Goals in Google Analytics

[cassel]

I am trying to set up some goals and funnels in Google Analytics for the site, however, i must do something wrong as i got no data at all since i set it up (a couple of weeks ago) and i know some members have joined. So i would like to record these funnels:

Goal 1: opt-in to the general mailing list
step1- click to opt in
step2- complete registration

Goal 2: opt-in to a second mailing list (i have 2 different ones for different products)
step1- click to opt in
step2- complete registration

Goal 3: purchase product A
step1- click on the paypal button
step2- however can be tracked to show that the paypal transaction was completed

For the opt in forms, i finally opted for the MailChimp form because of its "look" over the s2Member login widget (which i did like but found it harder to customize with my limited knowledge of php, css and html and all that). I tried contacting MailChimp about this but they simply referred me to s2Member.

Any suggestion as to the type of URL i should use for all those steps/goals? Even with some generic URL that i can customize or a direction as to where to find the correct URL to place in GA to get a more or less accurate result since right now, i have NO result at all.

Thank you

[Jason Caldwell]

For paid registrations, where a Customer goes through your payment Gatway, s2Member provides its API / Tracking interface, where you can paste in your Google Analytics Code.
See: s2Member -> API Tracking in your Dashboard for this.

In addition, s2Member also comes with an event-driven Notification system, which operates silently behind-the-scene, via HTTP requests that can talk to custom scripts that you write. I'm not sure that's going to help you with Google Analytics though.

For some of the other types of tracking you mentioned, you might want to use Google's Virtual Pageviews:
See: http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/d ... lPageviews

Also see: "Event Tracking" here:
http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/d ... Guide.html

[cassel]

Yikes. That is foreign language to me.

I already have tracking on my site for visits, page views and such and it is set in my theme. That is done and working fine. Do i have to copy the same code in the s2Member -> API Tracking?

I am looking at the Goals where i am asked the Goal URL. For example, i have set my notification after purchase, to send the user to this page: http://scrapbookcampus.com/success-basic/ I am HOPING this would be one of the URL they require, but i am not sure as i know, not every transaction and visit are recorded by GA, so maybe the ONE person who registered since i set it up, was not "recorded" by GA? I dunno.

As for the rest of your suggestion, i have absolutely NO CLUE what it means and in those links, they are not much more helpful. Any other "basic" information available to help?

[Jason Caldwell]

In a basic configuration for GA, you would set your Goal URL to:
/?s2member_paypal_return=1 ( Head Match )
This is the page that every visitor will come to after a successful Signup through your Payment Gateway.

If you are using s2Member Pro, along with the success="" attribute in your Shortcode, thereby running your own custom Thank-You Return page ( i.e. http://scrapbookcampus.com/success-basic/ ), then you could set your Goal URL ( Head Match ), to: /success-basic/.

In addition to Goal URLs, many site owners find it useful to integrate eCommerce Tracking Codes from GA, into s2Member's API Tracking section. See: http://www.google.com/support/analytics ... opic=11001

Tracking other events on your site, like simple mailing list subscriptions, may require separate Goal URLs to be configured, based on your site's structure, and/or event tracking codes integrated strategically into the HTML code on your site.

[cassel]

Thank you. That is more understandable English for me!

Additional question here: If i have more than ONE product (types of sales or paid registration), is there more than the "/?s2member_paypal_return=1" to differentiate them?

[cassel]

Bumping, just in case the last question was missed.

If i have more than ONE product (types of sales or paid registration), is there more than the "/?s2member_paypal_return=1" to differentiate them?

[Jason Caldwell]

Bumping, just in case the last question was missed.

If i have more than ONE product (types of sales or paid registration), is there more than the "/?s2member_paypal_return=1" to differentiate them?

No, the Return Page is the same for all transactions that provide Membership access in one for or another. However, when you integrate your Tracking Codes, under: s2Member -> API Tracking, s2Member does make several Replacement Codes available there, which allow you to integrate tracking methodologies in various ways, dynamically ( i.e. based on what was purchased ).

This is a good place to integrate Google's eCommerce tracking code:
http://www.google.com/support/analytics ... opic=11001