OK, well not really saved it… but GA advanced segmentation really can allow you to turn back the clock and look like a hero in the process. In typical GA campaign tracking you must define a goal page or event that will be associated with a campaign (like a sign up page or thank you page) and then associate this goal with a specific profile. You can have a maximum of 4 goals per profile – which can lead to lots of profiles. A big catch with this system – you can’t go back in time – so if you haven’t set up your goal after a campaign has started, you’ll never be able to track all your conversions.With advanced segmentation you now have a new option. Here is how it works:
- Decide what constitutes a conversion – this will typically be a visit to a thank you page.
- Define a segment based on this rule.
- Apply this segment in addition to your “all” segment to your GA profile and then look for visits to your landing page.
- The result will be a report that shows you number of visits to your landing page -and the number of those visits that resulted in a conversion.
You do lose some of the functionality associated with traditional goal creation (goal value tracking and the non-session nature of a goal conversion) but overall you’ll have an excellent view of your campaign’s performance—and to boot—you’ll have a segment that can help you determine where your converters come from, what else they look at, and how they behave. Enjoy!
