Goal – a crucial element in charting the right path for your business. Defining a goal allows you to establish priorities, allocate resources, and control and modify the path to achieve the best possible results. In the online business world, goal is inextricably linked to Google Analytics – a tool that allows for in-depth analysis of many aspects of your website.
An effective website
An effective website allows you to achieve your goals, and therefore, your profits. Creating such a website requires a significant amount of work, focused not only on correct coding but also on adapting it to the user's needs and the requirements of search engines. Each of these elements undergoes numerous changes – users will focus on certain pages at one time, and then on others a few months later. The same applies to the rules governing search engines.
Analytics allows you to effectively identify areas with higher or lower traffic. Identifying these "hot spots" allows you to improve them and increase your chances of conversion. Accurately counting conversions in Google Analytics also makes it easier to determine the level of goal fulfillment and determine its measurability.
Goal Types in Google Analytics
In online marketing, "goal" is a rather broad term. However, it encompasses more specific terms, specific to different types of websites. This is no surprise – the goals associated with running an online store will be different from those focused on blogging.
(The rest of the article can be found below the form)
In Google Analytics, a goal is defined as the completion of a given action, also known as a conversion. Actions can include visiting a specific page, spending a specific amount of time on it, viewing a specific screen, or completing a desired action.
Destination – the goal is for the user to reach a specific URL, such as a "thank you page." A URL-specific goal facilitates analysis of data related to free bonuses or trial accounts, form completion, or mailing list signups. These goals are also used to track transactions.
Duration – the amount of time spent on a page. This goal allows for the analysis of user engagement while on a page and is often set on support or FAQ pages. This goal allows for the analysis of two groups of users – those who stay on the site longer than the specified duration, and those who abandon a given URL more quickly.
Pages/Screens per Session – This objective allows you to check how many subpages a user has viewed during a single visit to the website.
Events – a specific interaction with a page, such as clicking the "download" button or playing a video. Before establishing a goal, it's necessary to define the event.
Looking for other solutions? Smart Goals are based on traffic analysis performed by learning algorithms that search for events most likely to result in a conversion. The algorithm evaluates the session and assigns a Smart Goal to those deemed "best."
How to set goals in Google Analytics? You can find the article by Agnieszka Talarska at this link.
Not just one goal
Analytics allows you to set multiple goals for a single page. This allows you to observe user behavior across multiple subpages, each of which serves a different purpose.
Each goal can have a specific value, expressed in your preferred currency. Based on the number of goal completions and related transactions, it's possible to determine the value of each conversion. For example, every 10th website contact results in a sale worth approximately PLN 500. The value of one conversion—a contact via your website—can be estimated at approximately PLN 50.
If it's difficult to provide specific amounts assigned to a given conversion, the value can play a different role – the importance of a given goal. Their value will depend on their importance to the business – more important goals may be assigned a higher value, while less important goals may be assigned a lower value.
Goals set in Analytics can also be used in Google Ads.
Correct conversion counting in Google Analytics
Correctly setting goals and utilizing the information they provide allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of a website and marketing activities. Unfortunately, the collected data is not always accurate. Errors can occur for several reasons:
- Incorrect tag configuration Some data collection errors result from incorrect tag placement, for example, pasting it in the wrong place. Using an incorrect tag can also be a cause. Some problems stem from inattention or "misprints," which sometimes happen when copying code from a text document. Documents implement formatting, which can cause changes to the code's syntax—for example, by removing or adding extra spaces—as autocorrect has different priorities than maintaining the correct tracking code. 😉 Using the old GA code, which is still present on some websites, can also be considered a misconfiguration. It's worth following Google's recommendations and switching to the new ones they suggest, which usually offer greater possibilities for site control and analysis.
- Errors also occur when configuring Tag Manager.Problems here primarily stem from incorrectly set Exclude/Include filters, which are designed to filter out information about visits that are undesirable in the statistics. Overly restrictive use of any of these filters can cause problems with proper data collection. Other common gtag.js problems include a lack of a published container (the publishing process is longer, and the latest changes may not be immediately available) or problems handling excessively large HTTP requests.
- Using another account – the tracking code is associated with a specific account – in case of incorrect data, it is worth checking whether we are trying to analyze from an account that is not connected to GA.
- Custom Code Placement – Analytics code should be in the section website. In the case of niche CMSs or less popular plugins for pasting external code, the final localization may deviate from Google's guidelines and, as a result, not function properly. It's worth taking advantage of the option of pasting the code directly into the page template or using proven plugins.
Here's info on how to paste the Google Analytics code into WordPress.
- Incomplete conversion data may be caused by missing code on all subpages within the domain. Missing subpages can be found, among other things, with the help of the service sitechecker and/ or gachecker.
- No internal filters – clicking on your website or store may distort the statistics – eliminating internal traffic will allow you to obtain more reliable information about conversions.
- Inaccurate target setting – A conversion is counted when the goal is completed, but incorrectly setting the final point means it's not valuable, and the intended goal isn't met. For example, the goal is to submit a form, but the code is placed on the "Contact" tab, and as a result, the conversion is counted upon entering that subpage. The form isn't submitted, and the data collected by the tool doesn't reflect the number of forms actually submitted. Placing the code in the appropriate place – for example, on the send button, or even better – on the "thank you" page displaying information about the message being successfully sent – will allow for the collection of accurate data.
Errors that prevent accurate conversion counting in Google Analytics can stem from a variety of causes. Some are trivial and therefore easy to identify and fix. More complex cases may require changes to the website's code, but it's worth investing the extra time to obtain accurate data.
It's worth periodically reviewing your goal settings and modifying them as needed. It's also important to test your settings and ensure that conversions are calculated correctly, especially after making changes to your website, such as modifying URLs related to your goals.
E-commerce tracking
Tracking online store traffic can be different from other types of websites. Analytics allows for the counting of transactions, their value, and so on. Monitoring this data through an external application allows for the filling of gaps that may appear in reports from the store engine. Furthermore, combining this knowledge with other website-specific information will allow for the identification of peak sales and significant declines.
Accurate conversion counting is key to analyzing and planning the future development of online stores. Google Analytics enables in-depth analysis of user behavior and the choices they make. It also allows for the evaluation of various sales channels and is invaluable when decisions need to be made about expanding or eliminating one.
E-commerce tracking should be enabled in reports and code placed on your website that will allow for the collection of more detailed data. Due to the more complex structure of the code, its implementation will require collaboration with a developer who will ensure its proper implementation. Next, in the Administration tab, in the appropriate data view, you'll find the E-commerce Settings option, which you should enable and save your selection.
Data collected through e-commerce tracking is transaction and product specific.
Transaction information consists of a transaction identifier, which allows it to be counted only once per session (the absence of an identifier could result in the same transaction being counted multiple times, e.g. when the user reloads the thank you page),
affiliation – understood as the store where the transaction took place,
revenues – transaction amount,
delivery – delivery costs and tax.
A product in Google Analytics also has similar values – transaction ID, product name, SKU code (unique product code assigned in the company's internal database), the category in which the product is located, price and quantity.
Apart from the transaction identifier and, in the case of the Product, its name, the remaining parameters are collected optionally.
Standard reports allow you to analyze the data collected in e-commerce tracking:
- an overview, which is a general summary of the information collected,
- product effectiveness,
- sales effectiveness,
- transactions,
- time to purchase.
E-commerce – data that sells
Expanding your sales statistics with Google Analytics data will allow you to adapt your sales methods to current trends and customer expectations. Detailed analysis of user behavior, including the time it takes from first accessing the website to making a purchase, can initiate store redesign and introduce improvements that will help customers make their final decision.
An online store has much more than just a shopping cart, where transaction data is collected. Analytics allows you to observe customer behavior across the entire platform—for example, by monitoring blog posts—which ultimately lead a customer to purchase a given product. Monitoring store traffic also allows you to identify platform issues—for example, bugs or areas that, for unknown reasons, load slowly, leading to customer frustration and cart abandonment.
Comprehensive monitoring of activities also facilitates further strategic planning and the selection of the most effective ways to maintain and increase sales in the coming period. Using available tools, their proper implementation, and data analysis allow for more effective actions that save time and money. Greater knowledge of customer flow and activity allows for the selection of more effective solutions tailored to the needs of your target audience. Stepping out ahead and effectively reaching customers also allows you to leave the competition far behind.
Accurately counting conversions in Google Analytics and utilizing all available program options facilitates rapid response to trends and market changes, which are a natural phenomenon in e-commerce. The knowledge gathered by Analytics allows you to create Google Ads campaigns that sell.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- From Design to Conversion: Creating Effective Websites Step by Step.
- Goal Types in Google Analytics (UA vs GA4): What You Need to Know
- E-commerce Tracking: How Data Helps Increase Sales in Your Online Store
