate HTML codes from your Google Analytics data using which the Analytics data can be shown on your website or blog as a live chart. Let me show you how you can embed real time analytics on your website or blog using this tool.

Signup and Grant Access to Google Analytics :

1. Go to the signup page and register for a free account.

2. After you press “Next” you will be asked to grant this app access to your Google Analytics account. You do not need worry about the privacy though, as it won’t have an access to the account and you can revoke Google analytics access to the app at any point of time.

3. You will be asked to login using your Google Account that you use for Google Analytics.

4. After you login press the button “Grant Access” to grant access to this app. Once you do that, you will get redirected to Embedded Analytics Account homepage.

How To Create, Customize And Embed A Chart on Your Website :

1. You can create two types of demographics using this tool.

• Embedded Chart : To use this go to Products > EmbeddedCharts or you could use this link (keep logged in).
• Embedded Stats : Go to Products > EmbeddedStats or use this link while logged in.

2. Now I will be showing you how to create a chart against your analytics data and embed it on your website or blog. To do that go to the Embedded Charts sections (use the link provided earlier).

3. In the Embedded Charts page, you will find a link named “Sample Reports”. Click that which will take you to the page where some sample reports have been demonstrated. Once you are there, you will find another link (above every sample charts section) which says “Create Chart Against My Data”. Well this is the link that we will be using to create our chart. I was a bit annoyed that guys back there did not provide a direct link. (You could use this direct link).

4. If you have multiple profiles under your Google Analytics Account then choose the profile you wish to create the chart for and press the button “Create Chart”.

9. As the page loads you will see a chart of your Google Analytics data getting materialized. At first, you will notice a chart that is pretty basic and is generated by default. You will get a customization panel following the chart using which you can customize the metrics, time frame and appearance (fonts,colors etc) for the chart to meet your needs.

10. I am not going to comment on other customizations, you choose what is best for you. I will be showing how to edit the metric / dimension part only. Scroll down to the section which says “Series”. You will find a link “Edit”. Click that.

11. Now you will be able to change the metrics for the chart. Switch to values which suits your requirements. Once you are done press the submit button.

12. Once you are all set, press the button “Submit”. Now scroll down to the end of the page and hit the button “Get HTML Code”. Once you get it, copy it and paste the code on your webpage wherever you are willing to. You can take a look at the live chart created for Ampercent over pageviews (for last 30 days) metric on our sales page or here is a screenshot of that.

Pricing :

The tool has both free and paid versions. The paid version costs $19.95 (as on 18th May’10) for one year. It has support for 5 charts. The free version on the tool has support for only 1 chart. The free version also includes a promotional banner on the chart which can be removed in the paid version. For more information on pricing please visit their pricing page.

So, I guess from now on you can use this app to make an exact sales page. If you know of any such free tool that serves the same purpose please let us know. And also comment if this tool has helped you solve a problem. Happy Blogging !!!

Embed Real Time analytics in your Website originally published on Ampercent

You can create flow charts in Ms-paint or Microsoft Powerpoint but one of the disadvantages of using them is the output. You have to manually draw the shapes, add text and often, the output is not uniform – some shapes are larger while some are smaller. Another disadvantage of using MS-paint is that the flow charts have to be saved as an image and if you want to modify the items later on, you have to start over from scratch.

MeeSoft’s Diagram Designer is one of the best software programs to create flowcharts and network diagrams in Windows. Once the program is installed, just drag and drop the elements in the workspace and connect them using the desired connectors. You can add different shapes e.g decision box, rhombus, rectangle, process, user input etc.

Diagram Designer

Once the flow chart is complete, you can save the project and export the flow chart as an image. The best part about Diagram designer is that the program lets you add your images in the flowchart. The program also supports multiple pages – so you can save several charts inside one .DDD file.

Diagram designer works in Windows XP, WIndows Vista and Windows7. Thanks DownloadSquad.

