Setting up goals in Google Analytics isn’t just a box-ticking exercise; it’s a strategic way to track what truly matters in your marketing campaigns and business performance. But with so many options and templates, how do you know what’s essential and what’s noise?
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know: what goals are, the types that move the needle, how to set them up correctly, and what you can confidently ignore.
What Are Goals in Google Analytics?
Goals in Google Analytics are predefined actions that help you measure how effectively your website supports your business objectives. These can range from filling out a form to spending a certain amount of time on your site or reaching a specific page, like a “Thank You” screen.
Once set up, goals allow you to:
- Track goal conversions with ease and accuracy.
- Measure progress toward your lead generation or sales efforts.
- Assign a monetary value to goals, helping quantify the financial impact of user interactions.
- Make data-driven decisions that reflect actual user behaviour.
You can create up to 20 goals per reporting view in Universal Analytics, and each goal is tailored to capture a different form of user engagement.
Pro tip: Goals are not retroactive. Once created, they only track goal completions going forward.
What Are the Goals of Analytics?
The primary goals of web analytics are to:
- Gain a deeper understanding of your website visitors and their behaviour.
- Identify bottlenecks in the conversion funnel.
- Monitor how effectively your site is achieving its marketing objectives and business objectives.
- Reveal which user interactions are translating into meaningful results.
In short, the aim is to tie user visits to tangible business outcomes, something Google Analytics does brilliantly when your goal setup is correct.
What Is the Main Purpose of Google Analytics?
The main purpose of Google Analytics is to help businesses:
- Monitor conversion events and goal completions.
- Make informed decisions based on real-time and historical data.
- Understand how many users are completing key actions (e.g., signing up, making a purchase).
- Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and content strategies.
Whether you run an e-commerce site, lead generation site, or blog, Google Analytics helps bridge the gap between user visits and your business model’s success metrics.
What Are Google’s Smart Goals?
Smart Goals are an automated feature in Universal Analytics designed to help advertisers without conversion tracking measure performance. Google uses machine learning to identify the “best” visits to your site based on behavioural signals (like session duration, pages per session, and more).
While helpful in theory, Smart Goals often lack the specificity and control of custom goals. They’re best for advertisers using Google Ads who don’t yet have enough conversions to use Target CPA or ROAS bidding.
Use Smart Goals only if you lack conversion data; otherwise, build personal and meaningful goals that reflect your actual business objectives.
Types of Goals in Google Analytics
Google Analytics offers four main goal types:
1. Destination Goals
Triggered when a user lands on a specific URL (e.g., /thank-you). Ideal for tracking:
- Newsletter signups
- Purchases
- Contact form submissions
Simply enter the request URI (not the full URL), and you’re set.
2. Duration Goals
These measures how long a user stays on your site, such as 10 minutes or longer, which is useful for engagement metrics on blog posts or video content.
3. Pages/Screens per Session Goals
This goal fires when users view a defined number of pages or screens in a single session (e.g., three or more)—a great indicator of content interest or user navigation quality.
4. Event Goals
Require prior event tracking code setup (e.g., for video plays, file downloads, or form field interactions). Once set up, they’re the most flexible and specific form of conversion tracking.
Each goal type is powerful when aligned with your marketing campaigns. Choose what reflects your desired user actions, not just what’s easy to configure.
Setting Up Goals in Google Analytics
Here’s how to set up goals that drive insight and results:
Step 1: Access Admin Panel
Go to your Google Analytics account, select the appropriate view, and navigate to Admin > Goals.
Note: You must have the Editor role at the view level.
Step 2: Choose a Goal Type
Select from template, custom, or Smart Goal options. Templates are based on your industry category, offering goal ideas for:
- Revenue (e.g., purchases)
- Acquisition (e.g., newsletter signups)
- Inquiry (e.g., contact requests)
- Engagement (e.g., time on site)
All templates are editable, allowing you to tailor them to match your goals precisely.
Step 3: Set Details
Define the specifics of your goal:
- Type: Destination, Duration, Pages/Screens, or Event
- Name and ID
- Goal value (optional but highly recommended for ROI tracking)
- Optional: Create a goal funnel to visualise user pathways
Step 4: Verify Setup
Click “Verify this goal” to see how many conversions would have occurred over the past 7 days.
Important: Goals do not apply to historical data, so verifying is crucial before going live.
Step 5: Save and Share
Once saved, your goal starts tracking immediately. You can also share your goals with other users or import templates from the Solutions Gallery.
Importance of Goals in Digital Marketing
Well-configured goals are the backbone of any successful digital marketing strategy. They allow you to:
- Track marketing effectiveness and profitability.
- Align marketing budget spend with real-world results.
- Measure user engagement and content performance.
- Compare different marketing channels (e.g., organic, paid, social).
- Identify high-converting behaviours and optimise conversion rate.
Without goals, you’re guessing. With them, you’re executing with precision.
Focus only on actionable goals that align with your business model and eliminate vanity metrics.
What to Ignore in Google Analytics Goals
While Google Analytics is packed with features, not everything is worth your attention. Avoid:
- Generic goals (like time on site), unless they tie directly to your KPIs.
- Overcomplicating the setup with dozens of unprioritized goals.
- Using Smart Goals if you already track meaningful conversion events.
- Relying solely on event goals without a clear understanding of what user action they represent.
Keep your goals specific, valuable, and aligned with your strategy. Less is often more.
Final Thoughts: Create Goals That Work for You
Your Google Analytics goals shouldn’t just be placeholders. They’re the bridge between data and decision-making, between visitors and paying customers.
Whether you’re running an e-commerce store, SaaS business, or content site, goals help you stay focused on what drives results. Now you know what matters and what doesn’t.