Goals and Conversion Tracking
Goals and conversion tracking help you measure the success of your website by monitoring specific actions that visitors take. Whether it's completing a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a file, goals help you understand how well your site is performing.
Accessing Goals
- Log into your AnalyticsCloudMonitor account
- Select a website from the dropdown in the top navigation
- Click "Goals" in the left sidebar
- Or access from your main dashboard
Understanding Goals
What Are Goals?
Goals are specific actions you want visitors to complete on your website:
- Conversions: Actions that indicate success (purchases, signups)
- Engagement: Actions that show visitor interest (clicks, downloads)
- Business Objectives: Actions that align with your goals
- User Journey Milestones: Steps in the conversion process
Types of Goals
AnalyticsCloudMonitor supports several goal types:
- Page Visit Goals: Track when visitors reach specific pages
- Event Goals: Track specific user interactions (clicks, form submissions)
- Duration Goals: Track sessions that last a certain amount of time
- Pages per Session Goals: Track sessions with a minimum number of pageviews
- Custom Goals: Track specific custom events you define
Creating Your First Goal
Step 1: Create Goal
- Click "Create Goal" button
- Enter a descriptive name for your goal
- Select the goal type from the dropdown
- Configure the goal parameters
- Click "Create Goal"
Step 2: Configure Goal Settings
Depending on the goal type, configure these settings:
- Goal Name: Clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Newsletter Signup")
- Goal Type: Choose the appropriate tracking method
- Target Value: Set a monetary value if applicable
- Funnel Steps: Define the conversion path (optional)
- Active Status: Enable or disable the goal
Step 3: Set Up Goal Tracking
For different goal types, you'll need to:
- Page Visit Goals: Specify the exact URL to track
- Event Goals: Define the event name and parameters
- Duration Goals: Set the minimum session duration
- Pages per Session Goals: Set the minimum page count
Goal Types Explained
Page Visit Goals
Track when visitors reach specific pages:
- Thank You Pages: Track form submissions and purchases
- Confirmation Pages: Monitor successful actions
- Key Content Pages: Track engagement with important content
- Landing Pages: Monitor campaign-specific pages
Event Goals
Track specific user interactions:
- Button Clicks: Track clicks on important buttons
- Form Submissions: Monitor form completions
- File Downloads: Track document or file downloads
- Video Plays: Monitor video engagement
- Link Clicks: Track clicks on specific links
Duration Goals
Track sessions that meet time thresholds:
- Engagement Metrics: Identify highly engaged visitors
- Content Quality: Measure how long visitors stay
- User Experience: Gauge site stickiness
Pages per Session Goals
Track sessions with minimum page counts:
- Site Exploration: Encourage deeper site engagement
- Content Discovery: Track content consumption
- User Journey: Monitor multi-page interactions
Setting Up Goal Funnels
What Are Funnels?
Funnels show the path visitors take to complete a goal:
- Conversion Path: Steps leading to goal completion
- Drop-off Analysis: Identify where visitors abandon the process
- Optimization Opportunities: Find areas to improve
- User Experience Insights: Understand the conversion journey
Creating a Funnel
- When creating a goal, enable "Funnel" option
- Add funnel steps in order (first to last)
- Specify the URL for each step
- Set step names for easy identification
- Save the funnel configuration
Example Funnel
For an e-commerce purchase funnel:
- Product Page: /product/item-name
- Add to Cart: /cart/add
- Checkout Page: /checkout
- Payment Page: /checkout/payment
- Thank You Page: /thank-you (goal completion)
Goal Analytics and Reporting
Goal Overview
The goals dashboard shows key metrics:
- Goal Completions: Number of times the goal was achieved
- Conversion Rate: Percentage of visitors who complete the goal
- Goal Value: Total value of goal completions
- Abandonment Rate: Percentage who started but didn't complete
- Funnel Performance: Drop-off rates at each step
Goal Reports
Access detailed goal analytics:
- Goal Flow: Visual representation of conversion paths
- Funnel Visualization: Step-by-step conversion analysis
- Goal Comparison: Compare multiple goals
- Trend Analysis: Track goal performance over time
Using Goals for Optimization
Conversion Rate Optimization
Use goal data to improve your site:
- Identify Bottlenecks: Find where conversions drop off
- Test Improvements: A/B test changes to problematic areas
- Optimize Funnels: Improve the conversion path
- Target High-Value Visitors: Focus on visitors likely to convert
Content Optimization
Apply goal insights to content strategy:
- High-Performing Content: Identify content that drives conversions
- Content Gaps: Find missing content that could improve conversions
- User Journey Mapping: Understand how content influences conversions
- Personalization Opportunities: Tailor content to conversion goals
Goal Management
Managing Multiple Goals
The goals dashboard shows all your goals:
- Goal Name: Descriptive name for easy identification
- Goal Type: Page visit, event, duration, etc.
