Goal or Conversion Tracking is a function of Google Analytics that allows you to set a desired action on your website and monitor the people that engage in that action. For example, you may want to track online sales or form submissions to see what keyword those individuals used in search engines to find your website. Or you may want to see if social media, and more specifically which one, attracts people to your website to sign up for an event. These are just some of the practical applications of Goal Tracking.

The most common goal (and perhaps the easiest to set-up) is based on a Destination URL. You want to track how many people visit it a desired page of your website, so you tell Google Analytics to document every visitor that goes to that page. This may be a page redirecting users back to your homepage that displays after an inquiry/contact form submit, or a thank you page that confirms that an online sale is complete.

At Blue Archer, we have a page that displays after a form is submitted. It looks likes this:
Here is how you set-up the goal in Google Analytics:

1. Go to your Overview page and click edit next to your website profile. 2. Within the Profile Settings, you will see a section for Goals. Click "Add Goal."
3. Then, enter your goal information:
a. Assign a Goal Name that describes what you are tracking.
b. Make sure that Active Goal is set to "On" and the Goal Position reflects the number of goals you have created. If this is your first goal, it should say "Set 1, Goal 1." (You shouldn't have to adjust these settings in Google Analytics; they are defaults.)
c. Select "URL Destination" as the Goal Type.
d. Use "Exact Match" as the Match Type and type in the page name for the Goal URL.
e. Then, click "Save Goal."
Now, Google Analytics will begin to track goals or form submissions. My next post will discuss how you can use and interpret this data to drive online Marketing efforts.

For more information on Blue Archer and our internet marketing services, visit our website.

Jennifer Brant
Marketing Manager

Pittsburgh Web Design