Web Marketing: How to Set up Conversion Funnel Tracking

By John Arnold, Michael Becker, Marty Dickinson, Ian Lurie, and Elizabeth Marsten from Web Marketing All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Some reporting packages, such as Adobe Site Catalyst allows the web marketer to track a basic goal funnel by using the conversion funnel tracking or the fallout report builder. For other packages, such as Google Analytics, you need to know the unique address of each page in the checkout process and then add those addresses to a goal funnel report.

The following steps use Google Analytics and a shopping cart. This procedure works in just about every reporting tool that includes funnel tracking. Follow these steps:

Step through the checkout process and record the URL of each page in the process.

Cut and paste each page’s URL into a spreadsheet as a temporary notepad.
In Google Analytics, click the website profile for which you want to add a funnel.
Click the Goals tab.
Click + Goal or click the goal to which you want to add the funnel.
On the Goal Settings page that appears, set up your goal.
In your new or existing goal, add the funnel for tracking by entering the unique address of each page in the checkout process under the URL.
Give each page a name you’ll understand.
Save your new funnel.

Within a few hours, you’ll have goal funnel data.

Some carts use the same page throughout so that even as customers move from billing to shipping to payment information to place an order, the page keeps the same URL. Don’t despair: You can work around this situation in several ways. For example, go to Google Analytics and type goal funnel in the Search box at the top of the page to see its solution. Or, talk to your developer.