Tip: Use Google Docs to create Charts and graphs

Diagram Designer Lets you Create Flowcharts and Network Diagrams from Windows originally published on Ampercent

Google Docs Vs Web Based Apps

Consider you are creating a project report and want a line graph from a set of data. You head over to a website which lets you create charts and create the chart as usual. After some weeks, if you want to modify the chart – you have to start all over from scratch. You may lose the data used in the chart, if you haven’t saved it in an excel spreadsheet.

Google docs has a slight edge because you can store the data in an excel spreadsheet, create the chart and download the image in your computer. Later, when you want to add, edit or remove data from the chart, just edit the spreadsheet and the change will be automatically reflected in your chart. (Tip: Use Google docs as a Blogging tool)

How to Create Charts and Statistics using Google Docs

1. Open Google docs in your browser and create a new spreadsheet. Enter your data in columns as shown below

2. Click “Insert” from the “Menu” and select “Chart” from the options.

3. This will open the “Create Chart” editor window where you can select the type of hart you want to create. Select the “Type” and the “Sub Type” from the available options

• Columns
• Pie Charts
• Bar Graphs
• Area
• Scatter points

4. Next, select the range of data which you want to use in the chart which you are going to create. Simply click on a cell on the spreadsheet and drag the cursor to make a selection.

Remember to group data by rows or columns according to your need.

5. In the next step, enter the labels of the horizontal and vertical axis and give your chart a name. You can choose to show the legend on top, right, left or bottom of the chart.

6. You are all done. Hit “Save chart and the chart will be embedded in the spreadsheet right away. You can then save the chart as an image in your computer.

Following is a sample chart made using Google docs spreadsheet. The data reflects the monthly pageviews of Ampercent from May 2009 to March 2010.

Please note that the chart won’t be available to other office applications if you download it and try with OpenOffice or Microsoft Office. The same thing can be achieved with Microsoft excel but I will prefer using Google docs since the spreadsheet is stored in the cloud and can be accessed from multiple computers.

Using Google Docs to Create a Simple Survey Form

Above you learned how to create charts in Google Docs. If you have a website or a blog and want to get feedback from your website visitors or a group of people about your latest project, use Google docs to create a simple survey form in your website.

Then you can embed the survey form in your website and gether information from different users in an Excel spreadsheet. The advantage of the form is that you can combine the user generated data in the spreadsheet to create charts, diagrams or bar graphs as shown earlier in this tutorial.

Tip: Create an Interactive Timeline using Microsoft Excel.

Use Google Docs to Create Pie Charts and Graphs originally published on Ampercent

Earlier we have seen free utilities to create Bar graphs,Venn diagrams and pie charts.There are so many websites that let you create pie charts online for free.But seeing Lovely charts, i am convinced that it would outrank it’s competitors.

How it Works : Creating a diagram is easy.Select a new flow chart from File and drag and drop all the elements of the flow chart from the left pane in the compose box.You can add process,decision box,connectors,input output and possibly every element that you may ever need to customize your flow chart.Here is how the interface looks

After you have added the process boxes and other elements in your chart just hit the large connector button in the left pane.This will let you connect the different blocks.The entire interface is very user friendly and even a kid can easily create a chart in minutes.Here is a small screen cast describing how lovely charts works

Similarly you can also create cool network diagrams,sitemaps,people diagrams and wireframes.Given below are some examples created using Lovely charts.

A Flow chart

A Network diagram

A Wireframe

A Sitemap

Saving your charts : All the charts  that you compose are saved in your account for future use.Moreover you can export and save these charts in JPEG and PNG formats.The free account lets you save just one chart for future editing while the premier edition allows you to save multiple charts for further editing.

Share your chart with other users : If you have a premier account then you can share your charts with others and allow collaboration.This makes it easy to share your diagrams with colleagues,customers,clients and get their opinion on a subject.Users can also comment on any chart and give you useful feedback.If you do not like a particular version you can revert back to an earlier build at any time.

Importing images and other stuff in your charts : You can import your own images,icons and other media items in your chart if you have a premier account.So if you have created a nice portrait and want to include it in your diagram,you can.

Charts can be made Public or private : You have complete control over the visibility of Flow charts or other diagrams that you create using Lovely charts.Other users wont be able to view your charts if you hide them and do not make them public.So if you have a confidential business plan that you do not want to expose Lovely charts is a safe option.

