To identify user behavior on a site and track conversions, it is relevant to create personalized goals on Google Analytics: find out how to set them up.
Learn how to set different types of goals on Google Analytics. © iLee – stock.adobe.com
Why set up goals on Google Analytics
The setting of objectives makes it possible to follow the actions of users on a site and identify which elements are a source of conversion or, on the contrary, those which may be a brake on performance. It is also possible to add a monetary value to a goal, which makes it possible to know the value of a conversion.
By setting goals, you gauge how well your site or app can achieve targeted results. The objective corresponds to carrying out an action that has value for your company: a product purchase on an e-commerce site, sending contact details via a contact form or even downloading a white paper. …
How to create goals
1. Go to Administration
When you are on the interface of your Google Analytics account, you click on the Administration section , represented by a cogwheel, at the bottom left. Then you click on Objectives located in the View column on the far right.
Global view in Google Analytics Administration.
2. Click on New goal
Then just click on New Goal . If you don’t see this button, 20 goals have already been set for the view you’re in and it is not possible to create more than 20.
Create a new goal on a view of an account.
3. Choose the desired type of objective
First, you need to name your goal, it is necessary to be as clear as possible in order to quickly identify which goal it is when you consult the associated statistics. Example: “Validation of the contact form”.
You then select the type of goal you want to set up:
- a landing page (example: a download confirmation page)
- a duration (example: if a user stays more than 2 minutes on a web page)
- an event (examples: a click on a button, a completed form, etc.)
- the pages / screens per session (example: three pages or screens have been loaded)
Choose your type of lens.
Note: There is a Smart Goal option that is only active if your Analytics account is linked to your Google Ads account. This objective allows you to measure your Google Ads conversions, analyze the data and subsequently optimize the campaigns.
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Different settings depending on the type of lens
1. Set the Destination objective
This objective makes it possible to count the pages or screens displayed as conversions. You must type or copy the name of the screen or the URL of the page in the Destination field . You can activate a monetary value for your goal, which is what the dollar goal earns for your account.
You also have the option of setting up a conversion funnel. Concretely, you add the screens or the URLs preceding the final landing page in order to follow step by step the path of the users towards the conversion. This makes it possible in particular to understand at which stage there are abandonments.
The different fields to configure the Destination objective.
2. Set the Duration objective
This objective makes it possible to consider the minimum duration of a session as being a conversion and thus to measure the engagement of users on the various web pages of its website. You have the option of selecting a number of hours, minutes or seconds. As soon as a session exceeds the set time, a goal is recorded.
The different fields to configure the Duration objective.
3. Configure the Pages / Screens per session objective
This involves measuring user engagement by counting the number of page views or screens per session. All you need to do is define a number of pages or screens per session. Once this number is exceeded, Google Analytics counts a goal achieved.
The different fields to configure the Pages / Screens per session objective.
4. Set the Event objective
The interactions of visitors to your site or application are counted as conversions: click on a link, validation of a form, video playback, etc.
The configuration of this type of objective is possible after the configuration of tags using the Google Tag Manager tool or directly in the code of your website. These are Google Analytics event tags that are triggered in response to clicks on links or when submitting forms, for example.
Once you’ve set up these tags, you can create the associated goal to track conversions. You must enter the name of the category and the name of the action previously specified in Google Tag Manager and you can also specify the label and the value of the event (optional). Once this setting has been made, the events will be tracked and counted as conversions.
Setting up Events goals requires the use of Google Tag Manager.
Where to track statistics for your created goals
Once your goals have been created, you can find the associated statistics in the Conversions section , where there is a Goals section . By clicking on Overview, you access all the data on your goals and the conversions made.
