- For information about setting up conversions in Google Analytics 4, go to [GA4] How to set up a conversion in Google Analytics 4.
- For information about creating and modifying conversion events in Google Analytics 4, go to [GA4] Create or modify conversion events.
- For information about how to mark a user interaction as a conversion event in Google Analytics 4, go to [GA4] Mark events as conversions.
You need the Editor role at the view level to perform the tasks or use the features described in this article.
Create a new goal
Navigate to your goals:
- Sign in to Google Analytics.
- Click Admin, and navigate to the desired view.
- In the VIEW column, click Goals.
- Click + NEW GOAL or Import from Gallery to create a new goal, or click an existing goal to edit its configuration.
Note: If + NEW GOAL and Import from Gallery are not visible, then you have already created the maximum of 20 goals for the current view.
You have 3 basic options for creating goals:
- using a goal template
- creating custom goals
- creating Smart Goals
Option 1: Goals from a template
Follow the steps to create a new goal (above), then:
- Select a Template from the list.
- 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:
- Select Custom from the list of options.
- Click Next step, then select a goal Type.
- 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:
- Select Smart Goals (if available).
- 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 detailsUse 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.
Measure user engagement by treating minimum session duration as a conversion. The Hours, Minutes and Seconds fields specify the minimum session time that qualifies as a goal conversion. Any session longer than this amount of time will generate a conversion..
Treat user interactions with your site or app as a conversion. You must first set up at least one Event to use Event goals. Use the Event conditions to configure the event components. Learn more about Events.
Measure user engagement by treating the number of pages or screens per session as a goal. Users who view more than the specified number of pages or screens will generate a conversion.
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.
Values for Event goalsThere are two ways to set the goal value for an Event type goal:
- Use the Event value as the goal value. This will be whatever is defined in your Event tracking code as the value. Depending on your setup, this might not be a monetary amount. If you haven’t defined an Event value, the goal value will be empty. Change the goal value option to YES in the setup for this configuration.
- Use a goal value. This works like setting a value for other types of goals. Keep the goal value option to NO in the setup for this configuration, and manually set the value.
If have a goal that you’re also tracking as a transaction or purchase with the Ecommerce Tracking code, leave the Goal Value blank.
The value of the transaction will come from the Ecommerce tracking code in your shopping cart.
Information about the goal (e.g., goal completions, funnel steps, the number of sessions in which the goal was completed) will appear in the Goal reports.
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.
How do I find my goals?
Navigate to your goals:
- Sign in to Google Analytics.
- Click Admin, and navigate to the desired view.
- In the VIEW column, click Goals.
- Click an existing goal's name to edit its configuration.
Recording status
As soon as you create a goal, it starts recording data. You can pause a goal by changing the recording status to OFF. No data is recorded for a goal when turned off.
To change a goal's recording status:
Because goal conversions are calculated and applied as your data is processed, it is not possible to delete a goal. If one of your goals becomes obsolete or irrelevant, turn off recording instead.
- Navigate to your goals.
- Locate the goal you wish to change.
- Turn the Recording toggle ON or OFF.
Share and import goals
After you have created and saved a goal, you can share it with other Analytics users, just as you can other assets, such as Dashboards, Segments, Channel Groupings, etc. To share a goal:
When you share assets, only the configuration information is shared. Your data remains private.
Learn more about sharing assets.
Importing goals from the Solutions Gallery
Instead of creating your own goals, you can import them from the Solutions Gallery. When you import an goal from the Solutions Gallery, only the template is imported into your account. You can use that goal to track the conversions in your Analytics account, not the conversion data from the person that created the goal.
Learn more about the Solutions Gallery.
Troubleshoot issues with goals
If you're having issues with how your goals are set up, use the goal-setup troubleshooter to identify and resolve issues.
If you're having issues with discrepancies in goals, transactions, and Google Ads conversions, use the discrepancies troubleshooter to identify and resolve issues.
