How to Set up Goals in Google Analytics

Goals can be set up in Google Analytics to measure conversions for your website. Goals are measured by the steps and actions your visitors take; such as a sequence of instructions they must follow to arrive at a specific page, the length of time they spend on your website, or the amount of pages they visit while on your website. Here are steps on how to set up Goals in Google Analytics.

Steps

1.Log in to your Google Analytics account. Visit www.google.com/analytics/ and sign in with your username and password.

2.Click on the "Edit" link under the Actions column next to the website profile you want to create the Goal for.

3.Scroll down until you locate the Goals section. Click on the link for "Add Goal" next to one of the four goals listed.

4.Complete the Goal Information section.

• Create a name for your Goal. Your Goal's name will display in all the reports for that Goal.
• Set the Active Goal status. Selecting "Off" for the Active Goal status makes the Goal inactive without having to delete it.
• Designate the position of the Goal. The drop-down menu next to Goal Position will allow you to change the order in which it displays in reports.
• Choose a Goal Type. Designate your Goal Type as either a URL destination, time spent on the website, or amount of pages per visit. Additional information for you to enter will open up below depending on the Goal Type chosen.

5.Complete your Goal Details information.

• Fill out URL Destination Goal Details. For example, a URL destination goal can be a "Thank You" page if your business intent is to have customers complete registration on your website. If your Goal is to have visitors land on a specific page or URL, begin by selecting a URL Match Type. Next to Goal URL, enter the entire URL you want to measure landing details for. Determine if the URL is going to be case-sensitive and set an optional Goal Value if desired. Selecting URL Destination as a Goal Type will also give you the option to create a Goal Funnel, which allows you to designate a series of pages leading to the final destination.
• Define a funnel if you chose to set up URL Destination. Although creating funnels are optional, they can help you determine where visitors may have dropped off or lost interest on the path to completing a goal. Below the Goal Details section, click on "Yes, create a funnel for this goal" to expand the steps. Next to Step 1, type in the exact URL of the first page in the funnel and give that step a corresponding name. If there are additional pages in your funnel, continue to click on "Add Goal Funnel Step" until you have entered all the URLs in your funnel. You may enter up to 10 funnel steps.
• Enter the Time on Site Goal Details. This feature allows you to measure visitor interest and behavior; such as how long visitors remain on the "Sports" or "Entertainment" pages if you run a news website. The results of this goal will show which content is attractive to visitors so you can focus on providing more. Designate the hours, minutes and seconds for your Goal to measure the length of time visitors stay on the website. You may set the Condition by clicking on the arrow within the drop-down menu and selecting "Greater than" or "Less than." An optional Goal Value can also be determined.
• Specify the Pages per Visit Goal Details. This feature will provide insight as to how engaged and interested a visitor is to your website. For example, if you sell a variety of different products, you can measure the depth of their visit before they eventually purchased an item. Designate the number of pages to measure how engaged visitors are with your website. You may set the Condition by clicking on the arrow within the drop-down menu and selecting "Greater than" or Less than." An optional Goal Value can also be determined.

6.Save and complete your Goal by clicking directly on the "Save Goal" button on the bottom of the Goals page.