This is a companion guide to Google Analytics for Nonprofits.
Think about the path visitors will take to achieve your goal.
For example, if your goal is to track new newsletter subscriptions, you would copy the URL of the newsletter subscription page, then the URL of the thank you page. This what is called a funnel – you want people to fall in to the subscription page, and come out the thank you page. That is the completion of your goal.
Tell Google what you want
1. Click on the admin tab at top right of the screen, then the goals tab in the middle of the screen. Click plus to add a goal. Give it an appropriate name – ie: newsletter subscriptions – and follow the prompts to put in two URLs you want to funnel people through. Save this.
2. Go back to your standard reporting tab and click on conversions in the left menu, then overview to get a quick look at how your goals are going (switch between goals using the drop down menu at the top under goal option. Or go to funnel visualization in the left menu to see at a glance what is happening with your goals.
The pages listed to the left of the funnel are the pages that got someone at the top of your funnel. The pages to the right is what they did instead of continuing to the page you wanted them to go to.
If you have few or no conversions – like this graph – you have a problem. If you have a high (exit) rate on right, you have a problem AND you’ve annoyed people enough for them to leave the site.
For success stories, see: Lyndal Cairns’ social media portfolio.