In this post, we'll explain what Goals are in Google Analytics, why they're useful, and how to set them up. Let us make two assumptions before we start. First, you know the rules of basketball , and second, you are a Lakers fan (or at least you know who the Lakers are).how to configure ecommerce tracking .Understanding Goals in Google Analytics Business Objective Visitor Action Success Measure Generate Leads Complete Contact Form form_submitted.html Drive Loyalty Sign up for Newsletter subscription_confirmed.html Drive Revenue Complete a Purchase thankyou.html Raise Awareness Whitepaper Download download_redirect.html
Understanding the Goal Funnel Kobe Bryant: kobe-bryant.html Derek Fisher: derek-fisher.html Pau Gasol: pau-gasol.html Point: point.html How to set up a Goal and Funnel: Step 1) Define your Goal Funnel
Navigate to your website, and move through through the steps required to complete your Goal. As you navigate, note down the URLs for each page in the sequence (or take screenshots).
If the sequence includes only one step (the Goal) than you don't need to define a funnel at all. If the sequence includes events other than pageviews (such as clicks), you will need to use virtual pageviews or another method beyond the scope of this tutorial.
In our Lakers example, the funnel is defined as:
Another example might be:
start_registration.html enter_shipping_info.html enter_subscriber_preferences.html finalize_registration.html thank_you.html Step 2) Configure Goal Settings for Each Profile
Log in to your Google Analytics account and then click "Edit" beside your profile. You will need to configure goals for each profile you want them to show up in.
Go to Conversion Goals and Funnel and click "Edit"
Set "Match Type" to to either "Exact Match," "Head Match," or "Regular Expression Match." In our example, we chose "Exact Match," because there is only one exact URL for our Goal page "point.html."
If you have multiple Goal pages, or multiple pages for one of the steps leading up to the goal, you might need to use a different match type. For more information about the difference between Head, Exact, and Regular Expression match, visit this Help Center article.
If your Goal has a specific dollar value, be sure to enter it under "Goal Value". You may need to look at your financial data to determine how much a Goal completion is worth to you.
Step 3) Define Your Goal Funnel Enter the URL and a meaningful name for each step in your funnel. In our example the Goal URL is "/point.html" and the name we gave it is "Point." If you only have one step (the Goal) than you don't need to complete this section.
Step 4) Wait a Few Days and Analyze your Goal Performance
Your Goals will not work backwards, so you will need to wait for Goal data to appear in your reports. Once you have data to analyze, navigate to the Goals section and open the Funnel Visualization Report.
This report shows
356 visits entering the funnel (at kobe-bryant.html) 88 visits in which the person moved from "kobe-bryant.html" to the next step in the funnel "derek-fisher.html" 55 visits that completed the entire funnel and reached the Goal Summary Before implementing Google Analytics Goals, identify what your business objectives are for your website, and what visitor actions they correspond to. Identify the steps visitors must go through to complete the desired action, and note down the specific pages that make up those steps. Use this information to configure Goals and Funnels. Take action on the data. Make simple design changes or try using Website Optimizer to make improvements. Other Resources Still have questions? Get help at the Google Analytics help forum . Or, leave a comment and let us know how you use goals.
Posted by Sebastian Tonkin, Google Analytics Team, and Allaedin Ezzedin of E-Nor , a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant
