How to Create Goals in Google Analytics

Create a new goal

Navigate to your goals:

1. Sign in to Google Analytics.

2. Click Admin, and navigate to the desired view.

3. In the VIEW column, click Goals.

4. Click + NEW GOAL or Import from Gallery to create a new goal, or click an existing goal to edit its configuration.

You have 3 basic options for creating goals:

1. using a goal template

2. creating custom goals

3. creating Smart Goals

Option 1: Goals from a template

Follow the steps to create a new goal (above), then:

1. Select a Template from the list.

2. Click Next step to continue setting up your goal.

Goal templates are designed to help you set actionable goals that meet standard business objectives. You can edit any template field before saving a goal. The goal categories (Revenue, Acquisition, Inquiry, Engagement) are the larger business objectives that motivate the goal templates. Use them as an organization tool to help you think about the purpose of your goals. Try to create at least one goal for each category to get a better understanding of how users interact with your content. These categories don’t affect any data or your reports.

Don't see any templates? Goal templates are tailored to meet the needs of businesses within specific industries (automotive, entertainment, etc.). Templates are disabled if you haven't selected an industry within your account. To get templates that are relevant to your business, edit your property, select an Industry Category, and save your changes.

Option 2: Custom goals

Follow the steps to create a new goal (above), then:

1. Select Custom from the list of options.

2. Click Next step, then select a goal Type.

3. Click Next step again to continue setting up your goal.

See the Goal types section below for more information about setting up custom goals.

Option 3: Smart Goals

If your account meets the prerequisites, you will have the option to select Smart Goals. Follow the steps to create a new goal (above), then:

1. Select Smart Goals (if available).

2. Click Next step to continue setting up your goal.

Goal configuration options

Goal types

As described in About goals, there are a number of different goal types, each used for a different kind of action you can measure. If you use a template, the best fit will be suggested for you. If you set up a custom goal, select the type that best fits the action you need to track. Expand the sections below to learn more about the details of each goal type.

                                        Destination goal details

Use destination goals to treat a pageview or screenview as a conversion. Enter the screen name or page URL in the Destination field. Specify the match type as Equals to, Begins with, or Regular expression.

A funnel refers to the path your users take to reach a particular destination. You can specify the screens or pages the user must visit prior to the final destination goal by turning on the Funnel option. For each step in the funnel, click +Add another Step, then enter a page name or an app screen name, as you did in the Destination field.

The funnel steps use the same match type as the Destination. For example, if you specified a regular expression for the Destination, all the funnel steps must match that same expression. 

Set up Smart Goals

Smart Goals require no additional set up. If your account meets the prerequisites, all you need to do is select Smart Goals from the goal Types list and then give your goal a name. (That's why we called them "Smart Goals!")

Goal value

Assigning a monetary value to a goal gives you a way to compare conversions and measure changes and improvements to your site or app. All goal types except Smart Goals let you assign a value during the setup process. There are special considerations when setting up an Event goal or a goal that involves Ecommerce Tracking. Expand the sections below to see these considerations. 

You can change the currency unit for the goal Value in your view settings.

Verify your goal

Click Verify this goal to test your goal setup. This will calculate a conversion rate for this goal based on your data from the past 7 days.

This test is based on data in your account, and not actual conversion data. It is not a projection of how well your goal will perform.

Revise or Edit a goal

You can revise a goal you are in the process of defining by clicking the Edit link next to a previous step.

To edit an existing goal, navigate to the goals list and click the goal name to follow the step-by-step flow again.