You can read your data. Now let’s make it count.
In Matomo, Goals let you measure important actions such as a signup, contact request or download.
For now, choose just one. You can add more later.
Step 1 Choose one action that matters
Start with a simple question: What is one thing you want visitors to do on your website?
For example:
- Submit a contact form
- Request a demo
- Sign up for your newsletter
- Create an account
- Download an important resource
- Reach an important page
Pick one meaningful action for now. That is your first goal (and you can add more later).
Not sure what to choose?
Think about what your website is supposed to achieve.
For example:
Business goal: Generate more leads → Important visitor action: Submit the contact form → What you’ll measure: Completed contact forms
Or:
Business goal: Grow your newsletter audience → Important visitor action: Complete the newsletter signup → What you’ll measure: Newsletter signups
This is the same logic as a measurement plan: business goal, then the question, then the metric.
Step 2 Create your first goal
Now turn that action into a Goal. In Matomo, go to Goals > Manage Goals, then click Add a new goal.
- Name it clearly. « Newsletter signup » or « Contact form sent ». Not « Goal 1 ».
- Choose when it triggers. The simplest option is Visit a given URL, for example your thank-you page like “yourwebsite.com/thank-you”. Other options include a file download, a click, or an event.
- Multiple conversions. Leave this off for one-time actions like a signup.
- Add a value (optional but useful). Even a rough figure, for example a lead worth 50 and a newsletter worth 5 in your site’s currency, lets you compare which channels bring the most value.
- Don’t forget to Save!
📚 Learn more
Step 3 Test it
Do the action yourself. For a thank-you page goal, submit the form or open that URL. Then check Visitors > Real-time or your Goals report to confirm the conversion was recorded.
This 60-second test catches most setup mistakes. You created one goal and tested it. For now, you only need to answer one question: did your conversion show up?
🎉 “Yes, I can see it »
Great. Matomo now measures what matters to your organisation, not just traffic. You turned a visit into a result.
❌ « Not yet »
No problem. Check these:
• The trigger matches reality. The exact URL or event name must match what happens on your site.
• The action really fired. Make sure the page or event actually loaded with tracking active.
• The date is Today. Set it to Today if you just created the goal.
• Re-test, then see Check your goal converts correctly.
📚 Learn more
Go deeper
📚 More resources (only if you need it):
• Example goals: newsletter, PDF download, social share