How to Set Up Goals and Funnels In Google Analytics to Track Conversions? Goals and Funnels in Google Analytics

Google Analytics allows you to track each stage in the users visit. This tracking helps to identify bad designing and bring to the notice the area which needs improvements.

A very simple goal would just be to count every time someone filled in the inquiry form, or sent an e-mail or whatever your conversion target. This is an example of a Web Analytics Tool. However that doesn’t tell you anything about how users got to that part of your site, or tell you about the other hundred users who left before they converted (either because the site is badly designed, or your product is too expensive etc), which surly affects your Lead Generation.

Now, set the target is that a user to enter through a particular landing page such as your Business Web Page, and then click on details of a service of product, then fill out the booking form – and a goal will allow you to track each of those stages. Now click on edit next to the profile you want to add your goal to:

Google Analytics and Google AdWords Conversion Tracker

Conversion tracker in Google Analytics helps to track the events associated with the visit of a webpage by any user. This tool can be successfully integrated with Google AdWords to reap the maximum benefit out of ads spending and to improve your returns in search advertising.

The process involves placing a cookie on the user’s computer when an advertisement is clicked on a website. This cookie stores information about the visitor’s behavior and send back the details to the Google Server including conversion as defined. Then a conversion tracking image is placed on your site to state that a conversion has taken place. With this, Google has successfully tracked a conversion on your site. This can be linked with Google AdWords.

To view this information in Google Ad Words, you can click the “Campaigns” tab in your account, or by viewing the “Reporting and Tools” tab and in the dropdown select “Conversions”.

Fig: Displays the Google Ad Words Navigation Bar

Implementation of the tracking process includes a series of steps which are mentioned below:

1. Summary

The basic mechanism involves placing a code snippet in the source code of your conversion page which needs to be tracked. This requires a basic understanding of HTML as well as server access to your website code and a Google Ad Words account for that particular website. After you install the code on your page, leave up to one hour for data to show in your account after the first conversion from your account has taken place. You can also view conversion reports based on the keyword level used. Modification of the code snippet may result in the tracking code not working properly.
        
              

Fig: Tracking Process Explained

2. Acquiring Code Snippet

The code snippet from Google will be displayed when you select a page under the “Action Type” option for which you need conversion tracking to be operational. You also need to specify the tracking purpose meaning the type of page that you are adding. When you place the code snippet on your conversion page, statistics on users who click on a Google Ad Words advertisement and go through to a conversion page such as purchase, sign-up, page view, or lead) can be collected and displayed in your reports.

Fig: Steps Leading to Conversion

3. Requirements

a) Ad Word Ads that are valid and functioning

b) Proper placement of the Google code snippet on your conversion page source file.

c) For Ad Words Conversion Tracking to successfully track conversions from clicks on your ad, customers must be able to download images and enable the "cookies" feature in their browsers.

Fig: Inserting code snippet to the source page.

4. Inserting Code Snippet to Conversion Page

Just by inserting the code into your website does not guarantee conversions to take place, but it requires a user to click on an Ad Words Ad and click through to the conversion page to register a conversion. An option to choose the Site Stats Text on your conversion page is available and a block image appears on the end user pages. It is optional to select this feature, but you will need to convince users that you are using Ad Words free conversion tracking methodology in order to get their approval and guarantee their privacy. The block of code needs to go in between the <body></body> tags. Code cannot be pasted into the header or footer section of a page.

Fig: Code Snippet in the Body Section

5. Verifying Ad Words Conversion Tracking Code Snippet

Either you can wait for a conversion to take place or perform a test conversion yourself. If you know that a conversion has occurred on your site from an Ad Words ad, view the conversion column in your account to verify the conversion. In most cases, updates to your account may take up to 24 hours to reflect. The other option is to search in Google for your ad, then click on the ad to complete a conversion on your site.

Fig: Conversion Reporting

Conclusion: We suggest that you wait for a conversion to occur otherwise this method will cost you an ad click. This is an important strategy in search engine advertisement.

Google AdWords and Tablets - Importance of Tablets targeting in Market Research

Google AdWords has recently begun to allow users to target their AdWords campaigns on Tablets with full browsers.  The devices - Apple iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab or the Motorola Xoom were appeared to have been classified along with the mobile devices previously.  That means the advertisers who did not opt to go for mobile devices had lost that opportunity even though those devices were compatible for a normal website.

Tablet PC, a latest digital channel  has an LCD screen on which the user can write using a special-purpose pen, or Stylus.  The handwriting is digitized and can be converted to standard text through handwriting recognition, or it can remain as handwritten text.   Tablet PCs also typically have a keyboard and/or a mouse for input.

 Following are pictures of tablet PCs - Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Xoom.

  Samsung Galaxy Tab

                                                   Motorola Xoom

While placing ads with mobile devices the mobile compatibility of the site is required to ensure that clicks are turning into actionable results.  But in the case of Tablet PCs it is not needed.  To activate the ads in ‘Tablets with full browsers’ we need to check the box which is  located on your ‘Settings’ tab under

‘Networks and Devices’.  It will enable you to select more precisely type of devices and operating systems which will display your AdWords ads.

Now, with the introduction of targeting Tablets PCs, all clicks, impressions and other metrics will be reported along with the ads performance under ‘PC and Laptops’.  Once Google  brings separate reporting for this section, this data will come handy for market research firms to analyze the user behavior. As of now, there is an option in Google Analytics to identify the device which generates  a click.   Hence, market research firms can still utilize that option to identify the clicks generated from Tablet PCs.

It is easy to segregate clicks generated through mobile devices  for those ads which are placed through the Display Network  of Google AdWords.  There is a unique code associated with ads placed in mobile devices.  Once that code is identified we can segregate the ads/clicks landed on mobile devices.

Ultimately, the minute reporting of the user behavior helps any market research firms to better understand the pulse of the user community.