- Status: Active or inactive
- Conversion Rate: Current performance
- Last Updated: When data was last collected
- Actions: Edit, pause, or delete options
Goal Actions
For each goal, you can:
- View Analytics: Access detailed goal reports
- Edit: Modify goal settings and configuration
- Pause/Resume: Temporarily stop or restart tracking
- Delete: Remove the goal and its data
- Export: Download goal data for analysis
Advanced Goal Features
Goal Segmentation
Analyze goals by different segments:
- Traffic Sources: Compare conversion rates by source
- Geographic Location: Analyze conversions by location
- Device Types: Compare mobile vs desktop conversions
- New vs Returning: Analyze first-time vs repeat visitors
- Time Periods: Compare conversions across different dates
Goal Attribution
Understand what drives conversions:
- First-Touch Attribution: Credit the first interaction
- Last-Touch Attribution: Credit the final interaction
- Multi-Touch Attribution: Credit all interactions in the journey
- Time Decay Attribution: Weight recent interactions more heavily
Goal Best Practices
Goal Setting
- Start Simple: Begin with 2-3 key goals
- Be Specific: Define clear, measurable goals
- Align with Business: Focus on goals that drive business value
- Test and Iterate: Continuously improve goal configuration
Goal Monitoring
- Regular Review: Check goal performance weekly
- Set Benchmarks: Establish baseline performance metrics
- Track Trends: Monitor goal performance over time
- Act on Insights: Use goal data to make improvements
Exporting Goal Data
Export Options
- Go to the goals dashboard
- Click the "Export" button
- Choose export format (CSV or JSON)
- Select which goal data to include
- Set the date range for export
- Download the file
What You Can Export
- Goal Completions: Number and timing of conversions
- Conversion Rates: Performance metrics over time
- Funnel Data: Step-by-step conversion analysis
- Visitor Information: Demographics of converting visitors
- Traffic Sources: Which sources drive the most conversions
Troubleshooting Goals
No Goal Completions
- Verify the goal is active and properly configured
- Check that the tracking code is installed correctly
- Test the goal by completing the action yourself
- Verify the URL or event parameters are correct
- Check for any filters that might exclude data
Incorrect Goal Data
- Check for duplicate tracking codes
- Verify goal configuration matches your site
- Clear browser cache and test again
- Check for ad blockers or privacy tools
- Review goal settings for accuracy
Goal Tracking Limitations
Keep in mind these limitations:
- Sample Size: Need sufficient visitors for accurate data
- Privacy Tools: Ad blockers may affect tracking
- Dynamic Content: May not work with frequently changing URLs
- Cross-Domain Tracking: Requires special configuration
- Mobile Limitations: Some interactions may not be tracked
💡 Pro Tip
Start with micro-conversions (small goals like newsletter signups) before moving to macro-conversions (major goals like purchases). This helps you understand the full conversion funnel.
Next Steps
Now that you understand goals and conversion tracking, explore these related features: