Welcome to Part 6 where we’ll look at the Google Analytics goals. You can find the previous chapters of the guide here:
1. Google Tag Manager
2. Tracking code
3. Check the implementation
4. Profiles and filters
5. Settings
6. Goals setup
It’s really important to setup goals, no matter what type of site you have. Every site exists for a reason and this is how you understand if it’s working as expected or not.
The recent Google Analytics updates didn’t miss the Goals setup interface. Now when you go to create a new goal you can start with a template where the suggested goals are grouped in 4 categories:
- Revenue: place an order, checkout complete
- Acquisition: create an account
- Inquiry: view more, contact us, see available, see deals, read reviews
- Engagement: compare information, share / social connect, newsletter sign up, add to cart
You may also decide to go for a custom goal. After you select your goal type, you can use the default name or give it a new one. There are 4 goal types you can setup in Google Analytics interface: destination, duration, pages/screens per visit, event.
The Destination goals are maybe the most popular goals identified by visiting a specific URL, like a thank you page. The conditions you can choose from are Equals to, Begins with or Regular expression. Please note that whatever condition you select here, the same will apply for the funnel steps.
While Equals to and Begins with are self-explanatory, the Regular expression could look scary. There’s nothing to be afraid of, really, and this easy to follow Regular Expressions ebook by Luna Metrics can help you a lot in understanding and using them.
GA goals setup
Next is the Goal value. You should set a Goal value for non-monetary goals only. For example if your goal is a thank you page after your site visitors complete a request form, and you know that 20 filled in forms will results in one sale with average amount of $500, than your goal value would be $500/20 = $25. The Goal value is very useful to evaluate visitor interactions and understand the most valuable pages.
You may also assign a funnel for your Destination goal where you specify the path you expect visitors to take. Thus you’ll see how many visitors enter and exit the steps on their way toward the goal.
The Duration goal shows visits that last a specific amount of time or longer, while the Pages / Screens per visit goal is triggered when a visitor views a specific number of pages or screens. Both of these goals measure user engagement.
The newest goal type in Google Analytics is Event. Here you can track as goals different types of virtual events (we’ll look at virtual events in the next part 7 of the guide), e.g. file downloads, subscription for newsletters, PDFs, outbound links, clicks on social media sharing buttons, videos views, etc.
Event goals in Google Analytics
The Verify your Goal option at the end allows you to check your goals setup.
Go to the next chapters of the guide:
7. Virtual pageviews and events
8. Campaign tracking
9. Advanced segments and custom reports. Dashboards.
10. Custom alerts
Or jump to the whole thing: Google Analytics Implementation Guide.
Still have questions? You can ask them as comments below and I’ll try to answer.
Margarita Evtimova
Margarita Evtimova is a Google Analytics fan, who also loves SEO, conversion optimization, online marketing and social media. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.