There are quite a few variables to measure a site’s success. Chief among them being its conversion rate.
You can measure the number of backlinks, SEO score, the number of visits the site is getting, and everything else, but at the end of the day, all that matters is the number of sales you’re able to clock.
Much has been said about Google Analytics, and how much of a valuable tool it is for measuring site traffic and gathering vital information on its visitors. What’s yet to be known by many is that it can also be set to keep a near-accurate track of your conversion rate. That is, set to keep track of an activity to be completed, and which in the end translates into more business or action for you.
Many people get intimidated by the term Google Analytics. But what’s true is that there’s nothing complicated about it. From setting up an account to wrapping your head around the basics, this guide strives to set you off on the right foot and get you started.
Here we go:
Setting Up a Google Analytic Account
Setting up a Google analytic account is a no-brainer. If you’ve ever signed up with any platform before, then that’s pretty much the procedure. For those who’d created the account before, you have the freedom to skip the first two steps of this guide by hoping right to step 3.
Step 1: Create a Gmail Account
The first step to setting up a Google Analytic account is creating a Gmail account. It’s however important that you make sure the Gmail account you create bears the same name as that of your Google Analytic account. Otherwise, you’ll be required to set up a new Gmail account.
Step 2: Signing Up for a Google Analytics Account
Once you’ve succeeded in setting up a Gmail account, the next step of the process will be to sign up for a Google Analytics account.
Start by following the link provided (https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/), and thereafter click on ‘start for free.’ You’ll be directed to a page where you’ll be required to sign up. Fill in the details as requested – enter an account name, your website name and URL, the industry you operate in, as well as your time zone.
Be sure to check all the boxes placed next to the recommended options before hitting the blue button to get your tracking ID.
A popup prompting you to accept the terms of service will then show up. Click on the ‘I Accept’ button, and ta-da! You’d have successfully created a Google Analytics account.
Step 3: Tracking Your Website
Your Google Analytic account contains your Tracking ID and Analytics Tracking code. You should be able to see all of them upon signing into the account.
Another way to find them is to head to the ‘Admin’ section of the account, followed by ‘Property’ and then ‘Tracking Info’.
Keep in mind that there are several ways to set up your website for Google Analytics tracking, some of which will require you to use these codes. So it’s wise to save them all up in a place you can easily retrieve when prompted to — for instance, on a sticky note on your desktop.
If your website is made from pure code or is NOT running on any known CMS, then you’ll be required to copy the tracking code provided into every single one of your webpages to track the site. The process can be a little complicated. So it’s important that you reach out to your web developer for help.
Fortunately for those running their websites on WordPress, there’s a much easier approach you can take to achieve the same. All you need to do is install the MonsterInsights plugin before proceeding to activate it.
Once installed, you can locate the insights tab on your dashboard and click on settings. Next, click on ‘Authentication with Your Google Account’.
A dialog pop up box will appear, prompting you to sign in. Selected the Google account you created and sign in. You’ll be directed to another page where you’ll be required to allow MoonInsights to access your Google analytics account. Click on the blue ‘Allow’ button before proceeding to the next step.
You’ll also be asked to choose an analytic website you want MoonInsights to authenticate. Once done, you can complete the authentication process by clicking on the ‘I’m NOT a Robot’ button and you’re good to proceed to the next step.
Setting Up Your Conversion Goals
On to the meaty part of this post. After successfully creating a Google Analytic account and even integrating it with your website to keep track of all incoming traffic and its whereabouts, you may also want to use it to keep track of your conversion rate.
There’s a whole lot you’ll be required to do to achieve this feat. Start by doing your own setup.
This is important as it enables you to gather some valuable insights regarding the traffic you’re getting.
Read this bearing in mind that Google Analytics is a feature-rich analytics tool. You can’t afford to learn everything about it in one sitting.
Conversion Goals just happens to be among the few of its features you should be prioritising on if your plan is to grow your business and ramp up the number of sales you’re getting.
