When Creating a Goal in Google Analytics, Which Are Required?

Setting up goals in Google Analytics is the single most important step you can take to understand if your website is actually working for your business. Without them, you're just tracking clicks and views, with them, you can measure what truly matters. This guide will walk you through exactly how to set up goals by focusing on the required fields and options you'll encounter along the way.

First, a Quick Note on Google Analytics 4

You may know that Google has fully transitioned to Google Analytics 4. In GA4, the feature previously known as "Goals" in Universal Analytics (the older version) is now called "Conversions." The concept is the same, but the setup process is different. In GA4, any event you collect can be toggled on or off as a Conversion on the Events screen.

So why learn about the old Goal setup? Many businesses still have years of historical data in Universal Analytics (UA), and understanding how those goals were configured is essential for data analysis and properly migrating to GA4. Furthermore, the goal-setting logic in UA provides a great mental framework for thinking about what actions are valuable to track, no matter what platform you're using. This article focuses on the classic goal setup process within a Universal Analytics property.

Navigating to the Goal Creation Area in Universal Analytics

Finding where to create goals is your first step. It's tucked away in the administrative settings.

Here's how to get there:

1. Log in to your Google Analytics account.
2. Click on Admin in the bottom-left corner (it looks like a gear icon).
3. You'll see three columns: Account, Property, and View. In the View column on the right, click on Goals.
4. Press the red + NEW GOAL button to start the creation process.

This takes you to the first of three main configuration stages.

Step 1: Goal Setup - Choosing Your Starting Point

The first screen asks you to choose a configuration option. For the most part, this step is about choosing a template to streamline the process.

You have three primary options here:

• Template: Google offers a collection of pre-configured templates based on common business objectives like Revenue, Acquisition, Inquiry, and Engagement. For example, the "Create an account" template under Acquisition will pre-select the Destination goal type for you later on. These are helpful for beginners but aren't required.
• Smart Goals: This option is only available if your Analytics account is linked to a Google Ads account. Smart Goals use machine learning to identify your most engaged website visitors and automatically count their sessions as conversions, which can then be imported into Google Ads to optimize your bidding. It's a hands-off option, but offers less control.
• Custom: This is the most common and flexible option. It lets you define every aspect of your goal from scratch without any pre-filled settings. Don't be afraid to choose this one - it gives you the most control.

For this walkthrough, we'll select Custom and hit Continue.

Step 2: Goal Description - Naming Your Goal and Defining Its Type

This stage is where you start filling in the fundamental required fields: what your goal is called and how Google Analytics should measure it.

Required Field: Name

The first thing you must provide is a name for your goal. This might seem simple, but giving it a clear, descriptive name is crucial for long-term reporting clarity.

An unhelpful name is "Goal 1" or "Form Submission." What form? Where is it on the site? A few months from now, you won't remember.

A helpful name is descriptive and provides context, such as:

• Contact Form Submission - Main Contact Page
• Newsletter Signup - Footer CTA
• Ebook Download - Homepage Pop-Up

Be specific. You'll thank yourself later when looking at your reports.

Required Field: Goal Type

This is the most important choice you'll make, as it determines what kind of user action Google Analytics will track as a conversion. There are four different goal types.

1. Destination

A Destination goal is triggered when a user arrives at a specific page on your website. This is the most common goal type because it's the perfect way to track when a user completes a critical action, like submitting a form or completing a purchase.

Example: After a user submits your contact form, you redirect them to a dedicated "thank you" page (e.g., www.mywebsite.com/thank-you). You would set up a Destination goal for this /thank-you page to track every successful form submission.

2. Duration

A Duration goal measures user engagement by tracking how long they stay on your website. A conversion is recorded when a user's session lasts longer than a duration you specify.

Example: If your goal is to have users deeply engage with your blog content, you might set a Duration goal that triggers when a session lasts for more than 4 minutes. This tells you which traffic sources are bringing in highly engaged readers.

3. Pages/Screens per session

Similar to Duration, this goal type measures engagement. It counts a conversion when a user views a specific number of pages or screens during a single session.

Example: For a real estate website, a user viewing more than 10 property listings in one visit is a strong sign of interest. You could set a 'Pages/Screens per session' goal to trigger after the 10-page mark to identify these highly interested users.

4. Event

An Event goal is the most flexible and powerful type, but it requires an extra setup step. It allows you to track specific interactions (Events) that don't involve loading a new page. To use this goal type, you must first have Event Tracking set up via Google Tag Manager or on-site code.

Example: Tracking clicks on a "Download PDF" button, plays on an embedded video, or clicks on an external affiliate link are all perfect uses for Event goals. When that pre-configured event occurs, the completion is recorded.

Once you've chosen your Goal Type, click Continue to move to the final step.

Step 3: Goal Details - The Final Configuration

The fields in this final step depend entirely on the Goal Type you selected previously. Let's break down the required details for each.

If you chose Destination...

• Destination (Required): This is the URL of the page you want to track as a goal completion. You only need the portion of the URL after your domain name, e.g., /thank-you.html. You also must choose a match type:
• Value (Optional): You can assign a monetary value to this goal completion. Even if it's not e-commerce related (like a lead form submission), assigning an estimated value can be incredibly valuable for proving marketing efforts (e.g., every lead is worth $25 to you).
• Funnel (Optional): This allows you to map the path that a user should take leading up to your destination goal. For example, before a purchase, you can set up steps for viewing the cart, entering shipping info, and entering payment details. This creates a funnel visualization report that shows you where users might drop off in the process, which is extremely valuable for optimization.

If you chose Duration...

• Duration (Required): You have to set a condition Greater than, and then enter the number of Hours, Minutes, or Seconds to trigger the goal.

If you chose Pages/Screens per session...

• Pages/Screens per session (Required): You simply set the condition Greater than, then enter the number of pages or screens that should trigger a conversion (e.g., 5).

If you chose Event...

• Event Conditions (Required): At least one of the following fields must be filled to match the event(s) you want to track:
• You should have the option to Use the Event value as the Goal Value. This is helpful if you're already passing dynamic values via your Event Tracking code.

Verifying Your Goal

At the bottom of the Goal details page, Google provides a "Verify this Goal" button. Clicking it tests your website data from the past seven days to calculate an estimated conversion rate based on the settings you input.

This is a good quick quality check to make sure your configuration is as you'd expect, but it's not a guarantee. You'll still need to confirm it’s properly tracking over 24-48 hours.

Final Thoughts

Setting up goals in Universal Analytics involves three essential steps: defining, describing, and entering the specific details like the destination URL or other conditions. These required fields are the core that enables Google Analytics to understand exactly what actions should count as a conversion, giving you high-quality data to act on for business improvement.

While platforms continuously provide advancing insights, the overall logic in conversion goal setting remains largely the same across most analytical tools. Using a graphed workflow makes the process simple. We allow you to connect all your marketing and sales data, including Google Analytics, in just a few clicks, ensuring you can use plain English to instantly report on your dashboard showing not just how your website is performing but how the conversion process is being shaped for your strategy.