In this post, we walk you through Configuring Google Analytics Goals to measure conversions on your website.

Why is this important?

Configuring Google Analytics Goals in your website’s analytics allows you to measure the results from your marketing efforts and identify what brings in the most web traffic. This information will help you to spend wisely on the most productive marketing channels for your site.

Step #1: Set Up Google Analytics

Create and set up a Google Analytics Account. Create an Account for your website by clicking on Settings or Admin, as shown below: *click the image below

Step #2: Find the Destination URL on Your Website

First, decide what you want to measure. For example, you might want to record when a user buys something. The goal will be the last URL a user lands on after making the purchase. This might be the Confirmation or Thankyou page for example. Add this URL in the Goal URL field in the Google Analytics form, as shown in step #4. If you want to record other actions e.g forms being filled in, videos being played, files being downloaded etc, add the final URL the user will land on.

Step #3: Filter In-House Data

You won’t wish to record your own testing or visits to the site, so you should filter out your staff. You can filter these visits by deselecting internal IP addresses from your Analytics Data. Click Admin in the main menu of Google Analytics. Now choose the website profile from the drop down and then look for ‘Filters’ in the All Website Data View *see screen-shot below

You need to fill in the filter information after you click +New Filter, as follows:

1. Name the filter as you see fit (e.g Internal IPs / Staff Block)
2. Choose ‘Custom Filter’ as the type
3. Choose Exclude
4. Choose IP Address in the Filter drop down
5. Enter your IP or range in the Filter Pattern Field

Tip:

Visit www.whatismyip.com to find out your own IP address, which can then be added. In most cases, if you and your staff work in one office / location, it will be one IP to cover your whole network. If you work from home or more than one location, you will need to add those IP also.

Step #4: Specify the Goals

This is the fun bit. Specifying a “Goal” in analytics begins to record actions and how many times they are completed. You can do this in a number of ways, adapting it suit your needs. A goal might be defined as:

1. User landing on a specific URL (for example – a ‘Thank You page’ after a purchase)
2. Number of pages visited on your website
3. Number of downloads performed (PDF, Price List etc)

Follow these steps to set-up a goal in Google Analytics:

1. Click Admin in the main menu
2. Select the Profile you wish to work with
3. Under All Website Data, click on Goals
4. Then click on New Goal button

• Goal Name – Enter a name that describes the Goal, for example – Thank You Page. (This will be displayed in your analytics reports)
• Goal Type – There are four types of goals, which are as follows:

1. URL Destination
   Choose this, if you want to measure the number of purchases or sign-ups made.
2. Visit Duration 
   Choose this, if you want to measure the average time a user spent on your website.
3. Page/Visit
   Choose this, if you want to measure the number of pages visitors visit on your website.
4. Event
   Choose this, if you want to measure the number of clicks, for example, on a video or whitepaper download.

• Goal URL – The URL of the final page where the above action occurs. Enter only a part of this URL. In the above screen-shot we have entered /request-consultation.
• Goal Value – This is an average value achieved when the particular goal is accomplished. For example, if your average sale is £100, enter 100. If it is not a purchase made with money then enter an estimated value e.g 1 (just so you have a numerical value to relate to)

For example – for actions like ‘subscriptions’, enter an average value to measure your goals. The average value is generally a value of revenue made per 100 conversions of X (subscriptions, in this case), divided by 100.

Step #5: Mobile Analytics (Optional)

If you have a mobile site, it is advisable to avoid mixing the main site analytics with that of the mobile site. This is why Google automatically creates a profile for the new web properties you add, like your mobile site. If it is not added automatically, follow the path below:

Click Admin / New Account / Fill in the form / Click Create Account

You can measure your mobile performance in the main website analytics under Standard Reporting / Audience / Mobile / Overview / Devices. While Overview shows mobile visitors versus non-mobile visitors, devices will show traffic coming from various mobile devices. You can set goals specific to mobile devices and measure conversions in the same manner discussed above.

Step #6: Check Your Website Goals/ Conversions

Visit your Google Analytics account and Click Standard Reporting / Click Conversions / Click Goals.

You will see a variety of Goal reports in the form of Overview, Goal URLs, Reverse Goal Path, Funnel Visualization and Goal Flow.

Good Luck

Hope this helps you get started with Google Analytics and we hope this information proves useful. Please share this page if you think someone else will benefit from it.

Need some help Configuring Google Analytics Goals?

Get in touch with us on 0800 756 9975 if you would like any help setting up or using google analytics