Google ran down some changes it has made to segmentation in Google Analytics in a blog post this morning. The company says it has re-imagined it to make it easier for new users and more powerful for seasoned veterans.

“Previously, advanced segments were based on visits,” explains Wayne Xu from the Google Analytics team. “With the new segment, a new option is provided to create user segment. In a user segment, all visits of the users who fit the segment criterias will be selected (such as specific demographics or behaviors). It will be a useful technique when you need to perform user level analysis.”

“When you are using a segment template, the text below the template name tells you which kind of segment you are building,” adds Xu. “When you are creating a segment from advanced ‘conditions’ and ‘sequences’, you can choose to create visits or user segments or even a combination of both.”

With cohort analysis, users can measure users in cohorts for consistency and the long-term analysis of specific groups of customers.

With sequence segments, you can segment users on a series of on site behaviors (such as those who started on a specific landing page, visited certain pages and converted). With user sequences, you can define a sequence across multiple visits.

There’s also a new UI:

The new segmentation features will be rolling out over the course of the next couple months.