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 annotations are for dates that affect your whole site, like a redesign, a host migration, or an ad network change. They appear on your Home dashboard chart and on every post's performance chart.
Content annotations are for dates that affect one post, like a rewrite or a new set of photos. They appear only on that post's performance chart.
Google Core annotations mark every official Google core update. Clariti adds them automatically for every site, so there is 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 one of your own flags 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 metric 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 traffic.
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 on a Mac or Alt + E on Windows.
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 row of emoji (trophy, heart, party, rocket, star, fire, gift, and bug), three rows of icons for content work (like globe, page, home, link, calendar, trending up and down, bar chart, search, money, megaphone, email, video, podcast, and a lightbulb), and a row of brand icons for YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Google, and Reddit. Sitewide annotations start with the globe and content annotations with the page.
Color. Choose from the same colors you use for labels: solid, light, and outline colors plus five gradients (Aurora, Berry, Ocean, Space, and Sunset).
Date. Pick the day you want to mark. It is filled in for you if you opened the window from the chart.
Description. Write 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.
Post charts start out with whatever you have selected on your Home dashboard. Once you change the toggles on a post's chart, your post charts keep that choice in this browser.
Editing and Removing
Click any of your annotation flags on the chart to reopen it. From there you can change the icon, color, date, or description, or click Delete and then Yes, Remove It to remove the annotation. 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 becomes a record of what you did as well as a traffic line.
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. 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 anytime and we will help you sort it out. Email us at [email protected].