A goal can be defined as any kind of action you want the user to make on your website. For example, registering on the site, placing an order and submitting contact information can all be set up as goals. Setting goals means you can receive reports about the number of conversions and the conversion rate.
How to set up a goal:
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account;
- Click Admin and choose View;
- In the View column click Goals;
- Press +New Goal or choose an already existing template from the gallery to create a new goal.
Goal Types
- Destination. This goal type counts a view of the page/screen as a conversion (for example, it can be thank you page.pages). You can specify a conversion sequence for this goal type — the path you expect your customer to take before reaching the landing page.
- Duration. This goal registers a conversion if a user spends a set amount of time on the website.
- Pages/screens per session. A conversion is registered if a user visits a set number of pages.
- Event. A conversion is registered after a user interacts with your website in a certain way. For example, if they register on your website or play a video.
Also, in Analytics goals are grouped into sets of up to 5 goals each. You can find these sets beneath the «Explorer» tab.
Setting a Goal Using Templates
Google Analytics offers a variety of templates compatible with a range of campaign types. To gain access to templates you need to specify your field of activity in the Settings.
Templates are based on business objectives such as revenue, acquisition, inquiry, and engagement. Set up at least one goal in each category to track how users interact with the content of your website.
Smart Goals
Smart goals track website visits, identify the most effective visits and create goals based on that information. Learn more about Smart Goals here.
Goal Value
You can assign a monetary value when creating any type of goal except smart ones. This allows you to compare conversions and track your website's revenue. Calculate the conversion rate for a given goal, divide it by average transaction amount and insert the result in «Goal value» column.
Turn off a goal
Once a goal is created it can’t be deleted but you can switch data recording off. To do this, go to the list of goals and turn the «Recording» toggle off.