Among the things the tool can effectively track are the marketing campaigns you run – of which, email list building happens to be part. You want to accurately track email list signups, so you can adjust your campaign and be able to improve on the results you get.
There’s nothing complicated about the process involved. All you need is this simple, step by step guide on how to set conversion goals and that’s it.
Step 1: Creating a New Goal
Start by selecting the Admin Tab, found atop the Google Analytic page. This should direct you to another page with three columns namely Account, View, and Property.
Now head to the ‘view’ column and select ‘Goals.’ Once there, just click on ‘New Goals” and proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Choosing Goal Setup
Under ‘Goal Setup’, try locating the ‘custom’ radio button, found at bottom of all the options provided. Check the box before clicking on ‘continue.’
Step 3: Goal Description
Next, you’ll be required to enter a name for the goal you’re setting. You’ll also be prompted to select the type of goal before proceeding with the process.
The name you choose is important as it’s what you’ll be using to remember the conversion you’re tracking. Under ‘type’ option, check on destination before clicking on continue.
Step 3: Entering Goal Details
The next page that shows up will require you to enter a URL to a thank you page on your website. If you haven’t created one already, you can always head back to your site and set it up. Just create a page with a message thanking a user for subscribing to your mailing list.
Remember this is the page your site visitors will always be directed to upon opting to your mailing campaign. You’re to type it under the destination field, but make sure you’ve created the page on your site first to avoid being slapped with a 404 error for linking to a page that doesn’t exist.
You also have the option to assign a monetary value to the conversion. Only you can tell how much the conversion is worth to you. For instance, if you estimate the average lifetime value of a customer to be about $1000, with an average acquisition rate of 1%, you can assign $10 to be the value of each lead you get.
This option is recommended for the options at the bottom of your funnel, particularly sales. You want to estimate the amount you’re likely to earn should the conversion go through.
Step 4: Recording
Once you’ve finalized creating your goal, Google analytics will automatically begin recording collected data. All you have to do at this point is wait for the tool to collect enough data for you to analyse or utilize in any other way you see fit.
In case you wish to pause the goal, just turn off the recording and turn it on again next time you feel like continuing with the recording.
Step 5: Viewing the Recorded Data
At the beginning of tracking your data, there won’t be much, if any, to be viewed. You have to give it some time or set regular intervals upon which you’ll be reviewing the goal results trickling in.
To view your data, just head to Acquisition and then Overview. Here, you can select the goal whose data you want to view from the dropdown menu shown and you’re set to go.
That data presented will also be showing your top channels or the top most sources of the traffic you get. There will also be a graph of the sessions, showing the number of times a particular visitor landed on your site, including the number of views the visitor made per each session.
Your conversion rate will be displayed starting from the third column on the right-hand side of your dashboard.
Here, you can check out for the channels that are resulting in the highest conversion rates. If you did specify the leads in monetary terms, the results shown will also be indicating the total estimate of the amount you should have earned. All this data can be viewed at the right-most column of the dashboard.
The information you gather here should help you determine which channel deserves most of your attention.
You’re also allowed to change the dates and narrow down the data presented to a specific window of time for an easy and relevant analysis.
Tracking multiple campaigns can be too much of a problem, considering you’ll be required to create separate conversion goals for each one of them. Even more hectic is the fact that each campaign will require a separate ‘thank you’ page. Failure of which, it will be quite impossible to differentiate the different conversion goals you’ve set.
It’s a Wrap
That’s pretty much like it. With the information above, you’re now safe to call yourself the master of tracking conversion rates.
As a site owner, you can measure your online success using many more metrics than site traffic as you can see. But what better way is there to gauge the effectiveness of your site than measuring its conversion rate?
This article is all you need to get started. But just in case you’re stuck on anything, or wish to expand your knowledge base with regard to the subject matter, you’re allowed to contact MediaOne today for a free SEO consultation or any other kind of help along the lines of digital marketing.
