Google Analytics Updates & Release Notes

New Source Group field with update to Source Platform values for improved source analysis

Source grouping is a new dimension concept that consolidates source values for common online platforms - Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. A single value for a given source is vital for performance and attribution analysis (example: “Facebook”; not “facebook”, “fb”, and “Meta-facebook”), and the Source Group field consolidates various source values to provide that single reporting value.

Source Platform is an existing field that we are updating and improving some classifications to align with our updates for Source Group.

This update enables advertisers to:

• Better analyze and optimize their cross-channel performance - Source grouping helps to standardize source dimension values in order to improve your budget analysis and source reporting. You will be able to identify performance and optimization opportunities from both first and third-party platforms and inventory sources. This makes cross-channel reporting in the advertising section more simple and actionable.
• Standardize reporting - This update provides the same level of granularity for third-party platforms (TikTok, Pinterest, Amazon) as it does for Google inventory (YouTube, Search, Maps) and automatically bundles disparate messy source values (example: %instagram%, ig) into clean, high-level categories like Instagram (Source Group) /Meta Ads (Source Platform).
• Future-proof for AI - Includes built-in grouping for emerging traffic sources like ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Perplexity.
• Review retroactive insights - As Source Group is populated retroactively, you can use dimensions to analyze your historical data to take action and optimize advertising.

Hostname filter

Hostname filters are a new type of filter within the existing Data Filter section of the Admin section. It allows customers to filter out (exclude) events based on their hostname (example: “google.com”).

This enables you to make sure any data that does not come from an approved domain is not collected, and therefore can’t distract from your desired analysis.

You can now centrally report on your local business, website, and app metrics. Link your Google Analytics properties with Google Business Profiles (GBP) directly within the Admin panel. This integration enables the seamless import of high-value first-party GBP data. A new dedicated reporting collection surfaces key GBP metrics including interactions, phone calls, bookings, direction requests, and website clicks.

Metric details

Access seven core GBP metrics directly in your reports: GBP interactions, calls, bookings, directions, website clicks, messages, and menus.

Reporting

A new dedicated collection for Google Business Profiles is automatically added to the Reports menu upon linking, providing a structured view of how your local assets drive engagement.

Data availability

GBP metrics are available on a rolling 6-month window. If a selected date range extends beyond this period, Analytics will load the most recent data available from the profile.

This integration helps bridge the gap for measuring in-store intent by providing proxy metrics for physical visits. By centralizing these insights, businesses can better understand the full customer journey and how assets like Search and Maps contribute to overall cross-channel value.

Google Analytics now provides a dedicated way to measure and analyze traffic originating from popular AI assistants. You can now identify how users are discovering your site through chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude via a new AI Assistant channel in your Default Channel Group reports.

This update introduces the following changes to your traffic source dimensions:

• Medium: A new "ai-assistant" value is automatically assigned when the referrer matches a recognized AI Assistant
• Channel Group: These visits are categorized under the "AI Assistant" channel
• Campaign: Traffic from these sources will be identified with the "(ai-assistant)" campaign name

This feature helps you monitor how generative AI impacts your business by tracking user clicks, trending AI sources, and how this traffic compares to traditional channels like organic search.

Conversion support in the Data API

This feature may not be available to your Google Analytics property. The Google Analytics team is actively working to expand this feature to more properties. Please reach out to your support team if you have questions about the eligibility of your property.

Cross-channel conversion reporting data is now available from the Google Analytics Data API in alpha for Google Analytics and Google Ads customers. Google Analytics developers can now gain programmatic access to the same paid and organic reporting data that's available in the Analytics advertising section's Conversion performance report. Refer to the Google Analytics Data API changelog for more details about this new API surface.

Configure your Google Analytics settings using Task Assistant

To help you get the most out of your Google Analytics property, we are introducing Task Assistant. Task Assistant provides tailored recommendations to help you optimize your configuration and improve data collection,. Available from the left navigation menu, it organizes these recommendations into actionable categories, such as connecting your accounts, enhancing your reporting, and fixing data issues. You can easily manage your property's progress by marking tasks as complete as you finish them, or skipping tasks that aren't relevant to your current business goals. Return back to the Task Assistant for additional tasks.

Learn more about Task Assistant

Generated insights on the Home page

We’ve added Generated insights to your Home page. This feature summarizes the top three data changes since your last visit, including key configuration updates, anomalies, and seasonality trends.This helps you quickly catch up on what’s happening in your property and spot performance shifts without needing to dig into detailed reports.

Learn more about Generated insights.

Cross-channel budgeting (Beta)

This feature may not be available to your Google Analytics property. The Google Analytics team is actively working to expand this feature to more properties. Please reach out to your support team if you have questions about the eligibility of your property.

The Google Analytics team is excited to announce the release of cross-channel budgeting. Use cross-channel budgeting to track performance and optimize paid channel investments.

Cross-channel budgeting (Beta)

This feature may not be available to your Google Analytics property. The Google Analytics team is actively working to expand this feature to more properties. Please reach out to your support team if you have questions about the eligibility of your property.

The Google Analytics team is excited to announce the release of cross-channel budgeting. Use cross-channel budgeting to track performance and optimize paid channel investments.

• Projection plans help you identify areas for improvement and make quick optimization decisions. You can see how advertising channels are expected to perform against your performance indicators (KPIs) like spend, conversions, and revenue.
• Scenario plans help you determine the optimal distribution of your budget for future media initiatives by letting you explore potential ROI at different budget levels.

With these tools, you'll be able to answer critical questions like, "Is my spend on track?", "How many future conversions are forecasted based on my planned spend?" and “How should I allocate my budgets to maximize revenue and ROI?”

Learn more about cross-channel budgeting

Improved web conversion management and reporting capabilities for Google Ads customers (Beta)

This feature may not be available to your Google Analytics property. The Google Analytics team is actively working to expand this feature to more properties. Please reach out to your support team if you have questions about the eligibility of your property.

More flexible web conversion management tools and new cross-channel reporting features are now available for marketers and advertisers.

• Conversion attribution settings are now adjustable independently for every conversion, enabling customers to fine-tune their bidding strategies in Google Ads, eliminate a common cause of conversion reporting discrepancies versus Google Ads, and gain greater confidence in the efficacy of their ad spend.
• We’re also adding more comprehensive cross-channel reporting features and capabilities, including new reporting dimension filters, to unlock new insights.

Learn more about cross-channel conversion reporting in Analytics

Conversion attribution analysis report (Beta)

This feature may not be available to your Google Analytics property. The Google Analytics team is actively working to expand this feature to more properties. Please reach out to your support team if you have questions about the eligibility of your property.

The Conversion attribution analysis report is a new addition to the advertising workspace that provides customers with the ability to uncover the full value of their marketing channels across the entire customer journey.

This report helps you visualize how different touchpoints contribute to your bottom line through two specialized views:

• Assisted conversions (Last Click): This view allows you to see "Assists"—touchpoints that engaged customers early in their journey but weren't the final click. This is essential for identifying undervalued upper-funnel channels, such as YouTube or Demand Gen, that drive interest before a final search or direct visit.
• Refined funnel analysis (Data-driven attribution): This view categorizes touchpoints into Early, Mid, and Late stages. We now separate single-touchpoint paths from multi-touchpoint journeys, giving you a clearer picture of which campaigns are closing complex journeys versus those that act as standalone drivers.

By using these new insights, advertisers can better justify upper-funnel spend and build a more holistic budget strategy that rewards every stage of the funnel.