Use custom dimensions in Analytics

You can set up custom dimensions in Google Analytics to create richer and more informative reports on your Google News feed’s traffic.

Create custom dimensions for Google News

Important: After you create a custom dimension, you cannot delete it. You can make it inactive and change its name, but you can't remove it entirely.

DO IT NOW IN ANALYTICS

 

1. To create a custom dimension for News in Google Analytics, in the “Scope” field select Hit.

2. To keep your data from having incorrect headings and titles, add the custom dimensions in the chart below.

Custom dimensions tracked by Google News

Make sure to add the dimensions in this exact order:

Index	Title/name	Description	Matching field in Publisher Center
1	Publication ID	Unique ID given to each publication.	N/A
3	Section ID	Unique ID given to each section inside a publication.	N/A
4	Article ID	Unique ID given to each article in a section.	N/A
5	Publication name	The name of the publication on which an event occurred.	Publication name
7	Section name	The name of the section on which an event occurred.	Section name
8	Article title	The title of the article on which an event occurred.	Title under Manage Articles
9	Page Number	Articles: The page (as measured by one screenful of content while a user scrolls) on which an event occurred while reading an article. Sections: The page of the section on which an event occurred. Important: Page numbers start at zero.	N/A
10	User subscription type	The reader's subscription type. Possible values include: 2 - not subscribed 3 - free 4 - paid	N/A
11	Offline	Whether the reader was offline when the event occurred.	N/A
12	Placeholder	Create a placeholder custom dimension and mark it as inactive (uncheck the Active checkbox when creating). It won't track any data.	N/A
13	Placeholder	Create a placeholder custom dimension, and mark it as inactive (uncheck the Active checkbox when creating). It won't track any data.	N/A
14	Placeholder	Create a placeholder custom dimension, and mark it as inactive (uncheck the Active checkbox when creating). It won't track any data.	N/A
15	Placeholder	When articles are read, this dimension tracks which screen the user was on when they clicked on the article. Possible values include: Read now (corresponds to the "For you" feed) [Section] Publication name - Publication name [Topic] Topic name Explore Search etc.	N/A
16	Placeholder	Create a placeholder custom dimension and mark it as inactive (i.e. uncheck the Active checkbox when creating). It won't track any data.	N/A
17	Translated language	The language to which your publication or article was translated when it was read. The default value is “None” if the content was not translated and read in its original language.	N/A
18	Placeholder	Create a placeholder custom dimension and mark it as inactive (i.e. uncheck the Active checkbox when creating). It won't track any data.	N/A
19	AMP version	Whether the reader saw the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) version of an article (if available). It'll be true if the user was shown the AMP document and false otherwise. Users may not see the AMP version if they have an older application or OS version or are offline.	N/A

 

Learn more about how to create a custom dimension in Analytics. ​

The next time a reader syncs your publication, Analytics will start to track their viewing activity. This lets you:

• See an aggregated view of your readership.
• Use your custom dimensions when you create a custom report as segments or secondary dimensions via the Google Analytics standard reports.

Add custom dimensions to your default reports

To display the value of a custom dimension on the default reporting views:

1. Sign in to Analytics.

2. To navigate to a default report view, click Behavior Screens.

3. Underneath the graph, click the Secondary dimension drop-down.

4. In the drop-down, expand Custom dimensions.

5. Select the desired custom dimension.

Important: If you'd like to view your data using additional dimensions or metrics, click the “Advanced” link.