Setting Up Proper Conversion Tracking With Google Analytics

If you’re investing in digital marketing activities and want to know whether they’re effective or not, tracking your online performance is not just an option; it’s a necessity. 

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Setting up proper conversion tracking (also known as key events) with Google Analytics is a powerful tool that can provide valuable insights into your business’s digital performance. For many businesses, understanding and utilising these insights can be the difference between growth and stagnation. 

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In this blog we’ll cover the essential steps to follow to set up conversion tracking effectively and provide actionable advice to help you maximise your digital marketing efforts. 

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Why conversion tracking matters

Conversion tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns by tracking specific actions users take on your website. Whether it’s a purchase, form submission, or newsletter signup, knowing what works and what doesn’t helps you refine your strategies and allocate your resources more efficiently. Here are the key benefits: 

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• Insightful data: understand which channels and campaigns are driving the most valuable actions 
• ROI measurement: accurately measure the return on investment for your marketing activities 
• Improved marketing: refine and optimise your campaigns based on concrete data 
• Understand user behaviour: gain deeper insights into how users interact with your site

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Step-by-step guide to setting up conversion tracking

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1. Setting up Google Analytics 

Before you can track conversions (key events), you need to have Google Analytics set up on your website. If you haven’t done this yet, follow these steps: 

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1. Create a Google Analytics account: 

• Go to the Google Analytics website
• Sign in with your Google account and click on ‘Start for free’.  

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2. Set up a property: 

• Click on ‘Admin’ and select ‘Create Property’ 

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• Follow the steps to add your business details 
• Select your time zone 

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3. Install tracking code: 

• After creating the property, you will receive a tracking ID
• Add this tracking code snippet to every page of your website before the closing ‘</head> tag. If you have a website that’s built in Wordpress, Webflow, Squarespace or similar, this should be fairly easy to do. If your website was built by a developer, you can ask them to add this code for you 

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2. Define your goals 

In Google Analytics, a ‘goal’ represents a completed activity, called a conversion, that contributes to the success of your business. Setting up goals is crucial for conversion tracking. 

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1. Identify key actions 

• Determine the actions you consider valuable, such as purchases, form submissions, or contact requests. 

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2. Create goals in Google Analytics 

• Go to the ‘Admin’ section 
• On the left hand side, click the drop down for ‘Data display’ and choose ‘Events’

• Click ‘Event’ and choose form the template or create a custom goal 
• Configure the goal details, such as destination URL or event conditions 

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3. Use Google Tag Manager (GTM) for simplified tracking 

Google Tag Manager is a powerful tool that simplifies the process of adding and managing tags on your website without needing to modify the code directly. 

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1. Set up Google Tag Manager

• Create a Google Tag Manager account and container 
• Add the GTM container code to your website 

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2. Create tags for conversion tracking 

• Use GTM to create tags for Google Analytics, AdWords, and other tracking needs 
• Set up triggers that define when the tags should be fired e.g. when a form is submitted 

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4. Test and verify your tracking 

Before relying on the data, it’s essential to ensure your tracking setup works correctly. 

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1. Use Google Tag Assistant

• Install the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension to verify if your tags are working correctly 

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2. Check GA4 reports 

• In Google Analytics, test your events and use the real time reports to test your events.

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5. Analyse and act on the data 

Once your conversion tracking is set up, regularly review the data to gain insights and make informed decisions. 

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1. Custom reports

Create custom reports in Google Analytics to focus on specific data points relevant to your business goals. 

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2. Conversion funnels 

Analyse the steps users take before converting to identify potential drop-off points and areas for improvement.

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When to seek professional help 

Setting up conversion tracking can be a complex process, especially for businesses without a dedicated digital marketing team. Misconfigurations can lead to inaccurate data, making it challenging to draw meaningful insights. 

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Key takeaways

Proper conversion tracking with Google Analytics is crucial for understanding and improving your digital marketing efforts. By following these steps, you can set up a robust tracking system that provides valuable insights into your online performance.  

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If you’re unsure how your current activities are performing, we offer a free digital marketing audit to help you get started. In this audit, we’ll review your current setup, identify areas for improvement and provide actionable recommendations.