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How to Set Goals (Conversions)

QA ZERO allows you to define important website actions as goals. Examples include completing an inquiry form or clicking a download button.

Goals help you focus your analysis on the behavior of users who converted.

Required Permission​

You need QA Zero Admin permission to create or edit goals.

  • QA Zero Admin: The Settings menu is available. You can create and edit goals.
  • QA Zero View: The Settings menu is not available. You cannot change goal settings.

Automatically Calculate Past Goal Data​

QA ZERO can calculate goal data retroactively from the date tracking began.

  • Set goals later
    • When you add a goal after tracking has started, QA ZERO calculates past conversions and conversion rates automatically.
  • Apply changes to past data
    • When you correct a goal setting, QA ZERO recalculates the past data after you save it.
  • No lost results from a late setup
    • You can still review results from the beginning of tracking, even if the goal was added later.

Note: The available period is different for dataLayer Value goals.

  • dataLayer values are recorded only after dataLayer collection is enabled.
  • A goal added later can use data recorded from that point onward. Data from before collection was enabled cannot be calculated.

Use dataLayer Values as Goals​

When information about user actions or screen states is available in the tracked site's dataLayer, QA ZERO can capture it and use it for goal tracking.

The dataLayer handles information as key-value pairs. It is commonly used with tools such as Google Tag Manager (GTM).

A dataLayer Value goal is counted when the specified key matches one of the configured values.

If the required information is available in the dataLayer, you can track progress even when the URL does not change.

This is useful for multi-step forms, price simulations, and other screens that change without reloading the page.

If the required keys and values are already available, no additional implementation is needed on the tracked site.

Before using this feature

dataLayer collection must be enabled for the tracked site. This setting cannot be changed from the admin panel. Contact support if you want to use this feature.

Set Up a Goal​

Open Settings from the menu on the left.

Step 1: Enter the Goal Information​

  1. Goal Name
    • Enter a name that is easy to identify, such as “Inquiry Completed” or “Download Button.”
  2. Monthly Goal Count (optional)
    • Enter the number of conversions you want to achieve each month.
    • The Goals report compares the current count with the target.
    • Leave this as 0 if you do not need a monthly target.
  3. Goal Value (optional)
    • Enter the expected value of one conversion, such as the average revenue per sale.
    • QA ZERO uses this value to estimate the total value generated by the goal.
    • Leave this as 0 if you do not need this calculation.
  4. Goal Type
    • Destination Page: Counts a goal when a specific page, such as a thank-you page, is viewed.
    • Click: Counts a goal when a specified button or link is clicked.
    • dataLayer Value: Counts a goal when the specified dataLayer key matches a configured value.

Step 2: Set the Conditions​

A. Destination Page​

  • Match Type
    • Starts With: Matches any URL that starts with the specified text.
    • Exact Match: Matches only the exact URL.
  • Target URL: Enter the URL of the destination page.

B. Click​

  1. Enter the URL of the page containing the target element, then select Load Page.
  2. Select the button or link in the preview.
  3. QA ZERO enters its selector automatically.

C. dataLayer Value​

  • dataLayer Key
    • Enter the key available in the dataLayer, such as page_location.
    • You can specify one key.
  • Matching Values
    • Enter one value per line. Values use exact matching.
    • When multiple values are entered, the goal is counted when any one of them matches.

The key and values must exactly match the information available in the tracked site's dataLayer. Check for leading or trailing spaces. For URL values, the domain and trailing slash must also match.

A message below the fields states that dataLayer collection must be enabled from the tag setup screen. This screen is not available in the admin panel. Contact support to enable the setting.

Step 3: Save​

Select Save Goal. QA ZERO then starts recalculating the data, including available past data.

View Goal Results​

Open Goals from the menu on the left to view the collected data.

See the Goals manual for details.

Sites That Change Without Reloading the Page​

Multi-step forms and price simulations may change their content without reloading the page. A Single Page Application (SPA) is another common example.

When the URL does not change, a Destination Page goal cannot distinguish between different steps. A Click goal may also be unable to determine which step the user ultimately reached.

If information about the current step is available in the dataLayer, a dataLayer Value goal can track the number of users who reached each step.

Heatmaps and Session Replay​

QA ZERO displays Heatmaps and Session Replay using HTML saved for each URL.

When the screen changes without a page reload, screens with the same URL are treated as the same page. HTML is not saved separately for each dataLayer value. As a result, the changed screen may not be reproduced as expected, and the Heatmap or Session Replay may not match the screen the user viewed.

A dataLayer Value goal tracks how many users reached each step. It does not provide separate Heatmaps or Session Replays for individual dataLayer values.