Create Flow charts and Network diagrams online with Lovely charts originally published on Ampercent

Earlier we have discussed how to create pie charts-Bar graphs and venn diagrams with online free tools. Here are some of the more pie chart creation tools for you

Charttool : The most flexible online chart generation tool i have seen.You can create pie charts,line charts,bar charts and radar plots with charttool (see example).

You can edit or access your charts later if you have signed up for an account.After creating your charts you can download the charts in your computer in popular image formats like PNG,JPEG. It also supports generating a PDF or CSV of your charts so if you  have a large number of  fields to be used this service is recommended.The charts thus created can be shared using email.

Chartpart : Chartpart is a website that can be used to create pie charts online.You can create 3d pie charts,line graphs,stacked bars,side grouped bar,scatter plots,grouped bars and Venn diagrams  using Chartpart.

At first select the type of pie chart that you want to create and enter your data in the data box. The resulting pie chart is generated in your right as you enter the data.After you have finished creating the chart you can embed the chart in your blog or website by adding a small piece of code. The chart can also be shared with anyone as every chart generated has a Unique URL.

Maptools : Maptools is the simplest website to create pie charts online. You can create pie charts,bar graphs and multi set bars using this website. Just select the number of fields of your chart, assign a color for that field and set it’s value. Your chart is created instantly which you can save in your computer as an image.

The downside is that your chart is not stored online so you cannot directly share it  with anyone or embed it in your blog or anywhere else.

Yellow pipe Pie chart generator

Yellow pipe is another simple pie chart generator web app.Select the number of input fields,select the color of the fields and assign the data. The chart is generated which you can save as an image in your computer

Also do check out some of the interesting Free tools at Yellow pipe

Develop a Pie chart using Google chart API

If you want to go with google then you can generate dynamic charts using the Google charts API. Open  a new  browser window and paste the following in your address bar

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p3&chd=t:20,40,25,15&chs=250×100&chl=Field1|Field2|Field3|Field4

Here you need to supply the values of the Fields as shown by 20,40,25 and 15 separating each of them with commas. At the end of the URL separate the name of the fields with a pipe (|).The example can be found here

Create pie charts online with Free tools originally published on Ampercent

Piecolor : Using Piecolor you can create customized pie charts online.No need to have any office or Excel  Knowledge.Just select the Number of slices,add names to the fields,Customize the colors and click on generate.Piecolor creates a Customized chart based on the preferences.The chart can then be downloaded in your computer.

No sign ups or registrations are required and you are free to create as many charts as you want.Comes with a 3d design as well.A great tool to generate pie charts online.(also see : tools to create pie charts online)

Chartgizmo : With Chartgizmo you can Visualize your data into different shapes.Currently it features Bar graphs,pie charts,lines,3D pie,3D line,3D bar,ring,Cartesian,Candle and Time Series You can also add your comments in the chart .

Chartgizmo gives you everything so that you can easily share your charts and Graphs

• a Unique URL of your Chart
• HTML source to embed in your Blog or website.
• Flash charts are also available
• Different data sources are supported: static data, historical data, dynamic data from JavaScript code, dynamic data from html table on the page You can also Import your data from an excel file.So if you have a large Excel CSV list forget the manual entry and generate your Chart in Seconds.

Charts containing values in Japanese and Chinese are also supported.You can Create unlimited number of charts and save them in your account to view or modify later.Requires registration but worth a look.

Hohlicharts : A multipurpose website that can be used to generate Venn diagrams,Pie charts,Scatter plots,Radar charts,Bar and line charts.Just select your chart type and Input the data.You can preview your chart before downloading in your computer or embed the chart in your blog or website.No sign ups required

A Similar Websites compared to Hohlicharts is ChartTool.

Charts-Speedmymarks : If you are an I phone user and want to Create Charts or bar graphs from I phone  then Speed-my-marks is the right tool.This is a Useful site for managing charts for possibly everything you do.

Create Pie charts – Bar Graphs – Venn Diagrams Online with Free tools originally published on Ampercent