Google is beginning the second course of their Analytics Academy beginning March 11th 2014. The course, Google Analytics Platform Principles, is designed to teach the student how the platform "collects, transforms, and organizes data". While I have been involved with web analytics for a quite a few years...going back to the days when WebSideStory ruled the web analytics seas...I plan on taking the course. With Google Analytics (GA) seemingly making continuous changes it's always good to do a bit of training that comes directly from the platform maker.

I have a number of people on my team who are ramping up on web analytics and taking the course; they are really looking forward to it and I am looking forward to them developing these skills.

The course is self paced and you can do the work any time you choose.

If you sign up before March 11th, you will have all the benefits of an "in session" class (e.g. ask a question, live sessions etc) and will be eligible for a certificate from Google if you successfully pass the course. If you're interested and want to learn more or you are ready to sign up for the class, you can jump over to Google here.

Brand new to GA and web analytics overall?

Not to worry, you can take Google's Digital Analytics Fundamentals course before hand. It's self paced and should take you four to six hours to complete according to Google's FAQs. The course is not "in session", so you won't have the benefits that go along with that and won't be eligible for a certificate...but you still get the education free of charge and that is what really matters. The Fundamentals course is suggested but not a prerequisite for the Platforms Principles course.

So get on in there and learn about web analytics. As a digital marketer the more you know about and really understand web analytics, the better you will be at your craft.