Should You Enable Smart Goals in Google Analytics?

I’ve had a few people ask me about whether or not they should enable “Smart Goals” in Google Analytics.

Smart Goals were designed for Google Ads advertisers who don’t use conversion tracking so that they can optimize their campaigns via website engagement metrics.

Basically, Smart Goals use Google Analytics data to determine which factors “probably” lead a website user to convert – they’re Google’s best guesses as to your best-quality website traffic which might have led to conversions on your site.

If you have the option to set up your own conversions, then I do not recommend using Smart Goals.

It’s basically the difference between optimizing Google Ads campaigns to people who *probably* converted on your website vs. those who *actually* converted.

In any case, I recommend setting up your own “goals” in Google Analytics and then importing them into Google Ads – it’s a much more accurate method for tracking conversions.

If you are already tracking conversions, then Smart Goals are not necessary and would likely just confuse things and be potentially misleading.

About the Author

Matt Chiera

Matt Chiera is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Ice Nine Online, a Chicago-based B2B digital marketing agency he established in 2014. Over more than a decade, he has helped clients generate millions of dollars in revenue across SEO, paid media, web development, and marketing strategy. Before founding Ice Nine Online, Matt served as a Director at Perfect Search Media, one of Chicago's pioneering search marketing firms. He has taught digital marketing courses at the Digital Professional Institute, published Digital Marketers Sound Off (ranked the number one Web Marketing book on Amazon), and holds formal training from the University of Chicago and Stanford University's Technology Entrepreneurship program. Ice Nine Online has earned recognition through the dotCOMM, MUSE, and Web Excellence Awards.

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