Annotations let you mark important dates directly on your performance charts, so the context behind a spike or a dip is right there the next time you look. Mark a date once for your whole site and it shows up on your Home dashboard and on every post's performance chart. Every official Google core update is already plotted for you.
Overview
There are three kinds of annotations:
Sitewide — dates that affect your whole site, like a redesign, a host migration, or an ad network change. These appear on your Home dashboard chart and on every post's performance chart.
Content — dates that affect one post, like a rewrite or a new set of photos. These appear only on that post's performance chart.
Google Core — every official Google core update, added automatically for every Clariti site. Nothing to set up.
Each annotation shows on the chart as a flag with a dashed line running up to the date it marks. Hover a flag to see the date and description. Click a flag to edit or remove it.
How to Add an Annotation
There are three ways to add one, and they all open the same window.
From the annotations selector
1. Click the annotations icon above the chart, between the time period icon and the Sources selector.
2. Click Add Annotation at the top of the menu.
From the chart itself
1. Click any day on the chart. A tooltip appears with that day's date and sessions.
2. Click Add Annotation just below the tooltip. The date is filled in for you.
From a post's Quick Actions menu
1. Open any post and click Quick Actions.
2. Choose Add Annotation, or press Opt + E.
Filling in the Details
The window is titled either Add Sitewide Annotation or Add Content Annotation, depending on where you opened it from. Fill in four things:
Icon — pick from a set of icons built for content work (site, file, link, calendar, trending up, trending down, megaphone, lightbulb) plus icons for YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Google, and Reddit, and a row of emoji if you want something that stands out fast. Sitewide annotations default to the globe, content annotations to the page.
Color — the same color set you already use for labels, with solid colors and five gradients (Aurora, Berry, Ocean, Space, and Sunset).
Date — the day you want to mark. Prefilled if you opened the window from the chart.
Description — up to 160 characters. This is what shows in the tooltip, so write it for the version of you who reads it eight months from now.
Click Continue to save. The flag appears on your chart right away.
Choosing What You See
Open the annotations selector to turn each layer on or off. On your Home dashboard you will see Sitewide and Google Core. On a post's Performance tab you will see Sitewide, Content, and Google Core. Toggles that are on are highlighted in blue.
The first time you open a post's performance chart, it uses whatever you have selected on your Home dashboard. After that it remembers your choice for that chart.
Editing and Removing
Click any annotation flag on the chart to reopen it. From there you can change the icon, color, date, or description, or remove the annotation entirely. Google core update flags are managed by Clariti and cannot be edited or removed, but you can hide them with the Google Core toggle.
Ways to Put This to Work
Record the things you will forget
Site redesigns, host migrations, plugin swaps, recipe card changes, ad network switches, theme updates. These are the events that explain your traffic six months later, and almost nobody remembers the exact date without a note.
Separate your changes from Google's
When a post dips, turn on Google Core and check whether an update landed near the drop before you assume something you published caused it.
Mark your promotion
A newsletter send, a Pinterest push, a feature in someone else's roundup. Mark the date, then look at the shape of the line around the flag.
Build a timeline of your year
After a few months of marking things, your Home dashboard chart stops being only a traffic line and starts being a record of what you did.
Tip: Use color to separate categories. Pick one color for technical changes, another for content work, and a third for promotion. Once you have a year of annotations on the chart, the pattern is readable at a glance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a sitewide annotation and a content annotation?
A sitewide annotation appears on your Home dashboard chart and on every post's performance chart. A content annotation appears only on the chart for the post it was added to.
Do I have to add Google core updates myself?
No. Every official Google core update is already on your charts. Turn the Google Core toggle on to see them.
Can I hide annotations for a clean view of the trend line?
Yes. Open the annotations selector and switch off any layer you do not want to see. Your selection stays until you change it.
Will my team see the annotations I add?
Yes. Sitewide and content annotations belong to the site, so anyone with access to it sees them.
How long can a description be?
160 characters. It is meant to be a short note, not a full write-up. For longer context, add a note to the post.
Who has access to this feature?
Annotations are available to all Clariti subscribers. No setup required.
Still Have Questions?
Reach out to our team anytime. We are happy to help you get the most out of annotations. Email us at [email protected].