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Lessons Catalog
Lesson 8c: Goals and Filters
Goals
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After completing this topic, you will be able to:
- Explain what goals are
- Identify when goals should be used
- Explain what the most common goals are
- Set up a goal
A goal is a webpage which a visitor reaches once they have completed an action that you desire. In the Analytics tab of your account, you define your goals based on the purpose of your website, and the actions you want your visitors to take.
Examples of common goals include:
- A receipt page after placing an order
- A “subscription confirmation” page after a newsletter sign-up
- A download of a whitepaper
- The completion of a form requesting follow-up from a salesperson
- Or any other page to which you are trying to drive your visitors
Goals are often called conversions, because on ecommerce sites, visitors are converted to customers
Funnels
A funnel path is a series of pages through which a visitor is expected to pass before reaching the conversion goal. A graph showing the number of visitors to each of these pages is usually shaped like a funnel. Typically the first page counts the most visitors, with additional visitors dropping out at each successive page before reaching the final goal. This is where the name “funnel” comes from.
For example, more visitors may view a product page than enter a shopping cart, and even fewer still may complete the order.
Goals enable you to easily see how many visitors reach a certain page, and understand where visitors may be losing interest and falling off the path along the way.
You can use this information to improve your site’s content and design.
Goals help you make smarter decisions about your marketing efforts by telling you:
- Which marketing campaign or referral results in the most conversions
- The geographic location of visitors who reach the goal
- The keywords that lead to conversion
Under the 'Conversion Goals and Funnel' section, select one of the four goal slots available for that profile, and click 'Edit.'
- In the Goal URL field, type the web address that marks a successful conversion when reached. Make sure to specify the full URL, including the 'http' prefix.
- In the Goal Name field, give the goal a name as you want it to appear in your Goal and Funnel reports. The name should be one you will easily recognize; for example, Checkout Complete or Registration Confirmation.
- Then choose whether to activate the goal. Turn the goal On or Off depending on whether you want Google to track the goal at that time. This setting allows you to configure your goal ahead of time, and simply turn it On when you're ready. Notice that after you enter the goal URL and name, they appear grayed-out in the fields below the last funnel step to remind you that your goal is the last step in the funnel.
- The next step is to define your funnel path: the pages you expect visitors to click through to reach a goal.
For each funnel step, enter a full URL (including the ‘http’ prefix), and give the step a name such as "Product Page" or "Check Out Page."
While creating these steps is optional, it is strongly recommended, since the Funnel Visualization report will show you how effectively you retain visitors throughout the conversion process. When you define steps, you can see if visitors are taking the path you expect, and where they may be losing interest.
For example, if you run an ecommerce site, a recommended funnel would define the checkout steps that lead up to a completed purchase. In this example, the funnel generally would not include individual product pages -- rather, it would consist only of those final pages that are common to all transactions.
The final step is to configure additional settings:
- If the URLs entered in the funnel or goal are case sensitive, select the checkbox that has the correct version of your URL.
For example, if home.htm is a different page than Home.htm with a capital ‘H’, check this option.
- If you are using dynamic URLs, you may wish to make use of the matching options when entering funnel or goal URLs.
<a href= "http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/answer.py?answer=55">Read more</a> about our matching options.
- The goal value is used in Google Analytics' return on investment calculations. If you wish to set a value, enter the amount in the 'Goal value' field. You will see your goal value calculations in the Goals > Goal Value report.
- Click Save Changes to create this Goal, or Cancel to exit without saving
With some advanced set up, you can take advantage of some additional important features of goals:
First, you can create funnel steps for Flash pages or other pages where the URL doesn’t change.
Also, in one single step of your funnel path, you can gather data on traffic to a whole category of pages. For example, you could configure a funnel path like this:
- Homepage
- Shirts Page or Pants Page or Hats Page
- Check Out Page
- Goal: Thank You Page
Learn more about these goal functions.
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