Smart goals track website visits, identify the most effective ones and create goals based on the information it receives. Parameters including visit duration, number of pages per session, location device and browser are taken into consideration.
Prerequisites for using smart goals:
- Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts must be linked.
- More than 500 clicks must be sent from Ads to the selected Analytics view over the past 30 days. Smart goals will be turned off until the number of clicks exceeds 500.
- The Analytics view must receive no more than 10 million sessions in 30 days.
Enable the data sharing setting for your Analytics account.
How to set up smart goals:
- Sign in to your Analytics account, click Admin and select the desired view;
- In this view click Goals;
- Press +NEW GOAL and choose Smart goal;
- Name your Smart Goal and click Save.
How to import Smart Goals into Google Ads:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account, navigate to Tools and click Conversions;
- Select Analytics in the left part of the menu;
- Select the goal you want to import and click Continue;
- Choose your desired settings and then click Import goals.
Smart Goals to optimize Google Ads
To optimize Ads using Smart Goals use the Target CPA bidding bid strategy or set goals manually. You’ll receive enough relevant data about the conversion based on smart goals in a couple of weeks. To see those reports select Conversions → Goals → Smart Goals.
Divide the cost of your ad by the number of achieved goals to get the cost of a conversion. You can then use this conversion cost as a target cost for Ads conversion.
Smart Goals limitations:
- Smart goals can’t be customized or configured;
- Only one smart goal can be used per View;
- The maximum number of smart goals per account is 20;
- Smart goals are only available for websites;
- Smart goals can’t be used in views with more than 1 million hits per day;
- Smart goals don’t support cross-device and view-through conversions in Google Ads.