How to Set Up Goals in Google Analytics

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Posted By: Adriel on October 3rd, 2012
Filled Under: SEO & Online Marketing
The most powerful thing you can do to evaluate your
website, outside of setting up the Google Analytics tracking
code, is configuring goals in Google Analytics. The out-the-
box statistics that come with Google Analytics don’t do a
great job of tying in site performance with business
performance. There are simply too many variables mixed in
there.
Setting up goals separates the wheat from the chaff, the
great traffic from the garbage, and unleashes your Google
Analytics to really show you which marketing endeavors are
working and which should probably be scrapped.
Think like the customer
Before you even log in to Google Analytics, you need to look at your website through the eyes of
a potential customer. I’ve found the best way to do this is to create a scenario and ask a few
people to run through the site. I try to be specific with background details, but not with how-to
instructions, or the next steps to take to accomplish the assigned task. This forces my tester to
think about their next steps and might show me where I’m not providing what they need.
An example scenario might be: “You’re a purchasing of f icer with Exxon, and you need to find
WHMIS training for 30 new employees, as well as ongoing training for your existing workforce as
WHMIS certificates come up for renewal. Take a look at this website.” You should be looking for
clues as to when that prospect is ready to enter the next stage of a relationship with your
business. This can include looking for a phone number or address, filling out a form so they can be
contacted back, or downloading a datasheet about a complex product that you sell.
Keep in mind that you’re not able to measure all the leads coming out of your website. You don’t
want to force everyone to use a website form if most people in your industry use a phone. The
idea here is not to measure every single lead, but to measure the ones that make sense and not
make your website difficult to use.

You should come out of this step with webpages that are good indicators of success if a
cust omer views them, or parts of code (like website forms) that visitors have to fill out.
Work out the value
Most people don’t realize this, but you can get a ballpark figure on lead value fairly easily. First,
work out your average customer lifetime value. I know, I know, your products and services span a
wide range of prices. If you can’t ballpark it, crack open your CRM and calculate the average
cust omer lifetime value. Barring that, at least get an average first sale value. Now, go ask a few of
your salespeople how many leads they need to close a sale, or use your CRM to calculate it. Take
your lifetime value or average first sale and divide it by the number of leads it takes to get there.
Boom! You’ve got a lead value. If you want to get really fancy, use profit instead of revenue so
that you can directly compare cost vs profit in your marketing funnel.
Plug it into Google Analytics
This part is actually pretty easy. Af t er logging in to Google Analytics, hit the Admin button in the
top right, then choose the Goals heading. Give your goal a name (nothing too long, otherwise it
might be cut off in later reports) and choose the Goal Type. For beginners, I recommend using the
URL Dest ination. For advanced users or for people who can code, Events can be a bit more
precise and won’t inflate your total pageview count, though it will still influence bouncerate. The
goal I have below is what you might setup if your Contact Us form sent visitors to a Thank You
page after they filled it out.
Tracking other stuff
Rapid fire style, here’s how you configure other goals:
PDF downloads: Either use a built-in plugin like Google Analyticator, or attach event
tracking or virtual pageview code so that when visitors click on the pdf, it also tracks it in
Analytics.
Clicks to a separate website: Same as above.
Form fills, or form steps: You’re going to want to go to custom event tracking here.
Google has some pretty straightforward documentation on the subject.
eCommerce: eCommerce tracking is its own ball of wax. Make sure your eCommerce
engine supports Google Analyt ics by default before going with it, because hacking
eCommerce engines to add in Analytics tracking can be more trouble than it’s worth.

Google Analytics can give you powerful insight into the performance to your website, but it takes
a little know-how to get the most out of this online tool. Remember, if you can track and measure
results, you can find ways to improve them!
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Adriel Michaud
@adrielmichaud+Adriel Michaud As Partner and Direct or of SEO at Top Draw, Adriel
Michaud is committed to maximizing ROI for his clients. He helps companies
understand how effective int ernet marketing can drive their business forward and
set them apart from the competition. His fact-based approach to web analysis,
along with his extensive industry experience, translates into business process improvement and
online success. Adriel has traveled extensively as a consultant and presenter on such topics as
lead generation, search engine marketing and sales.