How Do You Set Up Analytics To Track Country-Specific Goals?

Story Based Question

You’ve recently expanded your e-commerce store into several international markets, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan. You want to track how each country performs differently in terms of sales, user behavior, and engagement. However, your current Google Analytics setup only tracks global data, and you’re concerned that you won’t be able to measure the success of country-specific marketing campaigns. You’re thinking, How do I set up analytics to track country-specific goals, so I can evaluate performance in each market separately and adjust my strategy accordingly?

Exact Answer

To set up analytics for country-specific goals, create separate views in Google Analytics for each country, use filters to track country-specific data, set up custom goals for each market, and leverage UTM parameters to track campaigns by country.

Explanation

Tracking country-specific goals is essential when operating in multiple international markets. This allows you to assess how each region is performing, understand user behavior, and refine your strategies for each market. Here’s how to set up analytics for country-specific goals:

1. Create Separate Views for Each Country
   • Google Analytics allows you to create multiple views within a single property. By creating a view for each country, you can filter the data to only include users from that specific region.
   • How to Implement: In your Google Analytics account, go to Admin > View > Create View. Set up a view for each country (e.g., “U.S. View,” “Germany View,” and “Japan View”). Use country filters to track specific data from each region.
2. Use Filters to Track Country-Specific Data
   • Filters allow you to segment your data based on specific criteria, such as country. By applying country filters, you can track performance metrics specific to each region, including goal completions, conversions, and revenue.
   • How to Implement: After creating a country-specific view, go to Admin > Filters > Add Filter. Select the filter type “Include” and apply the filter to only include data from the desired country (e.g., “Germany” or “Japan”). This ensures the data for that country is kept separate from other regions.
3. Set Up Custom Goals for Each Market
   • Goals in Google Analytics help you track specific actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or downloads. Setting up country-specific goals ensures that you can track how users from each region are interacting with your site and achieving your business objectives.
   • How to Implement: Go to Admin > View > Goals > New Goal. Create a custom goal for each country by defining actions that are important for that market. For example, if you’re measuring purchases, you can set up a goal to track e-commerce transactions and revenue for each region.
4. Use UTM Parameters for Country-Specific Campaigns
   • UTM parameters are tags added to your URLs that help you track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. By adding country-specific UTM parameters, you can analyze which campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions from each region.
   • How to Implement: When creating URLs for your campaigns, add UTM parameters that include the country (e.g., utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_medium=email&utm_source=website&utm_term=US). You can use tools like Google’s Campaign URL Builder to generate these URLs. Then, track the campaign data in Google Analytics under Acquisition > Campaigns.
5. Leverage Google Analytics Reports for Deeper Insights
   • Once your setup is in place, you can use various Google Analytics reports to dive deeper into your country-specific performance. Use the Geo reports under Audience > Geo > Location to see user data by country and evaluate how each market is performing.
   • How to Implement: Regularly monitor your country-specific views and reports to track metrics like traffic, bounce rates, conversion rates, and revenue by country. This allows you to quickly adjust your strategy based on the performance in each market.

Example

Let’s say you’re managing a U.S.-based e-commerce store that has recently expanded into Germany and Japan. You want to track goal completions, such as purchases, newsletter sign-ups, and product page views, separately for each region.

1. Create Separate Views:
   • You create three separate views in Google Analytics: U.S. View, Germany View, and Japan View. Each view filters the data to track only users from that country.
2. Apply Filters for Country-Specific Tracking:
   • For the Germany View, you apply a filter that only includes traffic from users in Germany. Similarly, you do the same for the Japan View and the U.S. View.
3. Set Up Custom Goals:
   • You create a goal in the U.S. View to track completed purchases. Similarly, you set up goals for newsletter sign-ups in each view. For example, in Germany, you might have a goal for purchases in euros, and in Japan, the goal is set for transactions in yen.
4. Track Campaign Performance Using UTM Parameters:
   • For your marketing campaigns in the U.S., you add UTM parameters like utm_source=website&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_term=US. When users click on these links, the data will be captured under the appropriate country view, allowing you to track how successful the campaign is in each market.
5. Monitor the Reports:
   • You regularly check the Location reports under Audience > Geo > Location in Google Analytics to compare performance across the U.S., Germany, and Japan. You notice that while your U.S. site is performing well, your Japan site needs adjustments in the conversion funnel.

Setting up Google Analytics to track country-specific goals gives you the ability to measure how each market is performing and refine your strategies accordingly. By creating separate views, using filters, setting up custom goals, and adding UTM parameters to campaigns, you can effectively monitor and optimize your international SEO efforts. Regular analysis of these reports will help ensure you meet the unique goals for each country.