Google Analytics Event-based Goal Funnels

Question

I have what might be a unique GA requirement.

I need to track Goal conversions in a SPA based on certain event criteria.

Here's the requirement:

• User initiates new order
• User fills out all required fields
• User either:
  • Saves order for later
  • Completes order
• --Goal complete--

Since this is a single page web-app, I think I need to do this via events (unless there is a better way).

The business wants to track the time it takes for the goal to be completed. Can I do this with a 'goal', or would I be better off just attaching timestamps to the individual events and deriving the duration on the back end?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Google Analytics now offers an Events Flow Report, in which you can see how users "navigate" through the different events you have configured, but that's probably not what you are looking for.

If you want a "real" funnel report in Google Analytics, currently you can't use Events, they are only available for Destination/URL goals.

A workaround is using virtual pageviews instead of events and then configuring those virtual pages as the funnel steps. This is not ideal, because virtual pageviews impact your statistics (more pageviews, etc.) but maybe in your case this is not a great issue.

If they want to track the time to complete to final goal and they are registering orders (with a $ value), then ecommerce tracking is your best bet. It offers a lot of useful information about the orders and includes a "Time to purchase" report.

Answer 2

You have many options here (with PROs/CONs):

1. Look at the Behaviour->Events->Events Flow. There you can see the "funnel" of how your users/guests interacts with your website and move around the events you programmed.

2. If you have Google Analytics 360, you can create a Custom Report of type "funnel" and then you can specify your events as steps of the goal. Downside: only 5 events/steps per goal.

3. You can define virtual pageviews instead of events, and then your Goal will be the basic type of simple URI paths. This allow you to define up to 20 URIs (or virtual pageviews). Downside: each pageview will count towards your visits (and it is just a virtual visit). This can be triggered in Javascript with this code:

   _gap.push(['_trackPageview', 'name-of-your-virtual-pageview-in-the-goal-funnel-definition'])