You want to track only visitors from a specific country. Only traffic from a specific source. Only visitors on your premium plan. Include filters let you show only the data you want to see. Instead of tracking everything and then filtering in reports, you create a view that shows only specific data from the start. Include filters focus your analytics on what matters most to you.
This article explains how to set up include filters to track specific subsets of your data.
What Are Include Filters
An include filter shows only traffic matching specific criteria. A view with an include filter for United States only shows traffic from the US. A view with an include filter for organic traffic only shows organic visitors. A view with an include filter for premium users only shows premium customers.
Include filters are the opposite of exclude filters. Exclude filters remove unwanted traffic. Include filters show only wanted traffic. The result is the same: a focused view of specific data.
Include filters are useful when you want to analyze a specific subset deeply. You create a view focused on that subset and analyze it separately.
Create Include Filters by Geography
Create a view for each major geography you serve. A United States view. A European view. An Asia-Pacific view. Each view shows only traffic from that region.
Geographical filters help you understand regional behavior. Do users in different regions convert differently? Do they use different features? Regional views let you compare regions easily.
In your view settings, create a filter. Filter by country. Select the countries you want to include. Save the view.
Create Include Filters by Traffic Source
Create a view for each major traffic source. An organic traffic view. A paid search view. A social media view. A direct traffic view. Each view shows only traffic from that source.
Traffic source views help you understand which channels work best. Which channel has the best conversion rate? Which channel brings the most revenue? Source views answer these questions.
In your view settings, create a filter. Filter by source. Select the source you want to include. Save the view.
Create Include Filters by User Type
If your site has user types, create filters for each type. A filter for premium users. A filter for free users. A filter for trial users. Each view shows only that user type.
User type views help you understand how different user segments behave. Premium users might engage differently than free users. Trial users might convert differently. User views reveal these differences.
This requires that your site tracks user type in the data layer. Work with your development team to make sure user type is available for filtering.
Create Include Filters by Device Type
Create a view for mobile only. Create a view for desktop only. Create a view for tablet only. Each view shows only traffic from that device type.
Device views help you understand mobile vs desktop behavior. Mobile users might have different needs than desktop users. Mobile conversion rates might differ. Device views let you compare.
In your view settings, create a filter. Filter by device type. Select the device type you want to include. Save the view.
Combine Multiple Include Filters
You can combine filters. A view that shows only organic traffic from the United States from mobile devices. This creates a very specific view of a subset of your traffic.
Combined filters are powerful but narrow your focus. You might have very little traffic matching all criteria. Make sure the filtered traffic is large enough to analyze meaningfully.
Test Your Include Filters
After creating an include filter, verify it shows the right data. If you created a US-only view, check that it shows only US traffic. If numbers look wrong, troubleshoot the filter.
Compare filtered views to unfiltered data. If your total traffic is 10,000 and your US view shows 2,000, that's reasonable if the US is 20% of your traffic. If the numbers don't make sense, check your filter.
Frequently asked questions
How many include filter views should we create?
Create views for major segments you care about. By geography if you serve multiple regions. By traffic source if you want to compare channels. By user type if you have different user types. Most teams have 5-10 include filter views. More than that becomes hard to manage. With WEMASY's website builder, you can set this up directly on your website.
Can we use segments instead of views for include filtering?
Yes. Segments work too. Use views for permanent ways you want to see data. Use segments for temporary analysis. If you always look at US traffic separately, create a view. If you occasionally want to see US traffic, use a segment.
An include filter view is empty or has very little traffic. What's wrong?
Your filter might be too strict. Maybe traffic matching all criteria is rare. Check the unfiltered view. If total traffic is 10,000 and your filtered view shows 50, maybe the filter is correct and that segment is just small. Or the filter might be wrong. Compare the numbers to your expectations.
Should we combine include and exclude filters?
You can but be careful. An include filter shows specific traffic. An exclude filter removes specific traffic. Combining them can create confusing logic. Usually one or the other is sufficient.
How do we track custom data in include filters?
Custom data needs to be in your data layer. Your development team populates the data layer with custom fields. Your analytics platform then has access to filter by those fields. Work with your development team to make custom data available.
We have a view with an include filter but it's not updating. Why?
Include filter views update constantly like other views. If data looks old, it might be a reporting lag. Wait a few hours. If still old, the filter might be incorrect. Check the filter criteria.