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How to Find Conversion Time Lag Report in Google Analytics

April 18, 2014

By Cypress North
2 Comments

When it comes to analyzing conversions on your site, keep in mind that not everyone makes decisions the same way. Some people may visit your site, find what they’re looking for, and convert in one visit — that is, they make a purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, or fill out a contact form.

For example: I want to buy these ASPCA Womens Vans Shoes for a friend. I go to the site, I add it to my cart, I go through the checkout process, and I buy the shoes. I do everything in one visit.

aspca_vans

Others might spend more time in the “consideration” phase of the marketing funnel — shopping around, doing more research, or seeking personal recommendations — before making that final decision.

For example: I want to make a photo book for my mom for Mother’s Day, but I’m collecting photos from my sister & family to include. I go to the website, browse the various book options, and decide which one I want to buy. Three days later, after I’ve collected my photos, I return to the site to customize the book and complete the checkout process.

In the latter example, the conversion took four days vs. one day in the first example. The time lag is important to consider when analyzing conversions. Lucky for you, there’s a nice little report built in to Google Analytics that gives you this data (as long as your Goals are set up properly).

The Time Lag Report

Here’s how to find the Time Lag report in Google Analytics.

1. Login to Google Analytics

2. Click on Conversions > Multi-Channel Funnels > Time Lag

time_to_lag_report

3. Find super helpful information on your sales cycle and the length of time it takes a user to convert (make a purchase)!

time_to_lag_report_2

You can use this report to view information on your various conversion goals, whether they are AdWords conversions or not, and the window of time prior to conversion you want to see.

For the record, I really did purchase the ASPCA vans for a certain someone’s birthday in our office — can you guess who?

 

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Cypress North

Cypress North

We are a small group of developers, marketers and designers who are experts in their field. We work hard to surpass our clients’ goals; word-of-mouth is our best friend. Our unique expertise in both internet marketing and development allows us to accomplish projects that others simply can’t. If you are looking to choose the steak over the sizzle, you’re in the right place.

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2 comments

seorigami August 26, 2016Reply

Thanks for the walk through! I never knew that GA had this report stock and assumed it was one that had to be custom generated. This report has been helpful when explaining to management that Adwords conversions are attributed to the day of the first click, and these conversions can take weeks or even months to happen. This is key to understand when testing new ads, keywords, and bid strategies.

Jeeves April 5, 2017Reply

Ditto to the obove response. I had no idea this existed but it’s not like it was buried somewhere obscure in GA either…

Great tool!

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