The Complete Guide to Setting Up Google Analytics Goals
We've discussed the basics of Google Analytics and important metrics to track for B2B websites. Now let's look a bit further down the road and discuss Google Analytics goals and events.
Google Analytics is a powerhouse tool that you have at your disposal. To get the most mileage out of your Google Analytics efforts, you must have thoughtful, strategic goals in place to optimize your performance and make sure that your business is on the right track.
Set Your Course with a Measurement Plan
Before defining and implementing your goals, you need to create a measurement plan. A measurement plan essentially ensures that you're on track and receiving information that directly aids you in reaching your business objectives. Your measurement plan helps you to navigate your company's objectives and arrive at specific metrics that you should be measured through Google Analytics.
Define Your Business Objectives
So, what are your business objectives? Why does your company exist, and what exactly are you trying to achieve? Your objectives needn't be financial or defined by numbers. Improving customer loyalty, for example, is a great objective to have.
This step is effectively defining your destination. If you're building a roadmap, it ought to lead to somewhere specific, right?
Define Your KPIs
You've got a destination in mind, and now it's time to head in that general direction. Your key performance indicators (KPIs) help you narrow your scope and set a general course toward achieving your business objectives.
If you have a business objective of improving customer loyalty, a very helpful KPI to keep an eye on would be the engagement of existing customers. Kick it up a gear and connect your chosen KPIs to segments to truly optimize your online business. You can segment based on various factors like traffic source, membership type, and device type. For tracking the engagement of existing customers, you'll want to pay attention to membership type and whether the user is new or returning.
Plan to Implement
Now that you've set your course, it's time to home in on the specifics. What are the exact steps you'll have to take to follow the track you've laid out? What are the technical aspects?
With Google Analytics, you'll likely need to employ tracking modifications and develop a technical implementation plan. Google Tag Manager can help you navigate these technicalities – or you can sit back and cruise to a win with the help of a team of pros like us here at WEB ROI.
Align Google Goals with KPIs
With Google Analytics, you can track different goals through events. To make the most of your efforts and reach your goals in the speediest manner possible, it's essential to align your goals as closely as possible with your KPIs within the platform.
You defined your KPIs to develop a strong roadmap to help you reach your ultimate business objectives. Your Google Analytics events should align with these metrics and keep you on track to your overarching business goals.
Set Google Analytics Goals
Now it's time to turn the ignition and start rolling. You have your destination and a map to get there – it's time to execute! We won't go into an in-depth explanation of how exactly to set up your goal events in Google Analytics, as extensive guides are abundant all over Google. Instead, we want to make sure you're considering the right things about your business when creating your goals.
Give Value to Your Goals
The value of your goals is straightforward when you've got an ecommerce site with monetary goals. But how exactly do you define value for other goals you might have, like lead generation or new subscribers?
Giving value to your goals helps track your progress and ensures that you're on track to success. Come up with a reasonable number that you'd like to aim toward for your KPIs, such as 50 email sign-ups per month or 100 new users on your homepage per week.
Employ User-Level Calculated Metrics
By default, Google Analytics will give you reports based on per-session information. While this can be helpful, it also has the potential to skew your results in some instances.
If one singular user visits your website on three separate days within a week, for example, and makes a purchase on the third visit, Google Analytics would summarize this as a 33.3% conversion rate. Setting up user-level calculated metrics can help you avoid this misleading report and provide you with a more accurate picture of your business's online performance.
Use Insights as Fuel
This effort should yield valuable data regarding your business objectives' specifics regarding your online performance, especially if you segment your goal data. Now it's time to take those insights and act so that you can continue to accelerate your business.
If your insights have told you that you convert returning visitors at a rate 5x higher than first-time visitors, use this information! Work harder to persuade first-time visitors through promotions and set up an intentional retargeting campaign to convert more visitors into customers.
Hire a Pit Crew
Google Analytics can be difficult to navigate. With all its potential comes a lot of complexity, and it can be very discouraging to feel like you're spinning your wheels without gaining much traction. That's where we come in – WEB ROI has the experience and expertise to help you to reach your business objectives. We can handle this aspect of your business so that you can spend your time and effort on what it is that you do best! Contact us today to discuss how we can help you speed forward on the track to success.
Article Updated 2023-07-04.
