A business’ website is not only there to represent the organization. It’s also responsible for nurturing leads and making sales. However, a good website is measured by more than just the number of pageviews it accrues. Today, many businesses use Google Analytics in order to determine how successful their website and marketing efforts are at bringing in new customers. With an understanding of Google Analytics, businesses can gain valuable insights on consumer behavior, gauge the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and even predict what the future will bring with an impressive degree of accuracy.
One of the most important things that businesses can use Google Analytics for is the creation and tracking of Google Analytics Goals. Essentially, goals represent different user activities that businesses can track as a certain objective. They help businesses achieve a better understanding of what their website is able to accomplish.
If you’re interested in learning how to create Google Analytics goals for your business or help other businesses create actionable goals, enrolling in a Digital Marketing Analytics course at Cumberland College can help you develop the skills you need. Below, get a head start on creating relevant, actionable goals using Google Analytics.
After Your Digital Marketing Analytics Training, Create Goals That Have Value
When it comes to creating actionable goals with Google Analytics, the first step you’ll want to take is that of choosing a goal that will provide your business with valuable information. Deciding what kinds of metrics to track on a website can be tricky, and the answer lies within the values or needs of a business. After completing your digital marketing analytics training, there are a few common goals you can consider. For example, businesses may track the amount of time a user spends on the website, the amount of leads (contracts filled) it generates, the amount of eBook downloads that occur, or how many users signed up to receive the newsletter. Using goals can help businesses understand the success of various marketing campaigns, enabling them to make more informed decisions later on.
Choose the Type of Goal Tracking You Want to Employ
Within Google Analytics, there are four main types of goals that can be tracked. These include URL Destination Goals, Visit Duration Goals, Page/Visit Goals, and Event Goals. With URL Destination Goals, specific URLs are tracked, meaning that each time a user visits a page with a certain URL, the goal is triggered. This kind of configuration is great for pages that thank a user after they have completed a form. Visit Duration Goals, on the other hand, are used to track the amount of time that users spend on a site. A certain time can be set before the goal activates to ensure that only the most meaningful results are tracked. Page/Visit Goals are similar to Visit Duration Goals, but track the number of pages a user travels to while on the website rather than the amount of time they spend on it. Lastly, Event Goals track specific Events, set up within Google Analytics. A Google Analytics Event can be a number of things, including downloads, video engagement, clicks to external links, and more. After completing your digital marketing analytics course, you can use this information to get a better sense of the kinds of goals you want to track.
Use Different Goal Reports to Dive Deeper Into Your Metrics
Through the use of various Google Analytics Reports, businesses can gain insight into how each of their goals is performing and then use this information when setting new goals or modifying old ones. For example, the Reverse Goal Path Report examines which pages are responsible for sending the most conversions to the page of the actual goal. Using the Goal Overview Report, businesses can see metrics such as conversion rates, goal value, number of completions, and more. With the Goal URLs report, the URLs where the majority of goals go to completion are highlighted, which can be especially helpful in the case of Event type goals.
These are just a few tips to get you started on creating goals with Google Analytics. By taking a digital marketing course at Cumberland College, you’ll be able to explore these topics and more!
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