How to Set Up Conversion Goals on Your Website

Short answer: pick one to three actions that represent real value, define each as either a page visit (a thank-you URL) or a custom event fired when the action truly succeeds, then check the goal by completing it yourself. A goal should count confirmed outcomes, never button clicks.

Table of Contents

1. Choose the Right Goals
2. URL Goals vs Event Goals
3. Step by Step
4. Adding a Value
5. Seven Mistakes That Ruin Goal Data
6. What to Do Once Goals Exist
7. Key Takeaways

Choose the Right Goals

Limit yourself. One primary goal and one or two supporting ones is enough. Ten goals means nobody knows which matters.

A good goal is:

• Binary. It happened or it did not.
• Confirmed. Recorded after success, not on intent.
• Tied to value. Someone would notice if it stopped.

URL Goals vs Event Goals

URL goal. The visitor reached a specific page, typically a confirmation page such as /thank-you or /order-received.

• Simple, no code.
• Works only if success has its own page.
• Breaks if the page can be reached without converting, for example by refreshing or bookmarking it.

Event goal. Your code fires a named event when the action succeeds.

• Works inside single-page apps and modal flows.
• Can carry a value, such as an order total.
• Needs a line of code.

Use a URL goal when there is a unique confirmation page, and an event goal for everything else.

Step by Step

1. Write the definition

"A signup is counted when the server accepts the registration." Be precise about the moment.

2. Find the success point

Either the confirmation URL, or the place in your code that runs after the server responds successfully.

3. Fire the event, if needed

// after the server confirms success
deepsync("track", "signup_completed");

Put this in the success handler, not on the button's click.

4. Create the goal

In DeepSync a goal is one target event, matched by event type and optionally a path or a value field (goals docs). Point it at your page path or your custom event name.

5. Test it yourself

Complete the action in a normal browser window, then check that the goal count rises by exactly one. Then fail on purpose, with a wrong password or an empty field, and confirm it does not count.

6. Note the start date

Goal data begins when the goal is defined correctly. Record the date so nobody later reads the earlier blank as zero conversions.

Adding a Value

If the goal has a monetary value, send it:

deepsync("track", "purchase_completed", {
  value: 4999,
  currency: "INR",
  items: 3,
});

With a value field set, the Conversions view reports total conversions, conversion rate against total sessions, and revenue attributed to that goal over your date range.

Seven Mistakes That Ruin Goal Data

1. Counting clicks. A click on "Pay" is not a payment.
2. Counting page loads that can be repeated. Refreshing the thank-you page adds a conversion.
3. Firing twice. The event sits in a component that renders more than once.
4. Different names for one thing. signup, sign_up, and SignupDone split the count.
5. No test. The goal was never completed by a person before being trusted.
6. Consent gaps ignored. If recording waits for consent, goals only count consenting visitors. Compare with your server's count to know the gap.
7. Changing the definition silently. A redefinition mid-quarter makes the trend meaningless unless it is annotated.

What to Do Once Goals Exist

• Compare by channel. Attribution connects each session's source to the goal it produced.
• Build a funnel leading to the goal (guide).
• Filter recordings to sessions that reached the page and did not complete the goal.
• Set a baseline by device and source before changing anything (benchmarking).

Free plans include one goal; Pro and above are unlimited.

Key Takeaways

• Count confirmed outcomes, not clicks.
• Use URL goals for confirmation pages and event goals for everything else.
• Test success and failure yourself before trusting the number.
• Keep names consistent and note the start date.

Conclusion

A goal is ten minutes of setup that every later analysis depends on. Get the definition right and the rest of your reports become trustworthy.

Start free with DeepSync.